[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6671875,"mediaKeyId","2144235-505406a48ced556e5664b4d0854b8c9b","parentId",2144235,"title","Court discusses delayed raises for grant-funded and special-revenue employees; staff to return with options to make employees whole","audioSeconds",848,"startMs",2744000,"endMs",3592000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2144235-505406a48ced556e5664b4d0854b8c9b&start=2744&end=3592","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2144235-505406a48ced556e5664b4d0854b8c9b/thumbnail_2744000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6671875/Harris-County/Texas/Court-discusses-delayed-raises-for-grant-funded-and-special-revenue-employees-staff-to-return-with-options-to-make-employees-whole","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6671875-08e1b66ba82e6303d3b9e7a429c6c069/orig.mp4?Expires=1770440662&Signature=EjXeFhXr8fvYnI-CdJWEJOpg05zahN480WuNM4Y2gKjgGn6E33jAo9paHVp8WcJa~dGV3wDqvJf-kDanQxS~QUTS86OH8hfOLNYv20knjWJfCDtdQpKmACwhy94cjcxeW7~OkBKa54uuUt0RlOcNLz3dC9WNA6h~7~KYJT-iPlok3YJmO1193LQWkNsB4EM9iMQIiVVPWEKZ11mp2xv-kb2TC8-rftj7gZt0IU4RaDBcBeJz-uCmhybbXigQIpUUWCUPHpINvvogc63pqmXLj3x4FSvEo~OaQsOIDZY7Z70R6ZJKf6TWVepnOEB6hZ7EeO6N96OsU8C6bUspjZ7etA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Harris","date","2025-01-23T00:00:00Z","article","Harris County Commissioners Court discussed delays in applying an approved $2,500 salary adjustment for employees earning under $75,000, and officials told the court that some grant-funded and special-revenue employees will receive the increase later than general-fund employees.

Interim Human Resources and Talent staff told the court that the payroll deadline for the Jan. 31 pay date passed before data files for certain grant and special-revenue positions could be built and tested, and the county plans to include those employees in the Feb. 14 pay date. County leaders said they will return with options to make affected employees \"whole\" for the missed pay period.

Why it matters: Commissioners said the county created an expectation that all employees paid by the county and earning under $75,000 would receive the increase. Several members expressed disappointment that lower-paid and frontline workers who performed during the recent storm may face delayed receipt of the raise.

What officials said
Interim Director Douglas told the court that roughly 1,700 employees fall into the group that requires additional processing: \"The payroll deadline for the January 31st paycheck is 2 PM tomorrow. There are approximately 1700 employees that fall in that group ... our goal ... is ensuring that those employees receive their increases as of their February 14th paychecks.\" Douglas said staff had insufficient time to prepare and test payroll files to meet the Jan. 31 deadline.

Commissioners voiced frustration that the court's December decision had created expectations and asked for an action plan. One commissioner said the county must find a way to make affected employees whole for the missed pay period, and the County Attorney's Office advised the court there are legal limits to making retroactive salary payments under Texas law but that staff would explore ways to provide equitable remedies.

Grants, special-revenue and mobility funds
Staff said many special-revenue accounts (for example: mobility funds, fleet and ARPA-funded positions) and some grants do allow pay adjustments without a direct general-fund subsidy; those positions were already in process for adjustment. A smaller subset of grant-funded positions lacks explicit grant-authority language to increase salaries; staff said they will return to court with a list of grants, the dollar amounts required to subsidize any gaps and options for how to proceed.

Next steps
County staff will return to a future Commissioners Court with:
- A list of grant-funded positions that cannot be changed without court action or grant-approval and the estimated general-fund cost, if any, to cover shortfalls; and
- Options for compensating employees for the missed pay period consistent with Texas law and county policy.

The court did not take a final vote on the grant-funded subset during the Jan. 23 session and moved related items to a subsequent court for further action.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Harris - Commissioners Court - Jan 23, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Commissioners pressed county staff after some grant-funded and special-revenue employees missed the Jan. 31 pay date for an approved raise; county officials said operational and payroll deadlines caused the delay and promised follow-up and options to provide back pay or other remedies.","taxTitle","Harris County, Texas","taxId",2707,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6671879,"Harris County approves buyback, orders policy to compensate staff for January winter-storm work",1174,372000,1546000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2144235-505406a48ced556e5664b4d0854b8c9b&start=372&end=1546","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2144235-505406a48ced556e5664b4d0854b8c9b/thumbnail_372000.jpg","/articles/6671879/Harris-County/Texas/Harris-County-approves-buyback-orders-policy-to-compensate-staff-for-January-winter-storm-work","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6671879-d45501008b43ab390a75846ddba50343/orig.mp4?Expires=1770440662&Signature=afMfmAQHRiEj1Du95Zj0Z76DSldTrjeiDTckaLjdxqaO7SuCby6qtgGtvLh8CenM03bdtAWaqngNJr4Wd7tCtMDiSgLleHoQCna4dyMuweEDFXGwLosmnRpzIaW1CpMYd8-JUghuK0IC1DkJXfgJB1WQIouPFEi2NTHT~1lDY-IZmZxa83otnTDWb~IoGXSSg-h1ypeZa-q9LbkmMkwZvSiiPK3Msb1vePbo0UpIXdW2OcUBeJVU0DOQDSF4XM5hdCzU7i6eZyDLOVS5L1XdTpCmu3wRRcgnBIB0xoDRBMExZ8J19p7kRjM7KUsT5bOCp3FbOYe0-3mzuFkt4fTgLg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Harris County Commissioners Court on Thursday approved using the county's public contingency fund to buy back compensatory time for employees who worked during the Jan. 2025 winter storm and directed county offices to draft a formal policy for compensating staff in nondisaster weather activations.

