HOUSTON – One Houston city employee, working in Public Works, used his city-issued credit card to buy 190 of the same drill set. Not one. Not a few extras. One hundred and ninety, let that sink in for a second.
So how did no one catch it? That’s exactly what we wanted to know at ENOUGH.
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What the director said
When our Investigative Reporter Amy Davis broke this story, we went straight to Houston Public Works Director Randy Macchi. His explanation came down to size.
“I think size has got a little bit to do with it. It’s the largest civilian department. It’s also the one that is most field operational,” Macchi said.
The numbers
From 2024-2025, 338 employees held a combined 425 city-issued credit cards. More than 30 of those employees had more than one card.
Here is how it is supposed to work. Every employee is required to get a supervisor’s approval before making any purchase. The system is clear on paper. But somewhere between approval and checkout, 190 drill sets walked out of the door.
The drill sets are jarring, but they are not the whole story. A city-wide efficiency study found something much larger hiding in plain sight.
$613 million in city purchases found not to comply with Houston’s own standards.
That’s $613 million dollars in purchases that didn’t follow the rules. Not in one department, it was city-wide.
Where things stand
The employee who bought the drill sets has resigned, with charges pending. We’re not identifying the man because of that. When we caught up with him he pointed the finger elsewhere.
“All of my purchases have went through my manager. So how about you go contact my manager,” he told our Amy Davis.
Macchi tells us when it comes to that manager and others, “There will be accountability all across the board.”