Harris County commissioners are expected to consider appointing former agency engineer Marcus Stuckett as executive director of the Harris County Flood Control District as the department works to protect hundreds of millions of dollars in federal disaster-recovery funding.
The Commissioners Court agenda for June 25 includes an executive-session item to discuss and potentially ratify Stuckett’s appointment.
Stuckett is a licensed professional engineer and certified floodplain manager with experience in drainage, water resources and hydraulic engineering.
He previously held several leadership positions at the Flood Control District, including director of its Engineering Division and manager of its Watershed Management Department. He also worked as a project manager and served as a liaison to the Harris County Engineering Department.
During his time at the district, Stuckett oversaw engineering, design and bidding work for flood-control projects and managed hydrology and hydraulics operations.
He left the agency in 2022 to join the private engineering firm Pape-Dawson Engineers. His previous experience with the district could allow him to take over without an extended adjustment period.
Stuckett would replace former Executive Director Tina Petersen, who resigned June 11 after commissioners discussed her performance during two closed-door sessions.
Petersen said debate surrounding her position had become a distraction and offered to help with the leadership transition.
She had led the district since January 2022 and was its first female executive director.
The leadership change follows concerns about the district’s management of federal funding for Hurricane Harvey recovery and mitigation projects.
County and state officials raised questions about delays, grant documentation, employee turnover and whether Commissioners Court received timely and accurate updates about projects at risk of missing funding deadlines.
The district is managing 28 projects supported by funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and administered by the Texas General Land Office.
Eleven disaster-recovery projects face a Feb. 28, 2027, deadline, while 17 mitigation projects have deadlines in 2028. At least six projects in the earlier group were expected to miss the 2027 deadline.
County officials have proposed transferring certain phases of delayed projects into the program with the later deadline. Projects that are further along would then use money scheduled to expire sooner.
Officials said the restructuring could protect approximately $322 million in disaster-recovery funding connected to more than $800 million in federally supported projects.
The proposal would not provide additional funding or change the projects’ planned scope.
Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham has said the county’s plan appears workable but warned that the February 2027 deadline is firm. Funding that is not used by the deadline could be subject to repayment or a federal and state reconciliation process.
If appointed, Stuckett would be responsible for carrying out the funding-reallocation plan, accelerating delayed projects and improving grant documentation and communication with county leaders.
He would also inherit challenges involving projects financed through Harris County’s 2018 flood bond, including funding gaps, contracting delays and debate over how projects are prioritized under the county’s equity-based framework.
The June 25 Commissioners Court agenda does not include Stuckett’s proposed salary, start date or contract terms.