* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.
          [00:00:03]
          LET'S GET GOING. ALL RIGHT. IT IS 10:10 A.M.,
AND I'D LIKE TO CALL THIS MAY 8TH, 
          [Rev. Acie Jefferson, Jr. of Pentecost Missionary Baptist Church in Houston introduced by the Commissioner of Precinct 1]
2025, MEETING OF THE HARRIS COUNTY COMMISSIONERS COURT TO ORDER. 
          SO WE WILL START WITH THE PLEDGE. 
          I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT
STANDS. 
          ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. 
          HONOR THE TEXAS. I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THEE,
TEXAS. 
          ONE STATE UNDER GOD, ONE AND INDIVISIBLE. OKAY,
NOW, COMMISSIONER BRIONES WILL INTRODUCE THE PRAYER. 
          YES. THANK YOU. ON BEHALF OF COMMISSIONER RODNEY ELLIS IN THE PRECINCT ONE TEAM,
WE WOULD LIKE TO WELCOME REVEREND A.C. 
          JAMES JEFFERSON JR. THE SENIOR PASTOR OF THE PENTECOSTAL BAPTIST CHURCH. 
          REVEREND A.C. JAMES JEFFERSON JR IS A NATIVE HOUSTONIAN AND THE YOUNGEST SON OF THE LATE
REVEREND A.C. 
          SENIOR AND WILLENE F JEFFERSON. REVEREND JEFFERSON WAS CALLED INTO THE MINISTRY IN JUNE
1976 AND BECAME THE SENIOR PASTOR OF THE PENTECOSTAL BAPTIST CHURCH IN JULY 1987,
WHERE HE CONTINUES TO SERVE TODAY. 
          THE REVEREND GRADUATED FROM JACK YATES HIGH SCHOOL AND WENT ON TO MAJOR IN MECHANICAL
ENGINEERING AT TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY. 
          HE RECEIVED HIS RELIGIOUS TRAINING AT THE COLLEGE OF BIBLICAL STUDIES,
WHERE HE SERVES AS PRESIDENT OF THE PASTORS ADVISORY COUNCIL. 
          THE REVEREND IS MARRIED TO JANICE SMITH, AND THEY ARE THE PROUD PARENTS OF ASHLEY,
JUSTIN AND DANA, AND THE PROUD GRANDPARENTS OF JAXON, KATELYN,
AND NOAH. 
          WE'RE HONORED TO HAVE YOU HERE TODAY, REVEREND. 
          THANK YOU FOR COMING TO DO THE PRAYER. 
          PRESENCE TODAY. THANKING YOU ONCE AGAIN, LORD,
FOR THE PRIVILEGE OF LIFE AND THE OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE. 
          WE PRAY NOW, FATHER, AS WE EMBRACE THIS MOMENT,
THAT, LORD, YOU WOULD INVOKE UPON US A SPIRIT OF HUMILITY AND OF SACRIFICE AS WE SEEK TO SERVE THIS COMMUNITY IN WHICH WE HAVE PLEDGED OUR COMMITMENT TO TO
SERVE WITH HONOR, DECENCY AND RESPECT. WE PRAY, LORD, FOR THE SPIRIT OF UNITY AND CORDIALITY AS WE PURSUE, LORD, THE AGENDA FOR THIS COMMUNITY AND FOR THE PEOPLE WHO WE HAVE MADE THE CHOICE
TO SERVE. 
          WE PRAY, FATHER, THAT YOU WOULD HELP IN THE COUNCIL,
THAT THEY WOULD TAKE, WOULD BE IN HARMONY WITH THE WISDOM THAT YOU HAVE GIVEN THEM, SO THAT THEY, LORD, MIGHT BE ABLE TO DO THE THINGS FOR THIS COMMUNITY
THAT BENEFIT AND BLESS IT. 
          BIND THEM TOGETHER WITH A SPIRIT OF UNITY, SO THAT A CONCORD THAT THEY WOULD EMIT FROM
THEIR DECISIONS AND THEIR CHOICES. 
          WE'RE SO BLESSED THIS COMMUNITY AND BIND IT TOGETHER WITH LIKE SPIRIT. 
          AND FATHER, WE PRAY THAT WHATEVER COUNCIL WE HAVE TO GIVE,
WHATEVER CHOICES THAT WE HAVE TO MAKE, WOULD BE IN HARMONY WITH WHAT YOU DESIRE, SO THAT THE PEOPLE OF YOUR HEART MIGHT BE
BLESSED BY THE HANDS OF THOSE WHO YOU HAVE CALLED TO SERVE. SO THAT, FATHER, THIS COMMUNITY WOULD BE BLESSED,
WHOLE, SAFE AND HAPPY. 
          IN THE MIGHTY NAME OF JESUS WE PRAY. AMEN. AMEN. 
          AMEN. THANK YOU, REVEREND JEFFERSON. REVEREND,
THANK YOU SO MUCH. 
          AND YOUR POP WOULD BE ABSOLUTELY PROUD OF YOU. 
          GOD BLESS YOU, MAN. THANK YOU, PASTOR, FOR THAT PRAYER. 
          SO LET'S LET'S TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOUSEKEEPING. 
          [Departments (Part 1 of 3)]
COMMISSIONER ELLIS WILL BE TUNING IN REMOTELY IN A LITTLE BIT. 
          I'LL BE STEPPING OUT BETWEEN 3 AND 4. AS YOU GUYS KNOW,
I HAVE A COMMITMENT AT THAT TIME THAT I HAD BEFORE WE MOVED COURT TO THURSDAYS. 
          PUBLIC HEARING ITEM 379, AND THE VOTE WILL BE TAKEN UP FOLLOWING RESOLUTIONS AND PRECINCT
FOUR REQUESTS. 
          THE ITEMS 188, WHICH IS THE LEGISLATIVE UPDATE,
AND 494 AN INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT ON HECTOR TO BE TAKEN FOLLOWING THE PUBLIC HEARING. 
          [00:05:07]
DOES THAT SOUND RIGHT? OKAY. AND SO WELCOME EVERYONE. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION. 
          JOINING US THIS MORNING. WE HAVE EIGHT RESOLUTIONS TO TAKE OUT OF ORDER. 
          AND SO THE FIRST ONE WE HAVE TWO RESOLUTIONS FROM SEVERAL COURT OFFICES. 
          SO THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT IS ALL OF OUR OFFICES WERE EAGER TO CELEBRATE THE BRAVERY AND
HONOR CONSTABLE, DEPUTY SHEILA JONES. SO THERE ARE TWO RESOLUTIONS FOR JOINT CONSIDERATION. 
          AND LET ME JUST READ READ ONE OF THEM AND AND I'LL PASS IT ON TO TO TO OTHERS TO READ THE
SECOND ONE. 
          SO, SO THIS RESOLUTION IS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH COMMISSIONER GARCIA AND HIS OFFICE AND
ALONGSIDE MY OFFICE. 
          SO IT SAYS HERE. WHEREAS DEPUTY CONSTABLE SHEILA JONES OF HARRIS COUNTY PRECINCT ONE,
HAS DEVOTED MORE THAN TWO DECADES TO SERVING THE RESIDENTS OF HARRIS COUNTY WITH HONOR, PROFESSIONALISM AND UNWAVERING COMMITMENT TO PUBLIC SAFETY,
EARNING THE DEEP RESPECT AND GRATITUDE OF THE COMMUNITY SHE SO FAITHFULLY PROTECTS. 
          ON APRIL 22ND, 2025, WHILE FULFILLING HER DUTIES NEAR THE HARRIS COUNTY FAMILY LAW CENTER, DEPUTY JONES COURAGEOUSLY CONFRONTED A DANGEROUS AND VOLATILE SITUATION,
DEMONSTRATING EXTRAORDINARY VALOR BY PUTTING HERSELF IN HARM'S WAY TO SHIELD OTHERS FROM DANGERS, EVEN AS SHE SUSTAINED SERIOUS INJURIES IN THE LINE OF DUTY. 
          DEPUTY JONES'S QUICK THINKING, BRAVERY AND DECISIVE ACTIONS HELPED PREVENT A GREATER
TRAGEDY, REFLECTING THE HIGHEST IDEALS OF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND SERVING AS A POWERFUL TESTAMENT TO
HER DEDICATION, HER TRAINING, AND HER SELFLESS SPIRIT. THROUGHOUT HER CAREER,
SHE HAS EMBODIED THE TRUE MEANING OF PUBLIC SERVICE, STANDING AS A BEACON OF STRENGTH AND RESILIENCE FOR HER COLLEAGUES AND FOR ALL THE PEOPLE
OF HARRIS COUNTY. 
          HER RESILIENCE AND STRENGTH FOLLOWING THE INCIDENT HAVE BEEN A SOURCE OF INSPIRATION TO
HER FELLOW OFFICERS AND THE BROADER HARRIS COUNTY COMMUNITY. 
          AND LET ME JUST ADD, WE HAD A GENTLEMAN WHO WAS ARMED DOWNTOWN. 
          I THINK SOME OF YOU MAY HAVE HEARD ABOUT IT AND AND SHE SHE HEARD THE SHOTS AND SHE RAN
TOWARD THE SHOTS AND HELPED SUBDUE THIS PERSON. 
          AND IT COULD HAVE BEEN IT COULD HAVE BEEN A LOT WORSE IF SHE HADN'T BEEN THERE. 
          THE JURORS WERE LINING UP, AND THE JURY ASSEMBLY BUILDING,
WHICH DID ONE OF THE WINDOWS ACTUALLY WAS HIT BY A BULLET. 
          THERE WAS A SHOT THAT HIT A WINDOW FRAME IN THE COUNTY TAX ASSESSOR'S BUILDING. 
          SO THERE'S A LOT OF ACTIVITY HERE DOWNTOWN. IMPORTANT WORK BEING DONE. 
          AND IT WAS ABSOLUTELY LIFE SAVING AND ABSOLUTELY BECOMING OF A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER AND
SOMEBODY EXTREMELY COURAGEOUS. 
          WHAT WHAT DEPUTY SHEILA JONES DID. SO AND AND AS SHE AND AS SHE WORDS STARTED GETTING OUT
OF WHAT HAD HAPPENED, THE FACT THAT SHE HAD HERSELF BEEN POSSIBLY INJURED AND WAS IN THE HOSPITAL. 
          WE LEARNED THAT BECAUSE OF WHERE SHE SITS DURING THE DAY,
A LOT OF THE COUNTY EMPLOYEES GREET HER WHEN THEY COME INTO WORK OR WHEN THEY LEAVE. AND SO SHE'S NOT ONLY SOMEBODY WHO PROTECTED ALL OF US AND
THE MANY MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY WHO ARE DOWN HERE THAT DAY. 
          BUT SHE ALSO MEANS A LOT TO INDIVIDUAL EMPLOYEES IN HARRIS COUNTY BECAUSE WE KNOW HER. 
          WE WE GO BY HER, HER STATION PRETTY MUCH EVERY DAY. 
          SO, SO THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT HARRIS COUNTY HEREBY DESIGNATES MAY 8TH,
2025, AS DEPUTY CONSTABLE SHEILA JONES DAY IN HARRIS COUNTY. AND, COMMISSIONER GARCIA, I'LL LET YOU SAY A FEW WORDS AS WELL. 
          GOOD MORNING. AND CONSTABLE. ROSEN, I'M NOT SURE WHAT YOU YOUR FOLKS OVER THERE,
BUT LOOK FOR PEOPLE WHO AS IT WAS JUST DESCRIBED FOR PEOPLE WHO DON'T UNDERSTAND WHERE SHEILA WORKS. 
          SHE WORKS IN A BUILDING. SHE'S IN A NICE LITTLE COMFORTABLE SPOT. 
          BUT ON THIS PARTICULAR DAY SHE LEFT THE COMFORT OF THAT SECURITY TO GO ENGAGE THIS
INDIVIDUAL. 
          AND THAT'S NOT THE ONLY TIME WE HAD A VIOLENT INDIVIDUAL ONE DAY GET INTO THAT LOBBY,
AND AND SHEILA HANDLED IT JUST AS THE FORMER SOLDIER SHE WAS KIND OF STILL IS. 
          AND AND THE DEDICATED DEPUTY THAT SHE REMAINS. 
          AND SO I WILL I WON'T SHARE WHAT I, WHAT SHE SHARED WITH ME WHEN I SAW HER AT THE
HOSPITAL. 
          BUT SHE SAID THAT THERE WAS SOME TYPE OF BLESSING,
IF YOU WILL, OF WHERE SHE WAS 
          [00:10:03]
SHOT. AND IF THERE WAS SOMETHING A LITTLE DIFFERENT OF HER. 
          OTHERWISE, IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN A LITTLE BIT MORE CRITICAL. 
          SHE WAS VERY COLORFUL. LET ME. I'M JUST TRYING TO LAY THAT OUT. 
          OH, THERE YOU ARE. COME DOWN HERE, SHEILA. AND AND SO I. 
          YEAH. 
          AND SHEILA, I LEAVE IT TO YOU TO DECIDE WHETHER YOU WANT TO SHARE WITH WITH FOLKS WHAT YOU
SHARED WITH ME. 
          BUT ALL TO SAY IS THAT WE'RE VERY, VERY GRATEFUL THAT YOU ARE STANDING HERE WITH US. 
          AND AND IT IS JUST A BLESSING TO TO KNOW YOU AND TO RECOGNIZE YOUR CONTINUED DEDICATION, YOUR CONTINUED BRAVERY YOUR CONTINUED SERVICE. 
          AND AND JUST TO SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, I HAVE BEEN TO THE HOSPITAL A NUMBER OF TIMES,
REGRETTABLY TO TALK TO DEPUTIES WHO HAVE BEEN INJURED IN SOME FORM OR FASHION, SOME HAVE BEEN SHOT SOME HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN CAR WRECKS SOME INVOLVED
IN MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENTS. 
          BUT IN MOST CASES, ALMOST EVERY ONE OF THEM AS YOU SPOKE TO THEM,
WERE IN A BIT OF OOH AND OVER THE PAIN. 
          AND BUT WHEN YOU, WHEN I WALKED IN TO SPEAK TO THIS YOUNG LADY,
IT WAS JUST AS SHE WAS SITTING AT HER POST. NO OOHING AND ON JUST BEING MATTER OF FACT. 
          AND SO, SHEILA, GOD BLESS YOU. THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO. 
          AND SO GLAD, SO GLAD THAT THAT THAT BULLET DIDN'T MOVE ANY FURTHER. 
          SO GOD BLESS YOU. AND, DEPUTY JONES, BEFORE YOU BEFORE YOU WALK BACK TO YOUR SEAT AND THERE'S ANOTHER RESOLUTION BY COMMISSIONERS PRECINCT ONE AND PRECINCT FOUR. 
          SO, SO LET ME LET ME LET COMMISSIONER BRIONES LEAD THAT. 
          AND I KNOW THAT COMMISSIONER RAMSEY IS ALSO PART OF BOTH. 
          THERE'S ONLY TWO OF US THAT CAN THAT CAN DO THAT. 
