[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-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",[32,75,87,99],{"_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",6570579,"mediaKeyId","3248457-2ed7dc06ee085e16fd6c782a37d22ad3","parentId",3248457,"title","Commissioners approve recognitions, election precinct adjustments and administrative items; deputies press court on pay","audioSeconds",8929,"startMs",337000,"endMs",9266000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3248457-2ed7dc06ee085e16fd6c782a37d22ad3&start=337&end=9266","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3248457-2ed7dc06ee085e16fd6c782a37d22ad3/thumbnail_337000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6570579/Harris-County/Texas/Commissioners-approve-recognitions-election-precinct-adjustments-and-administrative-items-deputies-press-court-on-pay","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6570579-9702d10338ade5cd86fe464ce9f5bc57/orig.mp4?Expires=1770514118&Signature=RL-9PwiDhkz3kENsel5XClJPJP3P5FTJ3Aj0MUturHPUV6a4TlSDKghiFqNZ7ooEhaZZBQ9mvwmNHBrSSAhNubEd1R23D7XipZTURTbRzyBw-8gfzHShdULQYCWyfmkxtxF~yeAeP3Zm2V3BCBpn02gMRc0bFRDjcuYvHxb9VqdWKjL~jP4br4okNG8-Gd~rWp69~t0K6pTWKkQ9e9u5YBApCf~sZHUv84Y6i4bUu07IiVJPRWojYBHd14Qh7XyYlfaNsgwMe86Kjmx~poN2LuJImFr2RKnQswLv1dBawARrGh4ZPXpIIvaD5TP0yhlBBiKjmEwB~Onm83lniD-gkw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Harris","date","2025-05-09T00:00:00Z","article","Harris County Commissioners Court on May 8 took a series of ceremonial recognitions and administrative approvals, adopted new election precinct boundaries after a public hearing, and heard persistent public appeals from sheriff’s deputies seeking pay parity with the City of Houston.

Votes at a glance
- Deputy Constable Sheila Jones Day (designation): Court read and combined resolutions honoring Deputy Constable Sheila Jones for actions on April 22, 2025; commissioners moved to consolidate and pass a single joint resolution. Motion carried 4-0. The court designated May 8, 2025, as Deputy Constable Sheila Jones Day in Harris County.
- Mental Health Awareness Month: Court designated May 2025 as Mental Health Awareness Month, with county events and an employee-focused panel scheduled for May 14 and resources signposted via county channels. (Passed as part of the grouped resolutions.)
- Precinct Together Home Repair recognition and related resolutions (multiple): Court recognized the Precinct Together home repair program and honored recent beneficiaries and a fallen firefighter; ceremonial resolutions passed as read.
- Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month: Court recognized May as AANHPI Month and noted planned precinct cultural events; ceremony included community leaders from multiple associations.
- Small Business Day (Precinct 4 recognition): Court recognized May 10 as Small Business Day in Precinct 4 and heard brief remarks from small-business owners.
- Jury Appreciation Week: Court designated May 5–9, 2025 as Jury Appreciation Week and heard remarks from District Clerk Marilyn Burgess; the court noted prior increases to jury pay and other improvements.
- Public hearing/adoption — election precinct boundaries (Agenda item 3-79): The court opened and closed a public hearing and adopted an order establishing new precinct boundaries for a set of precinct numbers listed on the agenda. Motion carried unanimously.
- Toll collections staffing: Court approved adding eight positions in the toll collections compliance and revenue division (effective May 2025) to address increased unpaid violations after gate removal; motion carried unanimously.
- Grant acceptance: Public Health accepted a $1,000,000 grant from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission for FY2025 community mental health program, with an in-kind match from existing county positions; the court approved acceptance.
- Audited claims: Court approved audited claims with one contested invoice (Boston Consulting Group); the full audited batch passed except Boston Consulting Group was approved separately by a 3–1 vote.

