Overview
- County commissioners are scheduled to meet Thursday to privately consider appointing Marcus Stuckett, a former Harris County engineer now at Pape-Dawson, to lead the Flood Control District.
- The selection plan has split commissioners, with Rodney Ellis endorsing Stuckett’s technical experience and Adrian Garcia criticizing the decision to skip an open, competitive hiring process.
- The hire follows the June 11 resignation of Executive Director Tina Petersen after she proposed a plan to rescue delayed flood-bond projects that are behind schedule.
- A May Flood Control District report shows more than $245 million in grant funding is already jeopardized and local reporting estimates as much as $800 million in matching federal funds could be at risk if benchmarks set by the Texas GLO are missed.
- Questions about conflicts of interest center on Stuckett’s current employer, Pape-Dawson, which has donated to commissioners, bid on county projects and faces litigation over a 2024 detention-pond design alleged to have caused sinkholes.