          SO THAT'S A THAT'S A CARD THAT WE ALL SIGNED FOR YOU,
DEPUTY JONES. 
          SO WE HAD COUNTY EMPLOYEES PUT THAT TOGETHER AND AND,
AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE THOUGHT, WHAT DO WE DO FOR, FOR FOR DEPUTY SHEILA JONES. 
          AND EVERYBODY WANTED TO HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH IT. 
          SO WE NEEDED A REALLY, REALLY LARGE CARD. AND AND THANK YOU TO MY STAFF FOR CIRCULATING
THAT. 
          THE FOLKS WERE JUST SO EAGER TO TO SIGN THAT FOR YOU. 
          WE LOVE YOU. WE'RE SO GRATEFUL FOR YOU. WE REALLY,
TRULY ARE. 
          AND YOU DON'T TALK THE TALK. YOU WALK THE WALK AND YOU PUT YOUR LIFE AT RISK FOR US. 
          AND YOU PROTECTED US. SO. THANK YOU. SO LET ME LET COMMISSIONER BRIONES READ HER
RESOLUTION. 
          SO, DEPUTY JONES, I'LL JUST SAY A FEW WORDS TO ECHO MY COLLEAGUE SENTIMENT. 
          FIRST OF ALL, WE THANK YOU. WE HONOR YOU, WE CELEBRATE YOU. 
          WE RESPECT YOU. WE ARE SO GRATEFUL TO THE GOOD LORD THAT YOU ARE SAFE AND YOU ARE HERE. 
          THANK YOU FOR SERVING OUR COUNTRY. THANK YOU FOR BEING A VETERAN. 
          THANK YOU FOR THE SERVICE OVER 30 YEARS TO LAW ENFORCEMENT FOR YOUR TIME AT THE SHERIFF'S
OFFICE. 
          CONSTABLE ROSE AND I ECHO THE SENTIMENT. THANK YOU,
CHIEF SHAW AND ALL OF YOUR TEAM FOR THE BRAVERY IN KEEPING US ALL SAFE HERE. 
          IT WAS REMARKABLE YOU RAN INTO THE FIRE, YOU RAN TOWARDS THE DANGER,
AND YOU HELPED STOP A THREAT. 
          THAT COULD HAVE BEEN AN INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS SHOOTOUT FOR THIS ENTIRE DOWNTOWN REGION. 
          I REMEMBER SEEING THE BULLET HOLE THAT WENT THROUGH ONE OF THE WINDOWS IN THIS BUILDING. 
          UNBELIEVABLE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR REMARKABLE COURAGE AND BRAVERY. 
          AND WE ARE JUST SO THANKFUL THAT YOU'RE HERE. 
          AND JUST THANKFUL FOR YOUR SERVICE TO HARRIS COUNTY. 
          SO TO YOU AND TO EVERYONE ON THE PRECINCT ONE CONSTABLE TEAM AND CONSTABLE ROSEN. 
          THANK YOU. AND WE'RE JUST YOU REPRESENT THE BEST OF HARRIS COUNTY AND OF LAW ENFORCEMENT
AND TO YOUR FAMILY. 
          I KNOW YOU HAVE FAMILY MEMBERS HERE. THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR REMARKABLE MOM AND GRANDMA
WITH ALL OF US. 
          YOU'RE OUR HERO. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER RAMSEY. 
          OH. DEPUTY JONES. THE PLACE THAT YOU WERE STATIONED. AND IF YOU LOOK AT THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM DOWNTOWN,
THE COUNTY IS IS HELPING TO NAVIGATE. YOU LOOK AT THE INTERFACE BETWEEN THE JURORS AND THOSE THAT ARE ON
TRIAL AND AND ALL OTHERS. 
          [00:15:08]
IT'S IT'S LIKE GRAND CENTRAL STATION, AND YOU DON'T REALLY THINK OF THE POTENTIAL FOR A
PROBLEM, BUT THE FACT THAT YOU WERE ALERT, YOU WERE DILIGENT,
THAT YOU REACTED QUICKLY AND THAT THAT DID SAVE LIVES. 
          AND SPECIFICALLY, I HAD FAMILY DOWN THERE JUST A FEW DAYS BEFORE SERVING ON THE JURY AND
KNOWING THAT THERE'S A LOT GOING ON IN THE CORNER THAT YOU ARE STATIONED, AND THE FACT THAT YOU REACTED,
USED GREAT DISCERNMENT, USED GREAT JUDGMENT. THE BRAVERY IN WHICH YOU ACTED SPEAKS WELL OF YOU AND THE DEPARTMENT. 
          AND THANK YOU CONSTABLE ROSEN FOR YOUR YOUR EFFORTS AND YOUR SUPPORT AND AND AGAIN,
DEPUTY JONES, THANK YOU. JUST FROM A VERY GRATEFUL COUNTY,
ON BEHALF OF WHAT YOU HAVE DONE AND WHAT YOU WILL DO GOING FORWARD. 
          THANK YOU. 
          IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE THE DEPUTY WANTS TO ADD ANY WORDS. 
          YOUR ACTIONS SPEAK. SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS. AND YOUR FAMILY KNOW YOU HAVE A LAW
ENFORCEMENT FAMILY. 
          SO, Y'ALL. THANK YOU. IF YOU'D LIKE TO STAND UP SO WE CAN ALSO RECOGNIZE YOU. 
          YOUR ARE THESE YOUR YOUR SON IS ALSO IN LOAN FUNDS. 
          OKAY. 
          GENTLEMEN, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR CONTINUING THAT SERVICE. 
          I'LL MOVE ON TO THE SECOND RESOLUTION, AND WE'LL TAKE PICTURES AFTER WE FINISH READING
THESE RESOLUTIONS. 
          JUDGE, I JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY. THERE WILL BE NO ACTION FOR ITEM 490,
WHICH WAS. 
          THERE WILL BE NO SECOND RESOLUTION FOR THAT FOR SHEILA JONES. 
          THERE IS THERE IS A SECOND RESOLUTION. YES. WE'D LIKE TO PASS BOTH OF THEM,
IF THAT'S WHAT WE WERE TOLD. 
          THAT ONE WAS NOT. CAN WE? BECAUSE OF THE RULE WHERE WE CAN ONLY HAVE TWO,
IS THERE ANY WAY WE CAN AMEND IT SO THAT NUMBER FOUR IS FROM ALL OFFICES BECAUSE WE ALL WANT TO HONOR. SO I DON'T KNOW WHAT PROCEDURALLY MIGHT BE ABLE TO BE DONE. 
          SURE. JUST A MOTION TO INCLUDE ALL OFFICES. SECOND. 
          ALL RIGHT. MOTION BY COMMISSIONER RAMSEY. SECOND BY COMMISSIONER GARCIA. ALL IN FAVOR? ANY OPPOSED? ALL RIGHT. MOTION CARRIES 4 TO 0 FOR IT TO BE JUST ONE RESOLUTION. 
          JUDGE, I BELIEVE THERE'S SOME SPEAKERS ON AS WELL ON THIS ONE. 
          OKAY. SO ON THE ONE WE JUST PASSED THERE'S. SHE NEEDS SOME CLARITY. 
          I BELIEVE WHAT WAS JUST PASSED IS JUST INSTEAD OF HAVING TWO SEPARATE RESOLUTIONS,
IT'S GOING TO BE ONE ON BEHALF OF ALL FOUR OR ALL FIVE BOARD MEMBERS. 
          AND THAT'LL INSTEAD OF JUST ITEM FOUR, JUST ITEM FOUR,
THERE'S NO ACTION ON FOR 9490 J. 
          NO, I WAS GOING TO JUDGE I BELIEVE THERE'S SOME SPEAKERS FOR ITEM FOUR FOR. 
          ALL RIGHT. LET'S TAKE THE SPEAKERS FOR ITEM FOUR. TANYA ANDERSON,
CONSTABLE ALAN ROSEN. 
          DISTRICT ATTORNEY SEAN TAYLOR. AND COUNTY ATTORNEY CHRISTIAN MENEFEE. 
          GO AHEAD. ALL RIGHT. I'LL BE VERY, VERY, VERY BRIEF. 
          I'M SHEILA'S SISTER, AND I'M HERE ON BEHALF OF THE FAMILY. 
          AND I KNOW THAT WE'VE ALL HEARD THE SAYING THAT IT TAKES A VILLAGE TO RAISE A CHILD. 
          BUT OUR VILLAGES ARE ALSO NEEDED TO CARE FOR US AND NURTURE US THROUGHOUT OUR LIVES,
THROUGHOUT GOOD TIMES AND SCARY MOMENTS. 
          AND I'M HERE TODAY TO THANK YOU FOR ALL BEING A PART OF OUR VILLAGE THROUGHOUT THIS WHOLE
ORDEAL. 
          EVERYBODY IN THIS ROOM THAT PRAYED FOR MY SISTER,
THAT SENT WELL WISHES, THAT SENT CARDS, FLOWERS. WE THANK YOU ALL. WE ALL KNOW THAT SHE'S AN INCREDIBLE PERSON,
AND WE ARE HAPPY THAT THE WORLD GETS TO SEE HOW INCREDIBLE SHE IS. I WISH IT WERE UNDER DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCES,
BUT HERE WE ARE. 
          BUT JUST THANK YOU EVERYONE. WE ARE SO APPRECIATIVE FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU'VE DONE FOR
US. 
          GOD BLESS YOU ALL. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. 
          JUST JUST REAL QUICKLY SINCE WE ARE HONORING DEPUTY JONES AND YOU ARE HER SISTER,
WE CAN TURN THIS INTO A ROAST AND 
          [00:20:07]
TOAST TO THE TOAST. THANK YOU. GOOD MORNING TO EACH OF YOU. 
          AND I FIRST WANT TO START BY SAYING THANK YOU TO EACH ONE OF YOU THAT REACHED OUT TO ME
DURING THIS CHAOTIC TIME. 
          I WAS IN AUSTIN TESTIFYING FOR A BILL AND HAD TO COME RIGHT BACK HOME. 
          BUT THANK YOU TO EACH ONE OF YOU COMMISSIONERS. 
          JUDGE, THANK YOU FOR REACHING OUT TO ME AND MAKING SURE OUR DEPARTMENT HAD WHAT WE NEEDED. 
          I'M CONSTABLE ALAN ROSEN, AND I APPRECIATE YOU RECOGNIZING THE RECENT ACTIONS OF OUR
DEPUTIES. 
          28 SECONDS. THAT'S APPROXIMATELY HOW MUCH TIME PASSED FROM WHEN AN ACTIVE SHOOTER OPENED
FIRE IN OUR COURTHOUSE COMPLEX TO WIN. 
          THAT THREAT WAS NEUTRALIZED. 28 SECONDS. 
          WE HAVE ALL READ AND HEARD ABOUT ACTIVE SHOOTERS ACROSS OUR NATION,
AND THAT DON'T HAVE THE TYPE OF ENDING WE HAD HERE IN HARRIS COUNTY. 
          NO ONE WAS KILLED. NO CIVILIAN BYSTANDER WAS HARMED. 
          NOT ONE. DEPUTY JONES IS RIGHTFULLY BEING RECOGNIZED TODAY FOR HER HEROISM IN IN CHARGING
AFTER THE GUNMAN AND BEING WOUNDED IN THE LINE OF DUTY. SHE RAN TO THE DANGER. GO AHEAD. CONSTABLE. 
          THANK YOU. JUDGE. SHE AND MORE THAN A DOZEN DEPUTIES ALL CONVERGED ON THE GUNMAN TO
PROTECT THE PEOPLE OF HARRIS COUNTY. 
          ALTHOUGH THE INVESTIGATION IS EARLY, IT IS CLEAR THAT THE COLLECTIVE ACTIONS SAVED LIVES
AND PREVENTED TRAGEDY. 
          IT IS ALSO CLEAR HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO ENSURE THAT WE KEEP OUR GUARD UP 24 HOURS A DAY. 
          THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR BEING TRAINED READY AND HAVING PEOPLE IN A POSITION TO TAKE
QUICK ACTION. 
          THAT IS ESPECIALLY TRUE IN THE DOWNTOWN COURTHOUSE COMPLEX,
WHERE MORE THAN 2 MILLION VISITORS VISIT THESE COUNTY BUILDINGS EACH YEAR. 
          WHEN WE CONSIDER THAT THIS SHOOTING OCCURRED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY,
IN THE HEART OF ONE OF THE LARGEST CITIES IN THE NATION, IT IS INCREDIBLE THAT NO BYSTANDERS WERE INJURED. 
          WE ARE ENORMOUSLY PROUD OF YOU. DEPUTY JONES AND HER FELLOW DEPUTIES. 
          THEY DID WHAT THEY WERE TRAINED TO DO SERVE AND PROTECT. 
          THAT IS WHAT WE CALL ON THEM TO DO EVERY SINGLE DAY. 
          DEPUTY JONES, I SALUTE YOU AND YOUR FELLOW DEPUTIES. 
          WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR YOUR BRAVERY AND DEDICATION TO DUTY. 
          EACH OF YOU DISPLAYED IN PROTECTING THE PEOPLE OF HARRIS COUNTY. 
          THANK YOU, MEMBERS OF COURT, FOR RECOGNIZING THE INCREDIBLE WORK DONE BY OUR DEPUTIES. 
          THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS YOU. THANK YOU. WELCOME TO OUR DISTRICT ATTORNEY. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR INVITING ME AND
LETTING ME SAY A FEW WORDS ABOUT THIS INCREDIBLE WOMAN THAT I'VE KNOWN FOR A LONG TIME. AND TO YOU ALL TO, TO HONOR THIS,
THIS HERO AND ALL OF THE HEROES THAT THAT SAVED US THAT DAY. IT'S IT'S A TESTAMENT TO WHO YOU ARE AS PEOPLE AND LEADERS AS WELL. 
          KNOWING SHEILA, I KNOW HOW MUCH SHE IS NOT EXCITED THAT WE'RE ALL STANDING HERE LOOKING AT
HER AND TALKING ABOUT HER, BUT SHE DESERVES IT. TODAY AND EVERY DAY, SHE'S HAD DECADES OF SELFLESS DEVOTION TO NOT
ONLY THIS COMMUNITY, BUT THIS COUNTRY AS A WHOLE. EVERY SINGLE DAY,
THE MEN AND WOMEN IN OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT COMMUNITY SAVE COUNTLESS LIVES. 
          BUT IT'S VERY RARE THAT WE CAN DIRECTLY POINT TO LIVES THAT WERE SAVED. 
          THEY SAVE LIVES OF PEOPLE THEY NEVER MEET. IN THIS CASE,
WE HAVE NO IDEA HOW MANY PEOPLE COULD HAVE BEEN. 
          THANK YOU. COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED OR SERIOUSLY HURT IN ONE OF THE BUSIEST PLACES IN IN
THIS ENTIRE COUNTRY. 
          AND IT'S A PLACE WHERE WE ALL WORK EVERY DAY. 
          SO I JUST TO HONOR HER WITH A DAY LIKE THIS IS. 