The court voted unanimously on a motion to have the Office of Management and Budget, Human Resources and Talent and the County Attorney's Office return Feb. 6 with language and a cost estimate to implement a comp-time buyback for the January event. Commissioners also directed the Office of County Administration to draft a policy defining \"what constitutes a weather event\" for these purposes and to require employees to complete ICS Form 214 activity logs when covered by the policy; that motion carried unanimously.

Why it matters: County leaders said the step is meant to ensure employees who were activated during the storm are paid for work that prevented wider damage and to set clear rules for future non-declared events. County managers warned that without a formal policy, employees nearing the top of their compensatory banks might otherwise work uncompensated hours in future activations.

Court debate and votes
County officials said this winter event did not meet the federal disaster threshold for a FEMA declaration\u0000the commonly cited standard is approximately $25 million in damage or labor\u0000so the county would not receive automatic federal reimbursement. Still, staff and several commissioners argued the county can authorize local payment to recognize work performed during the activation.

\"We'd like to come back on February 6th with the appropriate language and by that time we should have a good estimate on the cost,\" said Director Ramos of the Office of Management and Budget. Ramos told the court that other jurisdictions use similar overtime and comp-time buyback policies and that OMB was supportive of a local buyback in this instance.

Commissioner Briones, who read the motion directing OMB and HR to prepare the buyback proposal, said: \"I think it's very, very, important that we come up with a policy that allows us to, pay in cash, to our employees, the work that they have done,\" and framed the motion as recognition of employees who were pulled from their families to work during the storm.

The court recorded the motions as follows:
- Motion to direct OMB and Human Resources and Talent to return Feb. 6 with a proposal to use the public contingency fund to cover county employees' compensatory time related to the January 2025 severe weather event. Mover: Commissioner Briones; second: Commissioner Ellis. Outcome: approved unanimously.
- Motion to direct the Office of County Administration to work with OMB, HR, the County Attorney's Office and the Office of Emergency Management to draft and return a policy formalizing coverage of county employees' compensatory time during non-declared weather events; the policy must define qualifying weather events and require completion of ICS Form 214 by covered employees. Mover: Commissioner Briones; second: Commissioner Garcia. Outcome: approved unanimously.

Cost and funding context
Staff said final cost estimates were not yet available because time sheets for the pay period had not been fully submitted; OMB staff said they expected the buyback to be well under $1,000,000 based on recent, larger events, and that the Feb. 6 update would include a clearer price.

County leadership also discussed the status of reimbursements for prior declared disasters. Several commissioners noted precinct budgets had been strained while FEMA or other reimbursements remained pending; staff said they were working with risk-management vendors and FEMA claims teams to fast-track eligible reimbursements to precincts.

Procedure and record-keeping
Court members asked that the policy returned to them include clear guidelines on who qualifies for comp-time buyback when employees worked from home, how to document hours, and a requirement that employees completing activation work submit ICS Form 214 logs to support after-action reporting and reimbursement claims.

Next steps
Staff will return on Feb. 6 with draft language and a cost estimate for the Jan. 2025 buyback. The Office of County Administration will return with a draft policy that, per the court's motion, will define qualifying weather events and require ICS Form 214 activity logs for employees covered by the policy.

The court made the decisions during its Jan. 23, 2025 business court session while prioritizing the item because of the ongoing winter-weather response.","The Commissioners Court approved use of the county's public contingency fund to buy back compensatory time for employees activated during the Jan. 2025 winter storm and directed staff to return with a formal policy that would cover compensatory time during non-declared weather events and require ICS Form 214 activity logs.","actionData","errors"]

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Court discusses delayed raises for grant-funded and special-revenue employees; staff to return with options to make employees whole

Harris County approves buyback, orders policy to compensate staff for January winter-storm work