Stephen Costello is in his first term as a Houston City Council Member (At-Large
Position 1). He chairs City Council's Budget and Fiscal Affairs Committee and serves on the following additional council committees: Development and Regulatory Affairs; Ethics and Council Governance; Flooding and Drainage; Housing and Community Development; Public Safety and Homeland Security; Transportation, Infrastructure and Aviation; and Water Resources Management.



Stephen is an engineer with a background in flood control and drainage. With a degree in civil engineering from the University of New York at Buffalo, Stephen's first job out of college was working as a civilian with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Galveston. It was with the Corps that Stephen discovered his lifelong interest in storm water management and flooding issues after working with residents whose homes had been flooded. That led Stephen to work for the passage of the ReBuild Houston program, which will address the city's drainage and flooding issues with funds set aside for that purpose only.



As an authority on flooding and storm water management, Stephen has served as an expert witness for Harris County and TxDOT on drainage related issues. His depth of experience has been sought out by governmental agencies including large and small municipalities, county and state governments. In addition, Stephen has helped to create and rewrite criteria manuals for the Harris County Flood Control District, Harris County
and the City of Houston.



Stephen has served as chair and longtime board member of the Memorial Park Conservancy, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the natural habitat and historical significance of Memorial Park. He also serves on the board of Playworks, a national nonprofit that supports learning by providing safe, healthy and inclusive play and physical activity to schools at recess and throughout the entire school day.



Stephen and his wife Debbie have raised two sons in Houston. In his first term on City Council, Stephen is focusing on addressing our city's flooding and drainage issues, assisting the police and fire departments so that they can better serve our neighborhoods, improving budget processes and supporting green-oriented policies.