          IT'S SO IMPORTANT. AND I THINK, I HOPE IT GOES TO SHOW OUR ENTIRE LAW ENFORCEMENT
COMMUNITY HOW MUCH I, MY OFFICE AND THIS COURT VALUES WHAT THEY DO DAY IN AND DAY OUT. 
          SO THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH AND CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR DAY. 
          THANK YOU. COUNTY ATTORNEY, JUDGE, MEMBERS OF COMMISSIONERS COURT. DEPUTY. SHEILA JONES, WE'RE SO PROUD OF YOU. 
          I'VE HAD THE PLEASURE OF KNOWING DEPUTY JONES FOR A FEW YEARS NOW. SHE WORKS OUR BUILDING, WHICH IS WHERE MOST FOLKS WHO WORK IN THE COUNTY PARK AT. 
          SO ONE THING ABOUT HER IS SHE DEEPLY, DEEPLY CARES ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE. 
          [00:25:01]
WHEN YOU TYPICALLY SEE HER, SHE WILL ASK YOU ONE OF TWO QUESTIONS. 
          THE FIRST IS HOW DUMB BABIES. DOESN'T MATTER IF YOU ACTUALLY HAVE KIDS OR NOT. 
          SHE'S GOING TO ASK THAT. ONE MORNING I WAS DRIVING FROM MY HOUSE AND A CAR PULLED UP NEXT
TO ME AND WAS HONKING VIGOROUSLY. 
          AND I LOOK UP AND I SEE DEPUTY JONES. AND THEN WHEN I GOT TO THE OFFICE,
SHE SAID, WERE THOSE BABIES IN THE CAR WITH YOU? AND. AND THE SECOND THING THAT SHE ALWAYS ASKS EVERY SINGLE TIME WHEN I'M LEAVING THE
BUILDING TO, TO GO FOR A WALK, TO GO GET SOME WATER, TO GO GET A COFFEE. 
          EVERY SINGLE TIME SHE SAYS, WHERE ARE YOU GOING? CAN I WALK WITH YOU? SHE IS READY TO PROTECT EACH AND EVERY PERSON WHO COMES IN AND OUT OF
THAT BUILDING. 
          WHEN THE INCIDENT HAPPENED, YOU KNOW, MANY OF US AT THE COUNTY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE DID NOT
KNOW THAT IT WAS DEPUTY JONES IMMEDIATELY. GO AHEAD. THANK YOU. 
          AND WHEN WE FOUND OUT I JUST THOUGHT ABOUT HOW MUCH SHE IS ALWAYS WILLING TO JUMP IN THERE
FOR OTHER PEOPLE AND HOW DEEPLY SHE CARES ABOUT OTHER FOLKS. 
          WHEN I WENT TO THE HOSPITAL TO VISIT HER, I TALKED WITH HER BOYS WHO,
AS YOU KNOW, ARE BOTH DEPUTIES. 
          AND I SAID, YOU KNOW, I'M SURE THIS MUST HAVE BEEN TERRIFYING FOR YOU. 
          AND ONE THING I HEARD FROM BOTH OF THEM WAS THAT SHE'S SUPERWOMAN. 
          SHE REALLY IS A HERO AND HAS BEEN THEIR ENTIRE LIFE. 
          SO DEPUTY JONES, OUR SUPERWOMAN AT THE HARRIS COUNTY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE. 
          WE'RE SO PROUD OF YOU. WE HAVE SIGNATURES FROM OFFICE EMPLOYEES AS WELL. 
          OVER 100 FOLKS IN THE OFFICE SIGN. TO TELL YOU THAT WE'RE GRATEFUL THAT EVERYBODY'S
PRAYERS WERE ANSWERED AND THAT YOU'RE OKAY. 
          AND I'LL FINISH WITH A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO CONSTABLE ALAN ROSEN. 
          YOU KNOW, PRECINCT ONE. THEY PARTNER WITH JUST ABOUT ALL OF OUR OFFICES AND HELPING KEEP
US SAFE. 
          OUR BUILDING HAS A LOT OF FOOT TRAFFIC BECAUSE OF THE LAW LIBRARY. 
          AND IT'S THE GREAT DEPUTIES OUT OF PRECINCT ONE,
OUT OF CONSTABLE ROSEN'S OFFICE. 
          THAT HELPED KEEP US SAFE EACH AND EVERY DAY. SO THANK YOU ALL FOR HONORING DEPUTY JONES. 
          I'LL CLOSE WITH. I TOLD HER. HEY, YOU WERE ON DESK DUTY. 
          DUTY? YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE SAFE. AND SHE SAID,
I THINK I'LL BE OUT OF HERE IN A DAY, AND I'LL BE BACK AT WORK, AND IT JUST GOES TO SHOW HER WORK ETHIC. WE HOPE TO SEE YOU BACK AT WORK,
IF YOU SO CHOOSE. 
          AND WE'RE JUST SO GRATEFUL THAT YOU'VE HELPED KEPT US SAFE. THANK YOU. 
          ANY OTHER SPEAKERS FOR THIS RESOLUTION? NO, MA'AM. 
          OKAY. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT, SO LET ME MOVE ON TO THE NEXT ONE. 
          AND AND I WAS PASSING ALONG THESE PINS TO MY COLLEAGUES. 
          I THINK I KNOW COMMISSIONER GARCIA ALREADY HAS ONE,
AND IT'S IT'S GREEN BECAUSE IT IS MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH. 
          MAY IS MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH. SO AND OF COURSE,
WE'RE STILL TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT HAPPENED RIGHT, IN THIS SITUATION. BUT SO MANY TIMES WITH THESE TRAGEDIES,
MENTAL ILLNESS IS INVOLVED. 
          SO I THINK THIS IS QUITE TIMELY. SO WHEREAS RECENT DATA FROM THE NATIONAL ALLIANCE ON
MENTAL ILLNESS SHOWS THAT APPROXIMATELY 1 IN 5 ADULTS IN THE UNITED STATES EXPERIENCES MENTAL ILLNESS EACH YEAR. THE CDC REPORTS THAT ROUGHLY 1 IN 20 ADULTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY
ARE IMPACTED BY SERIOUS MENTAL ILLNESSES, INCLUDING MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER, BIPOLAR DISORDER,
SCHIZOPHRENIA, AND THAT 40% OF STUDENTS HAD PERSISTENT FEELINGS OF SADNESS OR HOPELESSNESS. WE'RE MEETING MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WITH ACTION THROUGH VARIOUS
INITIATIVES THAT SEEK TO ENSURE THAT RESIDENTS CAN ACCESS HIGH QUALITY COUNSELING SERVICES, STRENGTHEN AND EXPAND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH HEALTH WORKFORCE,
AND IMPROVE THE PUBLIC'S EDUCATION ON MENTAL HEALTH. 
          SO THOSE ARE SPECIFIC PROGRAMS THAT WE HAVE. STIGMA SURROUNDING MENTAL ILLNESS CONTINUES
TO DETER MANY INDIVIDUALS FROM SEEKING TIMELY TREATMENT AND SUPPORT SERVICES. 
          BUT WE CAN COMBAT THAT STIGMA BY EDUCATING OURSELVES ON MENTAL ILLNESS AND SPEAKING OPENLY
ABOUT IT, SEEKING MENTAL HEALTH CARE, AND FOSTERING EMPATHY AND UNDERSTANDING BY THOSE FOR THOSE
AFFECTED BY MENTAL ILLNESS. 
          IN ORDER TO BRING MORE ATTENTION TO THESE ISSUES,
WE WEAR THE COLOR GREEN, WIDELY RECOGNIZED AS A SYMBOL FOR MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS, REPRESENTING GROWTH, RENEWAL AND HOPE ON THE JOURNEY TOWARDS IMPROVED MENTAL HEALTH. 
          BE IT RESOLVED THAT HARRIS COUNTY HEREBY DESIGNATES MAY 2025 AS MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS
MONTH IN HARRIS COUNTY, TEXAS. AND SO, AS YOU GUYS KNOW, I'VE BEEN VERY VOCAL ABOUT MY EXPERIENCE WITH DEPRESSION
AND ANXIETY, AND I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW I HAD THAT, WHICH APPARENTLY I'D HAD FOR MANY YEARS. 
          SO, YOU KNOW, IT WAS A LACK OF EDUCATION. I HAD NO IDEA THAT WHAT IT WAS TO BE DEPRESSED,
WHAT IT WAS TO HAVE ANXIETY. 
          I JUST THOUGHT THAT'S HOW YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO FEEL. AND,
YOU KNOW, IT WASN'T GREAT, BUT I JUST SORT OF PLOWED THROUGH. 
          SO. AND AT SOME POINT IT JUST BECOMES TOO MUCH. 
          AND SO EVERYBODY HERE, I'M QUITE CERTAIN, HAS A FAMILY MEMBER OR A FRIEND,
SOMEBODY THEY KNOW WHO'S STRUGGLING WITH MENTAL ILLNESS AND JUST KNOW THAT THE MORE WE TALK ABOUT IT, THE BETTER IT IS. JUST LIKE PHYSICAL HEALTH. 
          YOU NEED TO FIND A PROVIDER YOU MAY NOT LIKE THE FIRST PROVIDER YOU MEET. 
          YOU MAY NEED TO FIND ANOTHER ONE. MEDICINE WORKS IF THAT'S WHAT YOUR PROVIDER IS
RECOMMENDING. 
          BUT THERE'S NO REASON TO BE ASHAMED. JUST AS WE WOULDN'T BE ASHAMED OF TREATMENT FOR
CANCER OR HEART DISEASE OR WHATEVER IT IS. 
          [00:30:03]
SO I WANT TO MAKE SURE FOLKS KNOW THAT NEXT WEDNESDAY,
MAY 14TH, WE'RE HOSTING A PANEL. 
          IT'S CALLED BEYOND THE STIGMA. WE'LL HAVE WONDERFUL PANELISTS LIKE ARIANNA FOSTER AND OWEN
DANIELS, WHO BOTH PLAYED FOR THE HOUSTON TEXANS ALONGSIDE OTHER GREAT PANELISTS. 
          OUR SEATS ARE ALREADY FULL, BUT IF YOU'D LIKE TO GAIN THE RESOURCES AND INFORMATION,
YOU CAN TUNE IN TO OUR OFFICIAL HARRIS COUNTY JUDGE FACEBOOK, TWITTER, AND YOUTUBE CHANNELS. SO SO THAT SHOULD BE REALLY EXCITING. 
          AND IT'S REALLY GEARED AT OUR COUNTY EMPLOYEES AND OUR COMMUNITY AND MAKING SURE FOLKS
KNOW MENTAL ILLNESSES AND ALSO THE RESOURCES AVAILABLE AND THAT WE JUST KEEP TALKING ABOUT IT. SO IT'S NOT A SCARY TOPIC TO DISCUSS. 
          SO ANYWAY, THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND, AND THANK YOU TO MY COLLEAGUES AS WELL FOR BEING SO
OPEN TO DISCUSSING THIS TOPIC. 
          DO WE HAVE ANY SPEAKERS ON THIS ITEM? YES, MA'AM. 
          DIRECTOR DANIEL RAMOS, RENEE TOMCZAK, AND WAYNE YOUNG. 
          HIGH COMMISSIONERS AND JUDGE. JUDGE, THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THIS ON. 
          AS MOST OF YOU KNOW, THIS IS A DEEPLY PERSONAL ITEM FOR ME. 
          AFTER A LONG LIFELONG STRUGGLE WITH DEPRESSION AND BIPOLAR,
I LOST MY SISTER LAST JUNE. 
          THERE'S A LOT OF HEARTBREAKING MOMENTS THROUGHOUT HER JOURNEY,
BUT I THINK THE ONE THAT WAS HARDEST FOR ME TO ACCEPT IS HOW LONELY SHE FELT. 
          AND MENTAL HEALTH, IT DOESN'T DISCRIMINATE, YOU KNOW? IT DOESN'T DISCRIMINATE ON YOUR AGE, YOUR GENDER YOUR INCOME. 
          WE HAD INSURANCE. YOU KNOW, WE WERE ONE OF THOSE LUCKY FAMILIES THAT GREW UP AND JUST A
TRUE SENSE OF LONELINESS THAT THAT SHE SHE LEFT THIS WORLD WITH IS IS HEARTBREAKING TO THIS DAY. AND SO WHAT I WOULD SAY TO ALL OF THOSE WHO HAVE,
YOU KNOW, THE FRIENDS AND THE FAMILY THAT ARE STRUGGLING WITH THIS,
YOU KNOW, BE PATIENT, BE EMPATHETIC, BECAUSE WE ARE REALLY DEALING WITH LIFE OR DEATH. 
          THANK YOU DIRECTOR. THANK YOU FOR SHARING THAT. GO AHEAD. 
          OKAY. GOOD MORNING, JUDGE HIDALGO AND COUNTY COMMISSIONERS. 
          MY NAME IS RENEE TOMSIC. I AM THE CEO AT MENTAL HEALTH AMERICA OF GREATER HOUSTON. 
          I'M HERE TODAY TO CALL ATTENTION TO A CRITICAL ISSUE. 
          WE CAN NO LONGER AFFORD TO OVERLOOK MENTAL HEALTH IN THE WORKPLACE. 
          WITH OVER 2.5 MILLION PEOPLE POWERING THIS COUNTY'S ECONOMY,
WE ARE HOME TO ONE OF THE NATION'S MOST VIBRANT, HARDWORKING COMMUNITIES. BUT BEHIND EVERY JOB TITLE IS A PERSON,
AND THEIR MENTAL WELL-BEING IS FUNDAMENTAL TO OUR COLLECTIVE SUCCESS. 
          TODAY, FOUR OUT OF FIVE US EMPLOYEES REPORT EMOTIONAL EXHAUSTION FROM THEIR WORK. 
          THE TOLL ISN'T JUST PERSONAL, IT'S ECONOMIC,
COSTING OUR COUNTRY AN ESTIMATED $200 BILLION A YEAR IN LOST PRODUCTIVITY. BURNOUT EXTENDS BEYOND THE OFFICE WALLS,
STRAINING FAMILIES, FUELING DISENGAGEMENT AND DISRUPTING WORKPLACE CULTURE. TAKE DINA, A DEDICATED PROFESSIONAL WHO BEGAN SILENTLY BATTLING ANXIETY DURING
THE PANDEMIC. 
          WITHOUT SUPPORT OR OPEN DIALOG IN HER WORKPLACE,
HER PERFORMANCE DECLINED AND SHE EVENTUALLY LEFT. 
          DINA'S STORY IS ONE OF MANY, AND IT REFLECTS A BROADER TRUTH. 
          SILENCE COSTS US. FORTUNATELY, CHANGE IS POSSIBLE. 
          A LOCAL HOSPITAL DEPARTMENT HERE IN HOUSTON OF 70 STAFF WENT FROM THE LOWEST TO THE
HIGHEST ENGAGEMENT SCORES BY PRIORITIZING STRESS MANAGEMENT, TEAM COMMUNICATION AND SOCIAL CONNECTION. 
          THE TRANSFORMATION WAS MEASURABLE AND DEEPLY HUMAN. 
