Harris County Commissioners Court docket on Tuesday may increase funding for county departments by round $12 million, three months after a prolonged political battle over the finances that culminated in adopting a lower-than-planned tax fee.
Greater than 80 % of the proposed supplemental appropriations would go to regulation enforcement, together with the sheriff’s workplace and the district lawyer’s workplace.
MORE ON HARRIS COUNTY: Harris County adopts decrease tax fee, scraps will increase for police after prolonged GOP quorum break
The county defaulted to its “no new income fee” — which freezes the quantity of property taxes the county can accumulate, plus income from properties added to the tax roll final 12 months — final October after Commissioners Court docket was unable to succeed in a quorum wanted to set a tax fee.
Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey and former Precinct 4 Commissioner Jack Cagle skipped six courtroom conferences to disclaim the quorum, citing inflation as a purpose to set a decrease tax fee, whereas additionally calling for finances will increase for regulation enforcement. Democrats argued the GOP technique achieved the alternative by eliminating deliberate will increase for regulation enforcement.
When the county defaulted to the no new income fee, the Harris County District Lawyer’s workplace misplaced out on $5.4 million in proposed will increase, whereas the sheriff’s workplace misplaced $16.6 million that might have funded patrol and administration.
Precinct 4 Constable Mark Herman and Precinct 5 Constable Ted Heap, who publicly supported the GOP commissioners’ quorum break, misplaced $2.8 million and $1.8 million respectively.
On Tuesday, Commissioners Court docket may restore a few of that funding with a proposal that requires a further $5.6 million for the sheriff’s workplace, primarily going towards patrol prices.
The district lawyer’s workplace may obtain $4.3 million to revive 30 assistant district lawyer positions and canopy a “deficit attributable to unbudgeted raises,” in accordance with the Workplace of Administration and Funds.
Different potential supplemental appropriations embody $1.2 million for the Tax Assessor-Collector’s workplace to cowl labor prices of momentary workers, $550,000 for the County Lawyer’s workplace to rent personnel and $450,000 for the Division of Financial Fairness and Alternative to revive funding misplaced by defaulting to the no new income fee.
Ramsey has a separate proposal on the agenda that might increase the District Lawyer’s workplace finances by $4.4 million to fund consumption positions the commissioner stated had been permitted by Commissioners Court docket however not funded.
jen.rice@chron.com