Public comment and pay-parity pressure from deputies
A series of deputies and union representatives addressed the court requesting immediate pay parity with the Houston Police Department. Jose Lopez, president of the Harris County Deputies Organization, said the county was losing deputies and called for raises “now,” noting Houston’s recent multi-year increases that will leave Harris County salaries lower without action.

Harris County Sheriff’s Office Chief Tommy Diaz and other law enforcement leaders asked the court for a pathway to competitive compensation and thanked commissioners who have already sought data and coordination. Chief Diaz said his office stands ready to work with county staff on options.

County Judge Lina Hidalgo and other commissioners responded with a detailed fiscal explanation: the county’s ability to expand recurring compensation hinges on revenue limits set by state law and prior budget choices. Hidalgo described prior efforts to place a revenue question before voters and said she had sought broader support to collect revenue sustainably; she explained those proposals did not receive the votes necessary at earlier meetings. Commissioners said they remain supportive of public-safety raises and urged collaboration to develop a fiscally responsible plan.

Why it matters: The recognitions reflect routine ceremonial business; the administrative approvals affect operations (toll collections staffing and a mental-health grant). The deputies’ public appeals highlighted a persistent staffing and compensation issue for local law enforcement and prompted detailed fiscal explanations from the judge and commissioners.

Court action: Multiple resolutions and administrative items were approved. The deputies’ request for immediate parity sparked discussion but no immediate across-the-board pay increase vote; the court signaled willingness to continue working with law enforcement about funding options.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Harris - Commissioners Court - May 09, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","At the May 8 meeting the court approved multiple ceremonial resolutions, adopted new election precinct boundaries after a public hearing, approved administrative staffing and grants, and heard sustained calls from deputies for pay parity with Houston Police.","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},6570584,"Court approves Blackboard emergency notifications for county employees; plans longer-term upgrades",469,11161000,11630000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3248457-2ed7dc06ee085e16fd6c782a37d22ad3&start=11161&end=11630","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3248457-2ed7dc06ee085e16fd6c782a37d22ad3/thumbnail_11161000.jpg","/articles/6570584/Harris-County/Texas/Court-approves-Blackboard-emergency-notifications-for-county-employees-plans-longer-term-upgrades","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6570584-538cb6113c6a044d74b41778e0a0f082/orig.mp4?Expires=1770514118&Signature=DZoXvHzhSkDW1ThLiZzNL1nr7YVBwQtvdwMD9roA0ZheyZkxGd2yRsqgC5DgvOeKxbWrgRpKgAs-88sWht-ZuOf30dX98jgfht3FpP3z9Y-zssECWHsxErqbRLIaxrV5lKAK37VGJRW425XbMCLaEvDYnL2hCRh7IoRQ6qwoRd-ZCzCxxfSiKfHrSve56FsCgWVegbGdZ9nQSDoN6yIeTDgX7MvQvi~HO51tq15GLqOoGZR2LkAg1Fwx1fUtHbMm-GDlsJ~y48qosnSFMhfIc~TpoE-G0AIhqR1DpjFU8GYJ7tTFwrr5BI8urbrVx9n7oBIGTTq0NE2t9de4rX7keQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Harris County Commissioners Court on May 8 approved immediate use of the county’s existing Blackboard mass-notification system as a temporary solution to notify employees about active incidents and threats.

The motion directs the Fire Marshal’s Office to coordinate activation training with Harris County Sheriff’s Office dispatch and constable dispatch centers, and asks Universal Services to import employee mobile numbers from STARS on a biweekly cadence to populate the system. Commissioners also instructed departments to promote employee participation and discouraged opting out of emergency notifications.

Judge Lina Hidalgo and multiple commissioners cited the May 2025 courthouse shooting incident and the rapid, uncertain conditions staff experienced that day as the impetus for moving quickly. Fire Marshal Laurie Christensen, who has led employee-safety efforts, supported adoption of Blackboard as an immediate step while staff study longer-term integrations with the county phone system, Active Directory and digital signage.