          WE KNOW THAT EVERY DOLLAR INVESTED IN MENTAL HEALTH YIELDS $4 IN RETURN. 
          SMALL BUSINESSES MAY NOT HAVE ACCESS TO THE LARGE WELLNESS BUDGETS THAT LARGER COMPANIES
DO, BUT THEY CAN LEAD THROUGH CULTURE, AND THAT MAY BE WHAT'S MOST IMPORTANT. 
          LEADERS CAN MODEL SELF-CARE, NORMALIZE CONVERSATIONS AROUND MENTAL HEALTH,
AND PROMOTE ACCESS TO RESOURCES. 
          START SMALL MENTAL HEALTH EMPLOYEES. EXCUSE ME. 
          MENTION MENTAL HEALTH DURING EMPLOYEE ORIENTATION. 
          HANG FLIERS IN BREAK ROOMS. ADD RESOURCES TO YOUR TEAM DRIVES. 
          ENCOURAGE FREE ANONYMOUS SCREENINGS AT OUR WEBSITE MHA HOUSTON. 
          ORG AND IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE TO BEGIN OR CAN'T FIND THAT PERFECT SOLUTION,
WE AT MHA ARE HERE TO HELP YOU. 
          MENTAL HEALTH IS NOT A LUXURY, IT'S A FOUNDATION. 
          BY FOSTERING A STIGMA FREE WORKPLACE, WE INVEST IN PEOPLE,
PRODUCTIVITY AND OUR FUTURE. 
          [00:35:01]
THANK YOU. AND I BROUGHT YOU EACH A STRESS BALL. 
          BRAIN, I WISH I HAD ENOUGH FOR EVERYBODY, BUT I DO HAVE SOME I'D LIKE TO SHARE WITH YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          GOOD MORNING. I'M WAYNE YOUNG, I'M THE CEO OF THE CENTER FOR MENTAL HEALTH. 
          AND I'D. AND DANIEL, MY SYMPATHY ON YOUR SISTER. 
          IT IS A STORY THAT I HEAR FAR TOO OFTEN. JUDGE,
I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR THIS RESOLUTION AND FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP ON THIS ISSUE. 
          I ALSO WANT TO EXPRESS MY APPRECIATION FOR THE SUPPORT OF ALL THE MEMBERS OF COURT,
AS EACH OF YOU HAVE BEEN INCREDIBLY SUPPORTIVE OF IMPROVING OUR COMMUNITY'S MENTAL HEALTH. 
          MENTAL HEALTH IS AN ESSENTIAL PART OF OVERALL HEALTH. LAST YEAR,
THE HARRIS CENTER PROVIDED MORE THAN 2 MILLION SERVICES TO OVER 90,000 PEOPLE WITH SERIOUS MENTAL ILLNESS. WE ALSO ANSWERED MORE THAN 170,000 CRISIS CALLS THROUGH 988 AND OUR LOCAL
CRISIS LINE. 
          WE'VE ESTABLISHED NEW PARTNERSHIPS WITH ALDINE AND ALIEF ISD'S,
AND WE APPRECIATE YOUR OFFICES FOR HELPING FACILITATE THAT. 
          THAT WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN THE CASE WITHOUT YOUR SUPPORT. WE HAVE DIVERTED MORE THAN 13,000
PEOPLE IN THE LAST SIX YEARS FROM THE HARRIS COUNTY JAIL WITH MENTAL ILLNESS THROUGH OUR DIVERSION PROGRAMS, WHICH HAS NOW BEEN REPLICATED IN OVER TEN COMMUNITIES THROUGHOUT OUR
STATE. 
          IT'S REALLY INCREDIBLE. WHILE WE ENTER THIS YEAR'S MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH FACING
SYSTEM LEVEL CHALLENGES WITH THE LOSS AND EXPLORATION OF COVID. 
          GOOD. THANK YOU. JUST ANOTHER MOMENT. THE LOSS OF COVID ENHANCED BLOCK GRANT DOLLARS. 
          I WANT TO ASSURE YOU THAT THE HARRIS CENTER WILL DO WHAT IT'S ALWAYS DONE,
WHICH IS OUR ABSOLUTE BEST TO MEET THE MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS OF OUR COMMUNITY. 
          WE APPRECIATE THE HELP AND SUPPORT OF COMMISSIONERS COURT THIS YEAR AND ALL THE PREVIOUS
YEARS AS WELL. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR WHAT YOU DO AND FOR THIS RESOLUTION. 
          THANK YOU. AND YOU MENTIONED THE CRISIS LINE. 
          IF YOU WOULDN'T MIND SHARING A LITTLE BIT ABOUT 988 AND WHAT IT IS. 
          THE THREE DIGIT NUMBER VERY SIMILAR TO 911 THAT'S AVAILABLE FOR ANYBODY IN THE COUNTRY TO
CONNECT IN. 
          THAT'S EXPERIENCING A MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS. SO NO MATTER WHERE YOU'RE AT,
CELL PHONE, LANDLINE, WHAT PART OF THE COUNTRY YOU'RE IN, 988 WILL GET YOU TO A MENTAL HEALTH EXPERT AND
PROFESSIONAL TO SUPPORT YOU THROUGH THAT. 
          IT DOESN'T HAVE. IT'S NOT. IT CERTAINLY MANAGES COMPLEX SITUATIONS AND THOSE THAT ARE
CONSIDERING SUICIDE. 
          BUT IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE THAT LEVEL OF CRISIS. IT CAN JUST BE SOMEONE WHO REALLY NEEDS
SUPPORT AND HELP. 
          IT JUST SO HAPPENS THERE ARE FOUR CALL CENTERS IN TEXAS THAT ANSWER 988 CALLS THROUGH OUR
STATE. 
          AND ONE OF THOSE IS HERE IN HOUSTON. THE HARRIS CENTER OPERATES THE LARGEST. 
          WE ANSWER ABOUT HALF OF THE 98 CALLS FOR THE STATE OF TEXAS HERE IN HOUSTON. 
          AND SUPPORT THOSE BOTH IN OUR AREA AS WELL AS THE DALLAS REGION. 
          AND WHEN WE WERE TALKING ABOUT EARLIER, YOU KNOW DIRECTOR RAMOS EXPERIENCE AND MYSELF AS
WELL, YOU KNOW, WE HAD ACCESS TO HEALTH INSURANCE,
GREAT TREATMENT OURSELVES AND OUR FAMILIES. 
          WHAT ABOUT FOLKS WHO DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO HEALTH INSURANCE? WHAT RESOURCES CAN THEY ACCESS VIA THE HARRIS CENTER? I APPRECIATE THAT QUESTION. THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT THE HARRIS CENTER IS FOR. OUR CHARGE IS
TO PROVIDE MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORTS TO PEOPLE WITH LIMITED OR NO RESOURCES, AND FOR THOSE WITH REALLY COMPLEX NEEDS. AND SO WE ARE AVAILABLE ANYTIME WE DO ANSWER
NINE, EIGHT, EIGHT. THAT CRISIS LINE IS THERE. OUR WEBSITE IS THERE. OUR MODEL IS A WALK IN
ACCESS MODEL. 
          SO ANYTIME OUR CLINICS ARE OPEN, YOU CAN SHOW UP AND WE'LL SEE SOMEONE. 
          AND COST IS NOT A BARRIER TO TREATMENT. MOST OF THE INDIVIDUALS WE PROVIDE CARE FOR WE
PROVIDED AT NO COST TO THEM. 
          AND IF YOU SEE SOME OF SOMEONE WHO'S TELLING YOU I FEEL DEPRESSED,
YOU CAN TELL SOMETHING IS WRONG. 
          DON'T JUST SAY, CHEER UP, GET SOME EXERCISE. YOU KNOW,
MAKE SURE THAT THEY THEY SEE SEE A PROFESSIONAL AND SEEK HELP. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU JUDGE. THANK YOU. 
          ALL RIGHT. SO THAT IS ON MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH. 
          ANY OTHER SPEAKERS? NO, MA'AM. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. 
          COMMISSIONER ELLIS DOES NOT HAVE ANY RESOLUTIONS TO BE TAKEN OUT OF ORDER,
SO LET ME PASS IT ON TO COMMISSIONER GARCIA. THANK YOU. 
          AND I'VE GOT TWO RESOLUTIONS, AND I'M GOING TO TAKE ITEM SEVEN FIRST. 
          BECAUSE I AM PROUD OF MY OFFICE AND OUR PRECINCT TWO TOGETHER. 
          OR PRECINCT TOGETHER PROGRAM OVERALL. BUT ONE OF THE PROGRAMS THAT PRECINCT TOGETHER HAS
FUNDED AND SUPPORTED IS THE PRECINCT TOGETHER HOME REPAIR PROGRAM. 
          AND I JUST SO GRATEFUL TO EVERYONE WHO HAS HELPED US WITH IT. 
          WE HAVE UTILIZED THIS PARTICULAR PROGRAM UNDER A NUMBER OF CHALLENGING CIRCUMSTANCES,
INCLUDING HURRICANE HARVEY, WINTER STORM URI PASADENA'S EF THREE TORNADOES,
AS WELL AS HURRICANE BERYL. 
          AND TODAY WE ARE JOINED BY A FAMILY WHO WAS ONE OF THE BENEFACTORS OF THIS RESPECTED
PROGRAM. 
          AND SO WE ARE RECOGNIZING THE FACT THAT WE WERE ABLE TO PROVIDE MUCH NEEDED REPAIRS TO
OVER 45 HOMES 
          [00:40:09]
IN HURRICANE HARVEY. WE DID LET'S SEE A NUMBER OF 45 HOMES OVERALL OVER THE,
THE RESPECTIVE EVENTS. 
          AND OVER THOSE YEARS OVER A HALF $1 MILLION HAS BEEN RAISED THROUGH RESPECTIVE DONATIONS,
THROUGH VARIOUS COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS AND COMPANIES. 
          TO MAKE THIS ALL POSSIBLE LICENSED CONTRACTORS WERE HIRED THROUGH PIECING TOGETHER TO
COMPLETE THESE JOBS. 
          WE WORKED WITH ORGANIZED LABOR TO WITH THEIR APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAMS TO DO ALSO SOME OF
THAT WORK AND AND WHILE MANY HOMES IN HARRIS COUNTY SUSTAINED SIGNIFICANT COSTLY DAMAGE,
MANY SENIORS WERE THE ONES MOST AFFECTED BECAUSE THEY LIVE ON FIXED INCOMES AND ARE OFTEN REGRETTABLY AND HORRIBLY EXPLOITED BY
CONTRACTORS. 
          AND MANY ARE ALSO EITHER UNINSURED OR UNDERINSURED. 
          ROOFS. SIDING. WINDOWS. SHEETROCK FENCES. PIPES THAT NEED TO BE REPAIRED AS WELL AS SURGE DAMAGE APPLIANCES AND ELECTRICAL WIRING IS PART OF THE WORK THAT GOES INTO THIS,
AND I AM JUST SO PROUD OF MY ENTIRE TEAM. BUT ONE GUY THAT IS JUST ALWAYS AT THE TIP OF THE SPEAR TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS
PROGRAM WORKS IS NONE OTHER THAN RON RODRIGUEZ. RON, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND MAKE YOUR WAY DOWN HERE,
BUDDY. 
          HE IS THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY SERVICES,
SPECIAL PROGRAMS FOR PRECINCT TWO. 
          HE MANAGES THE HOME REPAIR PROGRAM AND RON'S INTEGRITY AND COMMUNITY COMMITMENT. 
          COMMITMENT. HIS COMPASSION FOR HIS SENIORS IS SECOND TO NONE. 
          HE DELIVERS QUALITY AND COST EFFECTIVE REPAIRS. 
          AND THE IN THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF COUNTIES. 
          OTHERWISE KNOWN AS NACO, HAS RECOGNIZED THIS PROGRAM TWICE IN RECENT YEARS. 
          AND SO, RON, THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO. THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP AND YOUR COMMITMENT
TO OUR COMMUNITY. 
          AND RON IS GOING TO INTRODUCE A SPECIAL COUPLE THAT WE HAVE WITH US TODAY. 
          AND AND THEN I WILL HAVE A RESOLUTION FOR THAT BEAUTIFUL COUPLE HERE SHORTLY. 
          BUT ALL THAT TO SAY IS THAT THIS RESOLUTION RECOGNIZES THE PRECINCT TOGETHER HOME REPAIR
PROGRAM. 
          THAT WAS FORMED IN RESPONSE TO WINTER STORM URI A MAJOR COAST TO COAST STORM FEBRUARY. 
          DURING FEBRUARY THE 13TH TO THE 16TH OF 2021 THAT RESULTED IN LIVES LOST AND CAUSED SEVERE
DAMAGE TO HOMES. 
          THE PROGRAM WAS DEVELOPED FOCUSING ON SENIORS 60 PLUS YOUNG DISABLED PERSONS AND
INDIVIDUALS RECEIVING ASSISTANCE THROUGH OUR HOMEBOUND CONGREGATE MEAL PROGRAM AND TRANSPORTATION PROGRAM. 
          THE PROGRAM MEETS THE CHALLENGE OF FINDING COMPETENT CONTRACTORS. 
          COMPETENT IS ONE THING, BUT ALSO HONEST CONTRACTORS. 
          TO QUOTE HOME REPAIR PROJECTS AND SECURE THE BEST COST DURING TIMES OF MATERIAL SHORTAGES. 
          AND RECIPIENTS OF THIS PROGRAM BENEFIT MOST BECAUSE THEY LIVE IN OLDER HOMES AND ARE,
AS I MENTIONED, ON FIXED INCOMES AND ARE OFTEN EXPLOITED BY THE CONTRACTORS AND MANY ARE EITHER UNINSURED
OR UNDERINSURED. 
          THE PRECINCT TOGETHER HOME REPAIR PROGRAM'S OBJECTIVES ARE TO CONDUCT COMPREHENSIVE
ASSESSMENTS OF HOME AND PROPERTY DAMAGES, FORMULATE A DETAILED SCOPE OF WORK FOR NECESSARY REPAIRS,
REPAIRS IN RESIDENCES RESIDENCES OF SENIOR CITIZENS, AND FACILITATE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF HIGH QUALITY AND COST EFFECTIVE REPAIR SOLUTIONS. 
          AND BEGINNING IN 2021, PRECINCT TOGETHER HAS SPENT OVER A HALF $1 MILLION, $505,441 SPECIFICALLY AND REPAIRED OVER 40 HOMES. 
          PROGRAM FUNDING IS POSSIBLE DUE TO THE GENEROUS DONATION OF MANY INDIVIDUALS AND
BUSINESSES AND FOUNDATIONS. 
          AND SO, RON, THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO, BUDDY. 
          WHEN WE'RE HAVING TO ACTIVATE OUR HOME REPAIR PROGRAM. 
          IT'S NOT A GOOD DAY FOR ANYBODY, BUT YOU ABSOLUTELY TURN IT SUNNY,
WARM BRIGHT. 
