Funding Boost for harris County Flood Control Faces Workforce Challenge
HOUSTON, TX – A important influx of funding is enabling Harris County Flood Control District to dramatically increase maintenance adn repair projects, but the agency is now facing a critical hurdle: finding enough workers to execute the planned improvements. Despite nearly doubling repair project volume this year, officials report losing potential hires to competing job offers, threatening the long-term impact of the financial boost.
The funding surge allows the district to address a backlog of critical maintenance and respond to community concerns more effectively, impacting the safety and property of hundreds of thousands of Harris County residents. While progress is being made - with silt removal up 117% and vegetation management increasing by 43% – sustained momentum relies on filling numerous open positions. The agency is actively seeking to expand its workforce to handle projects slated for the coming years.
“We’ve had issues with workers taking other job offers before we could get the job offer to them,” explained Jason Krahn, chief infrastructure & operations officer for the Harris County Flood Control District.
This year, the district has already completed 1,700 service requests from residents reporting flood-related issues and has increased the number of repair projects from 59 to 115. The increased funding is directly responsible for these gains, allowing for more proactive maintenance and faster response times.
To address the staffing shortage, the Flood Control District is launching a multi-pronged recruitment strategy. This includes outreach to community partners to build established hiring pipelines, and plans to host job fairs.
Interested applicants can find available positions and apply online at https://www.floodcontroljobs.com/.