Commissioner Adrian Garcia’s motion required the Fire Marshal and Universal Services to assess Blackboard’s long-term viability and pursue Phase 2 enhancements, including potential integration options, and directed departments to distribute educational material and launch the system with ongoing monitoring. The measure passed unanimously.

Why it matters: County employees and elected officials work in multiple high-traffic county buildings. A rapid, reliable mass-notification channel aims to reduce confusion and accelerate protective actions for staff and visitors when incidents occur.

Court action: Approved immediate Blackboard deployment; directed cross-agency training and a study of longer-term integration options.","Commissioners authorized immediate use of the county's Blackboard mass-notification system for employee incident alerts and asked staff to explore integration and longer-term improvements.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6570589,"Commissioners direct coordinated ‘Homelessness on the Bayou’ framework, order 311 tracking",418,10830000,11248000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3248457-2ed7dc06ee085e16fd6c782a37d22ad3&start=10830&end=11248","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3248457-2ed7dc06ee085e16fd6c782a37d22ad3/thumbnail_10830000.jpg","/articles/6570589/Harris-County/Texas/Commissioners-direct-coordinated-Homelessness-on-the-Bayou-framework-order-311-tracking","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6570589-43d507137b4bf291a20c8edfbf6b4523/orig.mp4?Expires=1770514118&Signature=V24fUg3AJYxe2YT4kJa3S5U~nVZRJC9UZj4L0sq7Zebk5uvijkbz8Gq2MkAHP55RLD9YKUf-z2n9jVv2qqSrhR-DqvyIqousHOTdK31WE39njQG7766YF754HhE5zRlMRg1o0kW7~786ppXUQToWPBm1997Nt9fxdtqjGyZuoN06VWcvOzFTceeqb9M0gXORWPRSy7VRdMtElo1ZIilGtA0edbruSOI0qxGtoGYhHvjk0211DK4KRE6EEsM9pJfjzBDwPWPupOaesBM9TNxiifPfGVI28aRABYcAhzNIERI~~YXJY-G8sHLGNeqDMe2VKaPsNV3qCBdUeevqYQjxqw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Harris County Commissioners Court on May 8 approved a countywide framework to manage homeless encampments on flood-control property and directed county staff to create a consistent public reporting channel for such sites.

The so-called “Homelessness on the Bayou” framework, developed by the Harris County Flood Control District with partners including outreach providers and law enforcement, outlines a safety-first process for assessing, coordinating outreach, and clearing encampments in flood-prone rights-of-way. Commissioners directed Universal Services to update the county’s 3-1-1 system so residents can report encampments in a way that triggers coordinated responses and tracking across agencies.

Commissioner Adrian Garcia, who brought the item to the dais, said the approach balances compassion and safety: the policy mandates at least 14 days of outreach before closure and requires housing and service partners to participate in the engagement phase. Garcia said clearing encampments is a public-safety issue because flood-control rights-of-way flood rapidly and can present life-threatening conditions.

Dr. Jaime Peterson, Executive Director of the Harris County Flood Control District, and other staff provided an overview. The court record shows 31 known encampments in flood-control right-of-ways at the time of the hearing; the district said six of those had already been cleared and the remaining 25 were pending action. Commissioners heard that the average cost per site was about $700,000 and that typical site processing — assessment, outreach, coordination and clearance — had taken about 3½ weeks.

The court vote included a motion to require Universal Services to add a specific encampment-reporting category to 3-1-1, import employee mobile numbers for emergency notification, and coordinate county partners including the sheriff’s office, constables, flood control, housing, public health and community outreach groups such as the Coalition for the Homeless. The motion, which included a request that the county return to Commissioners Court with status information in September 2025, passed 4-0.

Why it matters: Flood-control right-of-ways are high-risk locations for encampments because they can flood quickly and severely. The framework establishes a countywide, multiagency workflow for reporting, outreach and safe clearance and creates a public-facing, auditable trail of reports and agency responses.