          IN SPITE OF THE CIRCUMSTANCES, BECAUSE YOU'RE ABLE TO BRING MUCH NEEDED HELP TO PEOPLE WHO
NEED IT. 
          SO THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. AND IF YOU WILL DO US THE HONOR YOUR REMARKS,
BUT ALSO IF YOU WILL INTRODUCE THE BEAUTIFUL COUPLE THAT'S NEXT TO YOU. 
          [00:45:04]
ALRIGHTY. THANK YOU. JUDGE. COMMISSIONERS. GOOD MORNING. 
          I AM GRATEFUL AND PRIVILEGED TO BE PART OF THIS PROGRAM. 
          IT'S A TEAM EFFORT. DEFINITELY. MY IMMEDIATE SUPERVISOR,
DOCTOR CHARA BUIE, IS HERE WITH US IN THE AUDIENCE TODAY. 
          SHE'S THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS. THE PROGRAM HAS ALLOWED ME TO ENTER THE HOME
OF SENIORS TO ASSESS THE DAMAGE, PRIORITIZE REPAIRS BECAUSE WE CAN'T GET IT ALL DONE WITH OUR RESOURCES AND TO GET
THE JOB DONE. 
          COMMISSIONER ADRIAN GARCIA, YOU HAVE RECEIVED COUNTLESS BLESSINGS FROM THE SENIORS FOR
THIS PROGRAM. 
          YOU'VE GIVEN SENIORS A LIVABLE AND SAFE HOME AGAIN. 
          YOU HAVE RENEWED THEIR PRIDE IN THEIR HOMES SO THAT THEY'RE ABLE TO CELEBRATE THE HOLIDAYS
AND BIRTHDAYS, ETC., WITH THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT ON THEIR BEHALF. 
          THANK YOU FOR RECOGNIZING THE PROGRAM TODAY. AND I'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE MARCELO AND DIANA
GARCIA. 
          AND THEY HAVE BEEN THE MOST GOOD TO YOU. THANK YOU. 
          THEY HAVE BEEN THE MOST RECENT RECIPIENTS OF THE PROGRAM. 
          WE WERE ABLE TO GO IN THEIR HOME AND PUT A NEW ROOF ON THEIR HOUSE. 
          WE WERE ABLE TO LEVEL THEIR HOME. WE PROVIDED THEM WITH A NEW HVAC SYSTEM. 
          WE REPAIRED THE CRACKS OF DUE TO THE HOUSE LEVELING. 
          AND WE ALSO GAVE THEM A HOT WATER HEATER SO THEY COULD ENJOY THEIR SHOWERS AND THEIR
BATHS. 
          ALL RIGHT. BUT THEY'RE HERE FOR ALSO ANOTHER REASON. 
          AND THAT'S WHY YOU SEE A LOT OF FIREFIGHTERS HERE TODAY. 
          BUT I'D LIKE TO LET THEM TALK ABOUT HOW THE PROGRAM HAS HELPED THEM. 
          WONDERFUL. THANK YOU. WE WOULD LIKE TO SAY THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR ASSISTANCE WITH HELPING OUR HOME, BUT MOST OF ALL, FOR GIVING US OUR LIFE BACK WITH OUR WITH OUR
HOME. 
          MARCELO OK GARCIA, THE THIRD. HE CHERISHED HIS TIME WITH HIS FAMILY,
HIS FRIENDS, AND MOST OF ALL, HE WENT OUT OF HIS WAY TO ALWAYS LEND A HAND. 
          BUT WHEN IT CAME TO THIS MAN, HIS DAD, HIS TATA,
HE WOULD TAKE CARE OF HIM. 
          WHEN WE FOUND OUT THAT MY HUSBAND HAD A MEDICAL CONDITION,
THAT HE'S LOSING HIS EYESIGHT AND IT'S GOTTEN WORSE, HE KNEW TIME WAS OF THE ESSENCE, AND HE KNEW THAT WE HAD TO DO SOMETHING QUICKLY. 
          HOWEVER, WE NEVER GOT TO. WE NEVER GOT TO TALK ABOUT THAT BECAUSE. 
          BECAUSE TIME. TAKE YOUR TIME BECAUSE OF A SENSELESS ACT. 
          BUT HE DID WHAT HE LOVED. HE DID WHAT HE LOVED AND HE HELPED THE COMMUNITY. 
          I WANT TO ESPECIALLY THANK THE HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT. 
          ALL OF OUR GUYS, ALL OF OUR NEW SONS AND DAUGHTERS. 
          AND I WOULD LIKE TO ESPECIALLY THANK. THE THE UNION. 
          MARTY AND HIS GROUP, THE HOUSTON FIREFIGHTERS UNION,
HAS BEEN AMAZING TO US. 
          AND NOT ONLY THEM. OUR DAUGHTER ERICA AND OUR SON IN LAW KENNY,
MY SON RAYMOND AND MY DAUGHTER IN LAW ASHLEY. AND OUR GRANDKIDS CAMERON,
PEANUT, AVA AND ANDREW, LILY AND JORDY. THEY HAVE ALL BEEN VERY SUPPORTIVE FOR THIS HOME IMPROVEMENT AND HAVE BEEN
VERY SUPPORTIVE WITH OUR DAD AND THEIR GRANDFATHER. 
          WITHOUT YOU, ADRIAN, WE COULDN'T HAVE DONE THIS WITHOUT YOU AND WE THANK YOU FROM THE
BOTTOM OF OUR HEARTS. 
          THANK YOU. THANK YOU. AND LET ME GIVE YOU A SECOND TO CATCH YOUR BREATH. 
          BUT, FOLKS YOU KNOW, WE ALL LIVE IN A VERY, VERY SMALL AND TIGHT COMMUNITY. 
          AND UNBEKNOWNST TO US, WHEN WE WERE WORKING WITH THIS INCREDIBLE FAMILY DID WE KNOW THAT
THIS FAMILY ALSO HAD A BRAVE AND INCREDIBLE AND DEDICATED FIREFIGHTER AS A SON AND CAPTAIN CANO,
IF 
          [00:50:03]
YOU IF YOU CAN MAKE YOUR WAY DOWN HERE BECAUSE THE SECOND RESOLUTION THAT I HAVE IS YOU
KNOW, IRREGARDLESS OF AGENCY, AS WE WERE RECOGNIZING DEPUTY JONES. 
          BUT IRREGARDLESS, WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE AN ABUNDANCE OF DEDICATED PEOPLE WHO RUN TO
EVERYTHING WE RUN AWAY FROM. AND ONE INTERESTING FACT REGARDING FIREFIGHTERS. 
          AND FIREFIGHTERS IN TEXAS IN PARTICULAR, 70% OF THE FIREFIGHTERS IN TEXAS ARE VOLUNTEER
FIREFIGHTERS. 
          THEY DON'T GET A DIME FOR WHAT THEY RISK THEIR LIVES DOING. 
          WE'RE SO FORTUNATE THAT WE HAVE FIREFIGHTERS HERE THAT WE CAN PAY BECAUSE MARCELO, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS OX WAS ONE OF THOSE WHO JUST TOOK TO THE FAMILY OF FIREFIGHTING JUST ALMOST INSTANTLY FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND. 
          AND AND HE JUST LOVED IT LOVED HIS CREW DEDICATED HIMSELF TO HIS CRAFT,
AND AND HE IS A PRECINCT TWO PRODUCT SPECIFICALLY FROM THE MAGNOLIA PARK COMMUNITY,
AND AND THEN HE HE JOINED THE FIRE DEPARTMENT IN 2015. HE WAS STATIONED AT STATION 23. 
          AND YOU KNOW HE WENT TO THE ZAVALA ELEMENTARY IN IRRESPECTIVE THAT HE WENT TO EDISON AND I WENT TO MARSHALL MIDDLE SCHOOL. YOU KNOW, HE WAS IN MILBY AND I WENT TO DAVIS BUT HE HE WAS A TSU PRODUCT WHERE HE MAJORED IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION,
AND AND JUST AS IT WAS DESCRIBED, THIS WAS A GUY WHO DID NOT FORGET HIS FAMILY,
REGARDLESS OF THE CIRCUMSTANCE. 
          SO NOT ONLY ARE WE PROUD THAT WE COULD BE OF SERVICE TO YOUR FAMILY MARCELO AND DIANE
UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF YOUR HOME. BUT I'M GLAD IT WAS ABLE TO TOUCH THE FIREFIGHTING FAMILY. 
          THAT IS YOURS. MARCELO IS A HANDSOME YOUNG MAN. 
          THESE NEW SONS YOU GOT? NOT SO MUCH. BUT LISTEN THIS RESOLUTION IS TO RECOGNIZE THE LIFE OF YOUR SON, THE LIFE OF OUR DEDICATED FIREFIGHTER,
THE LIFE OF SOMEONE WHO TOUCHED SO MANY THAT HE NEVER HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET OR KNOW, BUT JUST DID WHAT HE DID BECAUSE THAT WAS IN HIS
HEART. 
          AND SO THIS RESOLUTION WILL CONTINUE TO RECOGNIZE THAT IN SPITE OF HIM BEING UP IN HEAVEN, HE'S ALWAYS GOING TO BE IN OUR HEARTS AND IN OUR MINDS AND WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN. 
          AND SO WITH THAT CAPTAIN GARNEAU, IF YOU'D LIKE TO SHARE A FEW WORDS. 
          I JUST WANT TO THANK THE COURT FOR TODAY. AND WE. 
          NOVEMBER 6TH, 2024 WAS A LIFE CHANGING EVENT. 
          ALL OF US, YOU KNOW, ARE STILL GRIEVING, STILL TRYING TO GET THROUGH WHAT? AND TO MOVE ON WITH OUR LIVES, YOU KNOW, AND TO REMEMBER MARCELO HE WAS A SON. 
          HE WAS A BROTHER. HE WAS A UNCLE. COOL COUSIN. 
          HE'S A FIREFIGHTER, BUT HE WAS OUR BROTHER. MOST IMPORTANTLY,
HE WAS OUR BROTHER. 
          AND WE'LL NEVER FORGET HIM. AND LIKE THERE'S A SAYING IN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT FOR
FIREFIGHTERS WHO ARE GONE, YOU MAY BE GONE, BUT YOU'RE NEVER FORGOTTEN. AMEN. HE WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN. 
          NEVER. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. 
          I KNOW COMMISSIONER BRIONES HAS A FEW WORDS TO ADD. 
          [00:55:04]
MISSUS GARCIA, MISTER GARCIA, WE'RE EXTREMELY SORRY FOR YOUR LOSS. 
          AND FOR HIS BROTHERS WERE EXTREMELY SORRY FOR YOUR LOSS. 
          THANK YOU FOR SHARING. CAPTAIN GARCIA WITH HOUSTON,
HARRIS COUNTY. 
          THANK YOU FOR HIS BRAVERY. THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR BRAVERY. 
          WE HONOR THE SACRIFICE AND WE HOPE ALL OF YOU STAY SAFE. 
          AND WE DEEPLY APPRECIATE HOW YOU KEEP OUR COMMUNITY SAFE. 
          SO I JUST WANTED TO SAY MY DEEPEST CONDOLENCES AND DEEPEST GRATITUDE. 
          THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU GUYS. 
          WE'RE GOING TO BE TAKING PICTURES, SO PLEASE BEAR WITH US A LITTLE BIT LONGER. THANK YOU
ALL TO THE FAMILY. WE WE LOVE YOU. 
          WE KNOW THIS IS VERY, VERY DIFFICULT TO EVERY ONE OF YOU. 
          AND SO THANK YOU FOR FOR STANDING TOGETHER, FOR SUPPORTING THE FAMILY,
SUPPORTING EACH OTHER. 
          REMEMBER, TAKE CARE OF YOURSELVES AS WELL. TO THE CONVERSATION WE WERE HAVING EARLIER. 
          IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU HAVE A BEAUTIFUL FAMILY TO TO SHARE,
TO SHARE TIME WITH. 
          AND AND WE DID WE DID DEDICATE LAST YEAR, NOVEMBER 13TH,
AS MARCEL GARCIA, THIRD DAY IN HARRIS COUNTY. 
          SO WE KNOW WE FOR SURE HAVE THAT DAY TO HONOR HIM EACH YEAR. 
          AND WE'RE THERE. ANYTHING YOU GUYS NEED. AND THANK YOU,
COMMISSIONER, FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT OF THEM. 
          THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR WORK. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU MA'AM. SO LET ME
BEFORE WE MOVE ON TO COMMISSIONER RAMSEY DOES NOT HAVE ANY RESOLUTIONS TO BE TAKEN OUT OF ORDER BEFORE WE MOVE ON TO COMMISSIONER BRIONES. 
          I FORGOT ONE RESOLUTION. THAT WE MADE A TYPO,
AND SO IT ENDED UP IN THE WRONG SPOT. 
          AND BUT THAT DOESN'T MAKE IT ANY LESS IMPORTANT. 
          IN FACT WITH THE INCIDENT WE HAD A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO WHEN DEPUTY JONES SPARED US FROM
WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN A LOT WORSE. AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, JURORS WERE LINING UP TO ENTER THE JURY ASSEMBLY
BUILDING AND PROVIDE THAT SERVICE. 
          AND AND OUR DISTRICT CLERK, MARILYN BURGESS,
WAS ALSO QUICK TO ARRIVE AT THE SITUATION TO HANDLE THAT. 
          I KNOW A DISTRICT CLERK IS HERE AND AND MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY WAS ABLE TO GO HOME THAT
THE EMPLOYEES WERE TAKEN CARE OF. 
          SO EVERY YEAR, BUT ESPECIALLY THIS YEAR I WANT TO JUST STOP AND CELEBRATE JURY
APPRECIATION WEEK. 
          SO THE FIRST WEEK OF MAY IS RECOGNIZED AS JURY APPRECIATION WEEK,
WHICH IS A WEEK IN WHICH WE CELEBRATE THE MANY INDIVIDUALS WHO RESPOND AND PARTICIPATE IN OUR SYSTEM OF JUSTICE AND DEMOCRACY. THE HARRIS COUNTY DISTRICT CLERK'S OFFICE SUPPORTS
OVER 100 COURTS AND DOCKETS, AND ACTS AS THE REGISTRAR, RECORDER AND CUSTODIAN OF ALL COURT PLEADINGS,
INSTRUMENTS, TRIAL EVIDENCE AND DOCUMENTS FOR LEGAL PROCEEDINGS IN THE DISTRICT COURTS AND THE COUNTY CRIMINAL COURTS. AT LAW. THE DISTRICT CLERK'S OFFICE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR
SUMMONING HARRIS COUNTY RESIDENTS, FOR JURY SERVICE FOR ALL THE HARRIS COUNTY, DISTRICT AND COUNTY COURTS, AND IS COMMITTED TO GUARANTEEING EFFICIENCY IN THE JURY
SERVICE PROCESS. 
          IN AN EFFORT TO ENCOURAGE CITIZENS TO PARTICIPATE IN JURY SERVICE,
THE DISTRICT CLERK'S OFFICE CONDUCTS OUTREACH CAMPAIGNS AND PARTNERS WITH CIVIC AND GRASSROOTS ORGANIZATIONS, AS WELL AS SCHOOLS TO EDUCATE THE PUBLIC REGARDING THE
IMPORTANCE OF JURY SERVICE, AND WORKS TO INCREASE DIVERSITY AND PARTICIPATION TO BETTER REFLECT THE COMMUNITY WE
SERVE. 
          THE HARRIS COUNTY COMMISSIONERS COURT SUPPORTED A HISTORIC INCREASE IN JURY PAY,
WHICH TOOK EFFECT IN 2023, AND DISTRICT CLERK BURGESS FOUGHT AND ADVOCATED VERY,
VERY STRONGLY FOR THIS. 
          THANK YOU, DISTRICT CLERK BURGESS, RECOGNIZING THE VALUABLE CONTRIBUTIONS OF JURORS AND
THE IMPORTANCE OF THEIR ROLE IN THE JUSTICE SYSTEM. 
          NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT HARRIS COUNTY HEREBY DESIGNATES MAY 5TH THROUGH MAY
9TH, 2025 AS JURY APPRECIATION WEEK IN HARRIS COUNTY,
TEXAS. 
          AND I KNOW THERE ARE MANY ACTIVITIES AND CELEBRATIONS THAT YOU GUYS HAVE TO HONOR OUR
JURIES THIS WEEK. 
          SO THANK YOU, DISTRICT CLERK BURGESS, TO YOUR TEAM AND TO EVERYBODY HERE WHO HAS SERVED ON
A JURY. 
          IT'S ANOTHER WAY TO SERVE OUR COUNTRY. GO AHEAD. 
          THANK YOU. GOOD MORNING, MEMBERS OF THE COURT. 
          I AM MARILYN BURGESS AND DISTRICT CLERK. AND FIRST,
I'D LIKE TO SAY TO DEPUTY JONES THAT, YES, WE SO APPRECIATE THE HEROIC EFFORTS SHE DEMONSTRATED WHEN A WINDOW WAS SHOT OUT IN
OUR JURY PLAZA WITH 400 PEOPLE IN THAT BUILDING. 
          ON BEHALF OF THE DISTRICT CLERK'S OFFICE, THANK YOU FOR THIS RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING JURY
APPRECIATION WEEK. 
          JURY SERVICE IS THE CORNERSTONE OF OUR AMERICAN JUSTICE SYSTEM. 
          WE COUNT ON ORDINARY CITIZENS SHOWING UP FOR JURY SERVICE IN ORDER TO DELIVER JUSTICE. 
          IN HARRIS COUNTY, AND WHILE WE APPRECIATE THE CONTRIBUTION OF ALL OF OUR JURORS THROUGHOUT
THE YEAR, WE TAKE THIS ONE WEEK EVERY YEAR TO MAKE A POINT OF EXPRESSING OUR GRATITUDE TO THEM. 
          THIS YEAR, MAY 5TH THROUGH MAY 9TH, IS JURY APPRECIATION WEEK THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY. 
          THANKS TO THE GENEROSITY OF SOME OF YOU, AS WELL AS THE HOUSTON ASTROS FOUNDATION AND
RAPID FINANCIAL SERVICES, WE ARE PROVIDING ALL PROSPECTIVE JURORS DONUTS DURING THE MORNING AND A COOKIE DURING THE
AFTERNOON CALL. 
          WE'RE ALSO GIVING AWAY DOOR PRIZES AT EVERY SESSION DURING THIS WEEK. 
          [01:00:01]
DURING MY TENURE. GOOD. DISTRICT CLERK. THANK YOU. 
          DURING MY TENURE, MY OFFICE HAS WORKED DILIGENTLY TO ENHANCE THE JURY SERVICE EXPERIENCE. 
          SINCE WE FIRST BEGAN PROVIDING FREE PARKING AND COFFEE FOR ALL JURORS IN 2021. 
          THEN IN 2023, THANKS TO THE STATE LEGISLATURE AND THIS COURT JURY IN HARRIS COUNTY WAS
SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED WITH THE FIRST DAY OF SERVICE EARNING $30 AND SUBSEQUENT DAYS $58, MAKING IT POSSIBLE FOR MORE HARRIS COUNTY CITIZENS TO AFFORD TO SHOW UP FOR
SERVICE AND REFLECTING THE VALUE WE PLACE ON THEIR TIME AND COMMITMENT. 
          IN 2021, WE INTRODUCED ELECTRONIC SOLUTIONS TO STREAMLINE THE PROCESS BY PROMOTING ONLINE
PRE-REGISTRATION FOR SUMMON JURORS. 
          THIS ALLOWS US TO COLLECT EMAIL ADDRESSES AND CELL NUMBERS,
AND IN TURN, SEND SUMMONED JURORS TIMELY REMINDERS ABOUT THEIR SERVICE. 
          PRE-REGISTRATION ALSO HELPS US, OUR OFFICE, TO MANAGE THE VOLUME OF SUMMONED JURORS MORE
EFFICIENTLY, ENSURING WE CAN ADJUST IF WE HAVE SOME AND MORE JURORS THAN WILL BE NEEDED FOR A GIVEN
DAY. 
          THIS PROCESS ALSO OFFERS THE FLEXIBILITY FOR JURORS TO REQUEST EXEMPTIONS,
REPORT DISQUALIFICATIONS, OR EVEN TO RESCHEDULE THEIR SERVICE FOR A MORE CONVENIENT DATE. 
          WHILE I'M PROUD OF THESE IMPROVEMENTS, WE RECOGNIZE THAT BOOSTING PARTICIPATION AND
FOSTERING MORE DIVERSE JURY PANELS GO BEYOND THESE EFFORTS. 
          IT REQUIRES A DEDICATED COMMITMENT TO ENGAGING EVERY CORNER OF HARRIS COUNTY THROUGH
CONTINUOUS, PROACTIVE COMMUNITY OUTREACH, MEDIA APPEARANCES,
AND A STRONG SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE. 
          ONE OF OUR KEY GOALS FOR 2025 AND BEYOND IS TO ENSURE THAT MORE HARRIS COUNTY CITIZENS
UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF SERVING ON A JURY. 
          JUST AS OUR FOUNDING FATHERS ENVISIONED PROVIDING A JURY OF ONE'S PEERS FOR ALL. 
          THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT AS WE WORK TOGETHER TO INCREASE PARTICIPATION AND
OFFER THANKS TO ALL WHO ANSWER THEIR CALL TO SERVE. 
          THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND LET'S GIVE A ROUND OF APPLAUSE TO ALL CLERK BURGESS. 
          AND I'D LIKE TO RECOGNIZE I'D LIKE TO RECOGNIZE MY TEAM THAT'S HERE WITH ME TODAY. 
          THAT MAKES ALL THIS POSSIBLE IN OUR JURY PLAZA. 
          THE TEAM WILL STAND UP. THANK YOU. TEAM. THANK YOU. 
          CLARK. BURGESS. AND DISTRICT CLERK. MADAM. MADAM. 
          DISTRICT CLERK. THERE'S ONE THING THAT I DON'T THINK YOU MENTIONED,
BUT THAT WAS ALSO REALLY IMPRESSIVE. 
          WAS THE WAY YOU GUYS HANDLED JURY JURY SERVICE DURING COVID. 
          SO THAT THAT WAS REALLY AMAZING. IT WAS VERY MUCH A TEAM EFFORT WITH A LOT OF PLAYERS. 
          BUT IT MADE US BE ABLE TO OFFER TRIALS BY JURY SOONER THAN ANY OTHER COUNTY IN THE STATE,
BY FAR. 
          AND WE MADE IT WORK. YEAH, VERY. IT WAS IT WAS IMPRESSIVE. 
          SO IT'S SHOCKING THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE COFFEY OR ADEQUATE PAY UNTIL YOU TOOK OFFICE. 
          BUT THAT FREE PARKING WAS THE BIGGEST FREE PARKING. 
          THAT'S RIGHT. YEAH. SO THANK YOU, THANK YOU,
THANK YOU ALL FOR SUPPORTING THAT COMMISSIONER BRIONES. 
          OH, APOLOGIES. YES. BEFORE WE GO TO PRECINCT FOUR. 
          I'M NOT GOING TO READ THE TWO RESOLUTIONS I HAD. 
          I SEE FOLKS HERE RELATED TO THOSE RESOLUTIONS. 
          ONE GRADIENT. THEY WANT A GOLD AWARD FROM ACM FOR ONE OF THEIR PROJECTS HAPPEN TO BE IN
PRECINCT THREE. 
          THAT'S A PRETTY BIG DEAL IN ENGINEERING TERMS. IT'S LIKE AN OSCAR. SO THAT'S A BIG DEAL. AND I WOULD ASK YOU ALL TO HANG AROUND FOR
PICTURES, AND MY APWA FRIENDS ARE UP THERE. IF Y'ALL COULD HANG AROUND FOR PICTURES AS WELL. 
          WE GOT APWA WEEK COMING UP, BUT IN THE INTEREST OF TIME,
WE'LL WE'LL CELEBRATE DOWN THE ROAD HERE SHORTLY. 
          THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER. AND CAN WE GIVE THEM A ROUND OF APPLAUSE WHILE WE
WHILE WE. 
          THANK YOU FOLKS. CONGRATULATIONS, COMMISSIONER BRIONES. 
          THANK YOU, JUDGE HIDALGO. FIRST, I HAVE TWO RESOLUTIONS I'D LIKE TO DISCUSS TODAY,
BUT I'D LIKE TO TAKE A MOMENT OF PERSONAL PRIVILEGE FIRST, TO WISH MY DAD A HAPPY 75TH BIRTHDAY. HE'S IN TOWN VISITING. 
          HAPPY 75TH. I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD,
AND I'D LIKE TO RECOGNIZE MY MOM AND ALL MOMS GRANDMOTHERS GODMOTHERS HERE TODAY. 
          HAPPY EARLY MOTHER'S DAY. THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING YOU DO. 
          I LOVE YOU, MOM. SO THE TWO RESOLUTIONS FIRST STARTING WITH ITEM 11 AND THIS IS TO
RECOGNIZE MAY 2025 AS THE ASIAN AMERICAN, NATIVE HAWAIIAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER MONTH. 
          AND SO FIRST OF ALL, I WANTED TO SAY THAT HARRIS COUNTY IS HOME TO NEARLY 400,000
RESIDENTS, AND PRECINCT FOUR PROUDLY IS THE HOME TO MANY OF THEM. 
          PRECINCT FOUR IS PROUD TO BE THE HOME OF VARIOUS VIBRANT CULTURAL HUBS SUCH AS ASIATOWN,
THE GANDHI DISTRICT, 
          [01:05:07]
ASIATOWN, ALIEF, GULFTON, SPRING BRANCH THAT REALLY REPRESENT THE ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT
AND THE MANIFESTATION OF HOW THE AMERICAN DREAM IS BEING REALIZED BY SO MANY OF OUR RESIDENTS. AND ALSO,
HARRIS COUNTY IS ONE OF THE LARGEST HOMES TO THE. 
          COMMUNITY IN THE ENTIRE SOUTHERN REGION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 
          SO THAT IS A STRENGTH OF HARRIS COUNTY. AND WE'RE JUST SO GRATEFUL FOR ALL OF YOUR
CONTRIBUTIONS. 
          WE LEARNED SO MUCH FROM HISTORY, AND I HOPE THIS COUNTRY AND THE STATE DOES NOT REPEAT IT, WHETHER IT'S TIMES FROM CHINESE EXCLUSION ACT OF 1882 TO THE JAPANESE INTERNMENT DURING
WORLD WAR TWO, TO HATE CRIMES POST NINE OVER 11, TO THE RISE IN ANTI-ASIAN HATE AFTER THE PANDEMIC. 
          AND THERE'S MANY PAINFUL MOMENTS IN OUR HISTORY THAT I HOPE WE CAN ALL LEARN FROM AND
NEVER REPEAT. 
          AND HERE IN HARRIS COUNTY, WE ARE PROUD TO CELEBRATE OUR COMMUNITY IN THE MONTH OF MAY AND
THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE YEAR. 
          AND TODAY WE HAVE THREE SPEAKERS, TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE,
WHO HAVE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK. 
          WE HAVE PATSY BROWN, THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE JAPANESE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF HOUSTON. 
          WE HAVE TAN LEE, BOARD CHAIR OF THE VIETNAMESE CULTURE AND SCIENCE ASSOCIATION. 
          AND WE HAVE EILEEN DYSON, STATE PRESIDENT OF THE PHILIPPINE AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 
          AND BEFORE THEY SPEAK, I JUST THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO REALLY BE CELEBRATING THE
AS A. 
          COMMUNITY ENCOMPASSES MORE THAN 50 COUNTRIES,
50 COUNTRIES ACROSS EAST ASIA, SOUTHEAST ASIA, SOUTH ASIA, THE ASIA, THE PACIFIC ISLANDS AND HAWAII. 
          SO THIS BEAUTIFUL TAPESTRY OF DIVERSITY, OF HISTORY,
OF LANGUAGE AND CULTURE JUST REALLY ENRICHES HARRIS COUNTY. 
          SO WE'RE HAPPY TO CELEBRATE YOU TODAY. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. 
          OH, AND ONE MORE THING, I PROMISE. PLEASE, EVERYONE,
WE INVITE YOU TO JOIN US. 
          PRECINCT FOUR IS HAVING ITS INAUGURAL A CULTURAL CELEBRATION AND A HUGE CRICKET MATCH THAT
THE COMMUNITY IS SO EXCITED ABOUT. SO ALL ARE WELCOME. 
          JOHN PAUL LANDING MAY 17TH A CRICKET. I THOUGHT IT WAS LIKE A CRICKET MATCH. 
          NO, A CRICKET MATCH. YEAH, A CRICKET MATCH. AND IT WILL BE A LARGE CULTURAL FESTIVAL AT
JOHN PAUL LANDING. 
          WE ARE SO EXCITED TO CELEBRATE AND MAKE THIS AN ANNUAL TRADITION. 
          SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR PARTNERSHIP. THE SPEAKERS WHO HAVE SIGNED UP,
TIFFANY. 
          THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER BRIONES. AND THANK YOU,
JUDGE HIDALGO AND MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSIONERS COURT. 
          I'M PATSY BROWN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE JAPAN AMERICA SOCIETY OF HOUSTON,
AND IT IS AN HONOR TO ACCEPT THIS RESOLUTION. 
          RESOLUTION IN COMMEMORATION OF THE ASIAN AMERICAN,
NATIVE HAWAIIAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER HERITAGE MONTH ON BEHALF OF THE JAPANESE COMMUNITY, AS WELL AS THE GREATER HOUSTON ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN COMMUNITY. 
          THIS YEAR'S NATIONAL HERITAGE MONTH THEME IS A LEGACY OF LEADERSHIP AND RESILIENCE. 
          THE THEME REMINDS US THAT THE GENERATIONS WHO PAVED THE WAY BEFORE US ARE INDIVIDUALS OF
COURAGE, DETERMINATION, AND CONTRIBUTIONS HAVE SHAPED OUR HISTORY AS WELL AS OUR FUTURE. 