Court action: the Commissioners Court approved the framework and directed Universal Services to modify 3-1-1 and coordinate agency responses; the court also asked for a status report by September 2025.","Court approved a countywide framework for addressing encampments on flood-control property and instructed Universal Services to add a dedicated tracking category to 3-1-1; the court required outreach before any closure and asked for a September status report.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6570595,"Harris County adopts traffic-impact guidelines to standardize developer responsibilities",503,10297000,10800000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3248457-2ed7dc06ee085e16fd6c782a37d22ad3&start=10297&end=10800","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3248457-2ed7dc06ee085e16fd6c782a37d22ad3/thumbnail_10297000.jpg","/articles/6570595/Harris-County/Texas/Harris-County-adopts-traffic-impact-guidelines-to-standardize-developer-responsibilities","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6570595-a3ac187df364fcdcdb40258200aa9176/orig.mp4?Expires=1770514118&Signature=DkOAJq2BLLFJsLF5sG70SuRj79M0Y6WHNONFyf046IKzntnGx7DZX-1gCRG934fN2QzyCvSQb8lWcq37-TSgHU42nK7VN6CMxk7k2vJ3tdjZ8~XFAIw9OXwzCWhNWROw0jRMnATPfZTcKeHQpV2Fy4h4XMw2S7DVvFO6IFvnSDw~mN6PGy6cQT22eDAiB~QaGHfVRY5azNRADR3rDCUAtdCbff4mKl2Q~lIqdQzXfjgkyFyRP7IRWZSX85uY3K6K3Ot7Z0Da06VL--4HpwFmJASf4t7kgb8j2Ys71rOV4jzDNOVF9Q5-YKc2U4FnEa4ilrr33HKnBjSmIBrrg4drZw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Harris County Commissioners Court voted May 8 to adopt revised Traffic Impact Analysis guidelines intended to make development-related roadway mitigation more consistent across the county.

The new guidance sets clearer thresholds for when studies are required — including a 50 trips-per-peak-hour trigger for a basic TIA and a 300 trips-per-peak-hour threshold for a segmented capacity analysis — and specifies study extents and developer responsibilities. The court directed the Engineering Department to begin outreach and report implementation back to the court at its Aug. 7, 2025 meeting.

The guidelines, presented by County Engineer Milton Ramon, are meant to reduce subjectivity in interpreting when a TIA is needed and how far traffic effects must be modeled. “We added the threshold of when you need to do a TIA,” Ramon said, listing the 50-trips and 300-trips breakpoints and explaining the procedural changes the office recommends. He told the court the revisions were developed with input from the Greater Houston Builders Association, ACEC and county offices.

Commissioner Lesley Briones, who moved approval and asked for precinct-level consultation during rollout, said the change aims to ensure development proposals arriving into fast-growing parts of the county include predictable, enforceable mitigation plans. “It’s important precinct staff are consulted at the outset so they can identify opportunities for partnership or augmentations,” Briones said.

Under the motion, the Engineering Department will: implement the revised TIA guidelines immediately; build enforcement into its internal review processes; consult precinct staff as relevant during implementation; and return to Commissioners Court with an implementation update on Aug. 7, 2025. Ramon said the department also will conduct workshops for engineers and developers to introduce the new rules and continue the office’s regular annual permitting outreach.

Why it matters: Harris County is experiencing rapid residential and commercial growth in multiple corridors. The new TIA rules are intended to make mitigation responsibilities and review expectations clearer for developers and county reviewers, reducing last-minute negotiations and disputes over who pays for road work. The thresholds and the required reporting should make traffic-related costs and responsibilities more predictable for both developers and residents.

The court vote was unanimous.","The Commissioners Court approved new Traffic Impact Analysis (TIA) guidelines requiring clearer thresholds and developer responsibilities; the county will hold workshops and report back in August.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Commissioners approve recognitions, election precinct adjustments and administrative items; deputies press court on pay

Court approves Blackboard emergency notifications for county employees; plans longer-term upgrades

Commissioners direct coordinated ‘Homelessness on the Bayou’ framework, order 311 tracking

Harris County adopts traffic-impact guidelines to standardize developer responsibilities