          ONE OF THE EARLIEST ASIAN LEADERS IN OUR REGION WAS SEITO SAIBARA,
THE FIRST JAPANESE IMMIGRANT TO HARRIS COUNTY, INVITED HERE IN 1903 TO HELP REVIVE THE TEXAS STATE'S RICE INDUSTRY AFTER A DEVASTATING
FREEZE. 
          SAIBARA ESTABLISHED A FARM IN WEBSTER AND BROUGHT NOT ONLY AGRICULTURAL INNOVATION,
BUT ALSO A SPIRIT OF PERSEVERANCE THAT CONTINUES TO INSPIRE. 
          TODAY'S RESOLUTION AFFIRMS THAT LEGACY OF THE FIRST ASIAN SETTLERS,
AND MOREOVER, IT HONORS THE INTEGRITY, STRENGTH AND PIONEERING SPIRIT THAT DEFINE THE ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN EXPERIENCE HERE IN
HARRIS COUNTY. 
          SO THANK YOU FOR THIS MEANINGFUL RECOGNITION AND FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF THE ASIAN PACIFIC
AMERICAN COMMUNITY AND THAT SO MANY OF US PROUDLY CALL HOME IN HARRIS COUNTY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. WE HAVEN'T CLAPPED FOR THE RESOLUTION. 
          SO I SAY THIS IS THE TIME. THANK YOU. GO AHEAD. 
          GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS TOM LEE AND I AM THE BOARD CHAIRS OF THE VIETNAMESE CULTURE AND
SCIENCE ASSOCIATION, ALONG WITH MY BOARD MEMBER OVER HERE. LEE, WITH US. 
          AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR RECOGNIZING THE CELEBRATION OF THE ASIAN AMERICAN NATIVE
HAWAIIAN PACIFIC ISLANDER. 
          I JUST LEARNED THAT WE HAVE THE ASIAN ENGINE TO THE AAPI COMMUNITY. 
          [01:10:01]
SO VIETNAMESE CULTURE AND SIGN ASSOCIATION, WE HAVE BEEN SERVING THE COMMUNITY HERE IN
HOUSTON SINCE 1990. 
          SO THIS YEAR, MARK 35 YEAR ANNIVERSARY FOR OUR GROUP IN GENERAL. 
          WE FOCUS ON LEADERSHIP EXCELLENCE, AND ALSO THE CIVIC ENGAGEMENT IN THE COMMUNITY TO ART
AND CULTURE AND SCIENCE. 
          USUALLY EVERY YEAR WE HOST FOR THE LAST FOUR YEARS,
WE HOST THE CULTURAL FEST, WHICH IS ONE OF THE LARGEST FESTIVAL FOR THE VIETNAMESE AND ALSO FOR THE ASIAN HERE AT THE ENERGY CENTER. 
          SO THIS YEAR, WE WILL DO THE SAME THING AT THE ENERGY CENTER ON SEPTEMBER 20TH,
AND THE GO AHEAD AND THE CELEBRATION ALSO GEARED TO THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE RISING OF THE FALL OF SAIGON AFTER 50 YEARS. 
          SO JUST THE PAST COUPLE PAST WEEK OR SO, WE,
OUR COMMUNITY, CELEBRATE THE 50TH YEAR OF THE JOURNEY OF THE VIETNAMESE HERE IN AMERICA, OVERSEAS. SO IN THAT CELEBRATION TO ART AND CULTURE AND CONTRIBUTION TO THE COUNTRY,
WE DO THE ADVISING AFTER THE FALL. 
          SO WE INVITE ALL OF YOU GOING TO BE HERE TO JOIN US ON THAT DAY. 
          AND YOU'RE GOING TO SEE FROM FOOD TO LION TO CULTURE TO MUSIC AND ALL THE THINGS LIKE
THAT. 
          AGAIN, ON BEHALF OF THE AA, WE APPRECIATE THE COMMISSIONER,
LESLIE BRIONES, TO DO THE RECOGNITION AND ALSO THE CELEBRATION ON THE 17TH. 
          THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP. 
          THANK YOU. GOOD MORNING, MEMBERS OF THE COURT. 
          GOOD MORNING EVERYONE. MY NAME IS EILEEN ADDISON. 
          I'M A MANAGING PARTNER AT A LAW FIRM, AND I'M ALSO THE STATE PRESIDENT OF THE PHILIPPINE
AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OF TEXAS, WHICH IS A STATE CHAMBER WITH FIVE REGIONAL CHAMBERS. 
          WE HAVE REGION ONE IN DALLAS FORT WORTH. WE HAVE REGION TWO HERE IN GREATER HOUSTON REGION
WITH ABOUT MORE THAN 200 MEMBERS ALREADY. 
          THE GREATER HOUSTON REGION ALONE EXISTED FOR SINCE 19 1980S. 
          AND THEN WE BECAME A STATE CHAMBER WITH FIVE REGIONAL CHAMBERS. 
          AND THE REGION THREE IS IN RIO GRANDE VALLEY,
REGION FOUR IS GREATER SAN ANTONIO AND REGION FIVE IS GREATER AUSTIN. 
          AND IT IS OUR MISSION AS A CHAMBER TO INSPIRE THE SPIRIT OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND PROMOTE
GROWTH OF BUSINESSES, AND ALSO TO BE OF SERVICE TO OUR COMMUNITY. WE ARE ACTIVELY COLLABORATING WITH DIFFERENT
ASIAN AMERICAN CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE SUCH AS THE ASIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, VIETNAMESE CHAMBERS OF CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, THE KOREAN AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE,
AND MANY MORE. 
          GO AHEAD. THANK YOU. AND WE ARE ALSO ACTIVELY COLLABORATING AND PARTICIPATING IN
SUPPORTING THE MORE THAN 40 PLUS FILIPINO AMERICAN ORGANIZATIONS HERE IN GREATER HOUSTON. 
          AND JUST TO INVITE YOU ALL, WE WILL BE CELEBRATING OUR JUNE,
OUR INDEPENDENCE DAY ON JUNE 12TH AT THE CITY HALL. 
          SO WATCH OUT FOR MORE INFORMATION. WE'RE HAPPY TO INVITE YOU ALL. 
          NOW THIS MONTH WE ARE CELEBRATING, OF COURSE. 
          THE AN ASIAN AMERICAN AND NATIVE HAWAIIAN PACIFIC ISLANDERS COMMUNITY. 
          WE ARE CELEBRATING RICH OUR RICH HISTORIES, CULTURES,
AND OF COURSE THE INCREDIBLE CONTRIBUTIONS OF OUR COMMUNITY. 
          AND THANK YOU FOR THIS RESOLUTION AND THANK YOU FOR JOINING US IN THIS CELEBRATION. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND I KNOW YOU'RE REPRESENTING THE FILIPINO COMMUNITY. 
          VAST MAJORITY OF FILIPINOS ARE ROMAN CATHOLICS,
AS ARE HISPANICS. 
          AND I'M JUST GIDDY BACK HERE. AND I DON'T THINK YOU NEED TO BE CATHOLIC TO RECOGNIZE THE
EXCITEMENT OF THE MOMENT THAT THE WHITE SMOKE HAS COME OUT FROM THE CONCLAVE. 
          AND SO A NEW POPE HAS BEEN CHOSEN AND THEY HAVEN'T ANNOUNCED WHO IT IS YET. 
          BUT I JUST THOUGHT IT'S A VERY IT'S A VERY EXCITING MOMENT. 
          SO I THOUGHT I WOULD JUST SHARE THAT WITH EVERYBODY. ANYWAY,
GO AHEAD. 
          TIFFANY, ARE THERE ANY OTHER SPEAKERS BEFORE I MOVE ON TO THE NEXT ITEM? NO, MA'AM. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP AND YOUR PARTNERSHIP. 
          SO THE FINAL ITEM IS ITEM 13. AND THIS IS TO RECOGNIZE MAY 10TH,
2025 AS SMALL BUSINESS DAY. 
          SO HERE IN HARRIS COUNTY, WE'RE VERY COMMITTED TO SUPPORTING OUR SMALL BUSINESSES AND ALL
FAMILIES SO THAT WE ALL I THINK AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE CAN ALL AGREE ON SOMETHING. WE ALL WANT A BETTER LIFE FOR OURSELVES AND OUR FAMILY,
AND WE WANT TO BE MAKING PROGRESS AS A FAMILY. 
          AND SO IT'S A POINT OF HUGE, HUGE PRIDE. IN HARRIS COUNTY ALONE,
WE HAVE NEARLY 80,000 SMALL BUSINESSES. 
          IN FACT, BETWEEN 2010 AND 2022, WE HAD A GROWTH OF NEARLY 22% OF SMALL BUSINESSES HERE IN
HARRIS COUNTY. 
          AND WHEN YOU TAKE A STEP BACK NATIONWIDE, SMALL BUSINESSES EMPLOY APPROXIMATELY 61 MILLION
AMERICANS. 
          THEY ARE THE FOUNDATION AND CORNERSTONE OF THE US ECONOMY AND OF OUR LOCAL ECONOMY. 
          [01:15:05]
AND HARRIS COUNTY IS REALLY PROUD TO BE SUPPORTING SMALL BUSINESSES IN A VARIETY OF WAYS,
ONE OF WHICH IS THE OPPORTUNITY FUND, A REVOLVING SMALL BUSINESS LOAN FUND. ANOTHER WAY IS THE HARRIS HUB PROGRAM THAT GIVES
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND SUPPORT, WHETHER IT'S ON FINANCIAL LITERACY, TECHNOLOGY,
LOAN APPLICATIONS, BONDING AND MORE. 
          WE ALSO HAVE EDUCATIONAL SEMINARS ACROSS THE COUNTY ON HOW TO START A BUSINESS,
HOW TO CONTRACT WITH THE COUNTY BUSINESS 101, BECAUSE WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE ARE SUPPORTING,
SUPPORTING OUR LOCAL FAMILIES AND LOCAL BUSINESSES. 
          AND SO IT IS AN HONOR TO HAVE SOME LEADERS IN THIS SPACE WHO HAVE REALIZED THEIR AMERICAN
DREAM IN THEIR BUSINESS JOURNEY. 
          SO THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. AND WE ARE PROUD THAT MAY 10TH,
2025 WILL BE SMALL BUSINESS DAY IN HARRIS COUNTY. 
          AND I ENCOURAGE YOU ALL TO WHEN YOU THE NEXT TIME YOU GO GRAB A COFFEE OR GO GRAB A MEAL
OR PURCHASE SOMETHING FOR YOUR HOME THAT YOU'RE SUPPORTING LOCAL BUSINESSES AND SMALL BUSINESSES. SO WITH THAT,
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE. 
          AND I KNOW WE HAVE TWO REGISTERED SPEAKERS. WE HAVE KATHY PADDLE,
OWNER OF ASIATOWN FOOD TOURS. 
          WOULD YOU LIKE TO KICK US OFF, PLEASE? THANK YOU. 
          GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS KATHY PODELL. I'M THE OWNER OF HOUSTON ASIATOWN TOURS,
AND WE'RE A SMALL BUSINESS THAT STRIVES TO SHARE OUR DIVERSE ASIAN COMMUNITIES HERE IN HOUSTON WITH THE GREATER COMMUNITY THROUGH CULTURAL
WORKSHOPS, FOOD TOURS, WALKING TOURS, ASIAN COOKING WORKSHOPS AND WE EAT A LOT OF ALL KINDS OF ASIAN
FOOD. 
          IT'S HARD TO BE A SMALL BUSINESS. NO ONE TOLD ME THAT. 
          YOU NEED TO BE REALLY GOOD AT A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS IN ORDER TO SUCCEED AS A SMALL
BUSINESS OWNER. 
          AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I FOUND OVER THE PAST FOUR YEARS SINCE I STARTED HOUSTON
ASIATOWN TOURS, IS THE IMPORTANCE OF PARTNERSHIPS WITH OTHER ORGANIZATIONS WITHIN THE COMMUNITY. 
          AND I'D LIKE TO THANK HARRIS COUNTY PRECINCT FOUR AND COMMISSIONER LESLIE BRIONES OFFICE
FOR HELPING TO SHARE OUR CULTURAL PROGRAMS AND OUR BUS TOURS THROUGH THE COMMUNITY CENTERS. HARRIS COUNTY PRECINCT FOUR. 
          WE'VE TAKEN LOTS OF SENIORS ON BUS TOURS THROUGH THE HARRIS COUNTY SENIOR BUS PROGRAM,
AND WE'RE WORKING ON SETTING UP SOME CULTURAL WORKSHOPS AND COOKING WORKSHOPS AND THAT SORT OF THING AT THE COMMUNITY CENTERS AS WELL. 
          I'D ALSO LIKE TO THANK SOUTHWEST MANAGEMENT DISTRICT,
WHO'S GIVEN US SOME GRANT FUNDING THE PAST TWO YEARS TO TAKE STUDENTS FROM UNDERSERVED SCHOOLS ON OUR TOURS. AND THE GRANT FUNDING THAT WE'VE RECEIVED FROM SOUTHWEST MANAGEMENT
DISTRICT PAYS TO TAKE THESE MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL KIDS ON OUR TOURS AT NO CHARGE. SO WE'D LIKE TO THANK THEM. AND THEN LASTLY,
I'D ALSO LIKE TO THANK THE INDONESIAN CONSULATE AND IWIN, WHICH IS THE INDONESIAN WOMEN'S ENTREPRENEUR NETWORK FOR OPENING UP THE CONSULATE TO US
FOR OUR TOURS AND HELPING CONNECT US WITH A LOT OF REALLY GREAT WOMEN INDONESIAN ENTREPRENEURS THAT THAT HAVE HELPED WITH
COOKING CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS AND ALL KINDS OF FUN THINGS. 
          IT IS MY HONOR TO ACCEPT THIS RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING SMALL BUSINESS DAY FOR HARRIS COUNTY
PRECINCT FOUR. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH, MISS PADDLE. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. 
          AND WE HAVE AN GIANG AND PHUONG TRAN, CO-FOUNDERS OF ASIAN STREET FOOD TRUCK. 
          GOOD MORNING. THANK YOU. HARRIS COUNTY PRECINCT FOUR. 
          AND THE COMMISSIONERS FOR HAVING US HERE TO ACCEPT THIS RESOLUTION. 
          ASIAN STREET WAS IS A FAIR EVENT COORDINATOR AND CATERING BUSINESS THAT WE STARTED THREE
YEARS AGO. 
          WE ARE PROUD TO SAY THAT WE HAVE HAD AND BEEN BLESSED TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE ONE OF
THE TWO ASIAN VENDORS AT THE HOUSTON LIVESTOCK SHOW AND RODEO WHICH LAST YEAR, YOU KNOW, THROUGH HARD WORK AND PERSEVERANCE,
WE ACTUALLY WON FIRST PLACE OF ONE OF THE GOLD BUCKLE FOODIE AWARDS, WHICH IS A HUGE HONOR AND A HUGE PRIDE THAT WE GIVE OUT TO ENCOURAGE DIVERSITY AND
ENCOURAGE ENTREPRENEURSHIP FOR A LOT OF THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS HERE IN THE COMMUNITY. WE ACTUALLY WANT TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO TRY
NEW FOODS. 
          PROMOTE YOUR FOOD FROM WHATEVER CULTURE YOU'RE FROM. 
          AND ALSO PUT THE ENTREPRENEURSHIP, ESPECIALLY WITH US. 
          WE SERVE TASTY ASIAN STREET FOOD. SO EVERYBODY IN EVERY COUNTRY KNOWS STREET FOOD. 
          AND UNDERSTANDS HOW TO PROMOTE THAT IN YOUR,
YOUR OWN ENTREPRENEURSHIP WAY. 
          SO WE ARE VERY HONORED AND VERY GRATEFUL AND VERY BLESSED. 
          AND THANK YOU FOR HAVING US HERE TODAY. CONGRATULATIONS. 
          [01:20:01]
THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ARE THERE ANY OTHER SPEAKERS? NO, MA'AM. OKAY. THANK YOU TO ALL THE SPEAKERS. 
          WE ARE NOW GOING TO TAKE PICTURES IN THE ORDER THE RESOLUTIONS WERE TAKEN UP AND
RESOLUTION SPEAKERS, IF YOU'RE ABLE TO, PLEASE REMAIN SEATED UNTIL YOU'RE CALLED. 
          THAT WOULD MAKE EVERYTHING SMOOTHER. SO IT IS 1131. 
          WE'RE TAKING A BREAK FOR PICTURES. ALL RIGHT. 
          IT'S 1207 AND WE'RE BACK FROM THE PICTURES. AND SO WE'LL TAKE THE REST OF THE SPEAKERS,
PLEASE. 
          [Appearances before Court]
TIFFANY BARBARA DENSON SPEAKING ON ITEMS 21 AND 22,
CHRISTOPHER JENKINS ON ITEM 218 AND ALEXI SWIRSKY ON ITEM 358. YOU EACH HAVE ONE MINUTE. 
          IS IT ON? OKAY. TALK ABOUT FIDDLING WHILE ROME IS BURNING. 
          THERE ARE SO MANY SERIOUS PROBLEMS IN HARRIS COUNTY,
AND YOU WANT TO MAKE IT EASIER TO SPEND MONEY ON INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL AND SPEND MONEY FLYING FOLKS TO CONFERENCES TO DISCUSS CLIMATE CHANGE. 
          DOES NO ONE SEE THE HYPOCRISY HERE? IF YOU HONESTLY BELIEVE THAT BURNING FOSSIL FUELS
CREATES PROBLEMS WITH THE CLIMATE, THEN QUIT BURNING FOSSIL FUELS BY SENDING PEOPLE ON THESE TRIPS. 
          AND IF YOU DON'T BELIEVE THAT CARBON EMISSIONS CAUSE CLIMATE CHANGE,
WHY SPEND MONEY ATTENDING CONFERENCES THAT INSIST THEY ARE? THE CLIMATE IS ALWAYS CHANGING, JUST AS IT HAS FOR BILLIONS OF YEARS. 
          POLITICIANS HAVE LONG USED FEAR AND PROMISES TO EXTRACT MONEY FROM THE PUBLIC,
CLAIMING THEY CAN CONTROL THE WEATHER. 
          BUT NO AMOUNT OF MONEY CAN HALT THE NATURAL COURSE OF CLIMATE CHANGE. 
          THANK YOU, THANK YOU. THANK YOU. 
          I AM IN FAVOR OF ITEM 358 TO POSSIBLY REVISE THE RULES OF PROCEDURE,
CONDUCT AND DECORUM AT MEETINGS OF THIS COMMISSIONER'S COURT TO ORDER. THE TYPICAL ORDER OF BUSINESS. TO HAVE THE COURT TAKE UP RESOLUTIONS AND SIGNING
OF RESOLUTIONS AND PHOTOGRAPHS AFTER ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION, AND TO DESIGNATE 3 P.M. 
          FOR THE LINING UP AND TAKING OF THE RESOLUTIONS AND PICTURES. 
          ADVANTAGES OF THE PROPOSED CHANGE INCLUDE THE TIME OF THE PEOPLE THAT ARE APPEARING BEFORE
THE COURT WILL BE RESPECTED, AS WELL AS ALLOWING THE COURT TO GET TO THE BUSINESS QUICKER. 
          FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO ATTEND THE COMMISSIONERS COURT MEETING,
THE BUSINESS AT HAND IS IMPORTANT TO THEM. GETTING TO THEIR ISSUE QUICKER WOULD ENABLE MORE TO PARTICIPATE. THOSE WHO ARE ATTENDING COMMISSIONERS COURT AS PART OF AN HONORING
RESOLUTION WOULD BE ABLE TO WORK IN THE MORNING, THEN COME TO COMMISSIONERS COURT IN THE AFTERNOON INSTEAD OF MISSING MOST OF THE DAY OF
WORK. PLEASE VOTE IN FAVOR OF ITEM 358. 
          THANK YOU. THANK YOU. SIR. 
          GO AHEAD. SIR. GOOD AFTERNOON, COMMISSIONERS COURT. 
          MY NAME IS CHRISTOPHER JENKINS, COMMUNITY ORGANIZER,
CEO FOR FIJI HOOD ORGANIZATION. 
          I'M SPEAKING ON AGENDA ITEM 218, IN WHICH THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT IS ASKING FOR A RAISE. 
          I ALWAYS ENCOURAGE INDIVIDUALS TO ASK FOR A RAISE IF THEY PERFORM WELL,
BUT BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF TRANSPARENCY AND THERE'S ACCOUNTABILITY AND OVERSIGHT FROM THE STATE. SO I FEEL LIKE THEY SHOULD ASK MONEY FROM THE STATE BECAUSE WE HAD TOO MANY DEATHS
WITHIN THE JAIL. 
          WE HAD DEPUTIES THREE OUT OF FOUR IN A WEEK THAT COMMITTED SUICIDE. 
          THIS IS A TRAUMATIZING EXPERIENCE FOR EVERYONE INVOLVED,
CAUSING MENTAL ISSUES. 
          SO DO WE. DO THEY REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING ON RIGHT NOW? THE LAST ADMINISTRATION AND AND REPRESENTATIVES THEY SENT TO THE STATE EXPLAINED TO THEM
THE PROCESS IN WHICH WE ARE IN RIGHT NOW. 
          THEY NEED MORE TRAINING AND RESOURCES FOR PREVENTION,
TREATMENT, REHABILITATION ALL ACROSS THE BOARD. 
          NOT TOO LONG AGO, I WAS ENGAGED IN A PROGRAM IN A WELDING PARTNERSHIP WITH THE SHERIFF'S
DEPARTMENT AND A DRUG FOR PROGRESS WITH OTHER ORGANIZATIONS. 
          WHAT HAPPENED WITH THAT? THE STAFF OF THIS DEPARTMENT DON'T SEEM TO CARE ABOUT THEIR
LEADERSHIP. 
          THERE HAVE BEEN MANY DEMANDS ON. YOUR TIME IS UP. 
          GO AHEAD. FINISH UP. THEY HAVE GONE UNANSWERED FROM CONCERNED CITIZENS,
COMMUNITY LEADERS AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS. 
          FOP COULD DO BETTER AT THEIR UNION TO CREATE AN ENVIRONMENT THAT'S HELPED THE COMMUNITY. 
          [01:25:02]
THEY FIND MORE TIME ASKING FOR MONEY THAN TO TRY TO COME UP WITH STRATEGIC WAYS TO HELP
THE COMMUNITY. 
          I'VE BEEN UNION SINCE 98, AND EVERY TIME WE ASK FOR A CONTRACT TO BE RENEWED,
WE HAD TO BRING A CASE FOR OUR ARGUMENT. 
          THIS HAS CAUSED EVERYONE TO BE OVERWORKED. ADDRESSING THESE ISSUES,
FROM THE DA'S OFFICE TO COMMISSIONERS COURT TO THE COMMUNITY TO FIND A BETTER WAY TO PREVENT A BUDGET SHORTFALL. I'M NOT POINTING THE FINGER AT THE CURRENT SHERIFF,
BUT I AM TALKING ABOUT THE STAFF CREATING A HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT THAT'S BEEN GOING ON FOR A VERY LONG TIME. I MEAN, LET'S GET RID OF BAD APPLES OR LIFT THE GOOD ONES SO THEY CAN MAKE
A DIFFERENCE. 
          UTILIZE THE INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE ALREADY RECEIVED A RAISE TO ADDRESS THESE ISSUES. 
          THANK YOU. THANK YOU. CHARLIE MATOS, SPEAKING ON ITEM 465,
NON-AGENDA SPEAKER GRACE HEE AND NON-AGENDA SPEAKER ROSALIND FRANCES. YOU EACH HAVE ONE MINUTE. 
          GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS CHARLIE MATSU. I WORK FOR SMALL GLASS CONSTRUCTION. 
          WE'D LIKE TO THANK THE PURCHASING DEPARTMENT FOR RECOMMENDING SPA GLASS FOR AWARD OF THE
RECONSTRUCTION OF DEWSON AND EISENHOWER PARK. 
          THIS IS THE SECOND TIME SMALL GLASS HAS BEEN RECOMMENDED FOR AWARD. 
          WE'D ALSO LIKE TO THANK COMMISSIONER ELLIS AND PRECINCT ONE FOR GIVING SMALL GLASS THE
OPPORTUNITY TO DELIVER ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL PROJECT PROJECTS TO HARRIS COUNTY. WE CURRENTLY HAVE A PROJECT GOING ON WITH PRECINCT TWO AT CHALLENGER PARK AND PRECINCT FOUR AT ARTHUR
STOREY PARK. 
          WE STRONGLY ENCOURAGE THE THE MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSIONERS COURT TO VOTE IN FAVOR OF
APPROVING THE AWARD TO SPYGLASS, SO WE CAN BEGIN CONSTRUCTION OF THIS HIGHLY ANTICIPATED PROJECT AND AVOID FURTHER DELAYS. 
          THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT. YES. GO AHEAD. HELLO. 
          MY NAME IS GRACE. HE. I'M TALKING ABOUT ME, MYSELF. 
          I HAVE MENTAL ILLNESS, AND I DON'T GET THAT GOOD TREATMENT HERE IN HARRIS COUNTY. 
          I WISH TO GET BETTER MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT HERE. 
          I SUFFER FROM DEPRESSION, BIPOLAR DISORDER AND ANXIETY. 
          IT'S TERRIBLE. I'VE BEEN IN AND OUT OF MENTAL HOSPITAL 40 TIMES IN THE PAST THREE YEARS. 
          IT'S TERRIBLE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. WE'LL VISIT WITH YOU. 
          GOOD MORNING. THE HONORABLE COMMISSIONERS AND ESTEEMED MEMBERS OF THE COURT,
THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TO YOU THIS MORNING. 
          I AM DOCTOR ROSALIND FRANCIS AND MY COMPANY,
GLOBAL SUPPLIER, IS ASSESSING THE GAPS IN THE TRANSPORTATION AND LOGISTICS INDUSTRY. THE TRANSPORTATION INDUSTRY IN 2025 FACES MAJOR CHALLENGES DRIVEN BY
URBANIZATION, SUPPLY CHAIN DISRUPTION, ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS AND EVOLVING CONSUMERS EXPECTATIONS FOR
FASTER AND MORE EFFICIENT MOBILITY ISSUES. 
          OUR GOAL IS TO INTEGRATE AND LEVERAGE DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION AND AI TO ADVANCE THE VALUE
CHAIN IN THE TRILLION DOLLAR INDUSTRY. 
          THERE ARE FIVE CRITICAL ISSUES TO CONSIDER. ONE IS TO ADDRESS THE HOUSTON ECONOMIC AND
GLOBAL ISSUE, TO INCREASE LABOR SHORTAGES AND HIRE INDIVIDUALS FOR JOBS TO DECREASE. 
          THANK YOU. GO AHEAD. MA'AM. THANK YOU. TO DECREASE THE SUPPLY CHAIN DISRUPTION BY
INVESTING IN TECHNOLOGY AND AUTOMATION SAFETY. 
          TO MINIMIZE CONGESTED ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE DEFICIENCY,
DEFICIENCY, AND UNINCORPORATED AREAS. 
          THE PORT IS A MAJOR ECONOMIC DRIVER, CONTRIBUTING TO BILLIONS IN THE ECONOMY. 
          CLIMATE CHANGE TRANSITION TRADITIONAL WORK ENVIRONMENTS INTO GREEN ENERGY SUPPLY CHAINS,
DECREASE IMPACT ON WORKER SAFETY CONCERNS WITHIN THE WORKPLACE, AND FINALLY TO DEVELOP A INFRASTRUCTURE WORLD IN. 
          AND I'M SORRY TO DEVELOP A INFRASTRUCTURE AND CREATE ONE OF THE WORLD'S LARGEST
SUSTAINABLE, AI BASED, ENERGY EFFICIENT DIGITAL DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION LOGISTICS,
INNOVATIVE SUPPLY CHAIN TO ADVANCE THE MANAGEMENT OF GOODS AND SERVICES TO CREATE VALUABLE JOBS, TO IMPORT EXPORT SERVICES,
TO PROVIDE ECO FRIENDLY PACKAGING AND DISTRIBUTIONS FOR. ARE YOU ALMOST DONE, MA'AM? I'M SORRY. WE CAN'T GO MUCH LONGER. 
          IT WOULD BE UNFAIR TO THE OTHER SPEAKERS IF YOU CAN JUST FINISH. I APPRECIATE IT,
JUDGE HIDALGO AND TIFFANY. 
          WE HAVE CHIEF TOMMY DIAZ FROM THE HARRIS COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE WHO I KNOW HAD WANTED TO
SPEAK. 
          MAY HE PLEASE BE AFFORDED THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK? YES. SO LET'S DO THAT. AND BEFORE THAT JUST FOR FOLKS TO KNOW THE UPDATE,
THE FIRST AMERICAN POPE HAS BEEN CHOSEN. 
          SO CARDINAL ROBERT FRANCIS PREVOST AND HE'S,
I GUESS, ANNOUNCING THE NAME IN JUST A BIT. 
          [01:30:04]
BUT IT'S VERY EXCITING FOR THE OVER A BILLION CATHOLICS AROUND THE WORLD. 
          AND I KNOW WE HAVE A LARGE POPULATION OF CATHOLICS IN HARRIS COUNTY AS WELL. 
          OBVIOUSLY BEING HAVING BEEN BORN IN COLOMBIA,
IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO ME. 
          AND AND SO TO THE CATHOLICS AROUND THE WORLD IN HARRIS COUNTY AND EVERYBODY WHO KNOWS JUST
THE EXCITEMENT OF THIS I WANT TO ALSO ADD MY, MY COMMENTS OF CELEBRATION BECAUSE IT'S IT'S A BIG DEAL. 
          AND I HOPE THAT THIS NEW POPE WILL BE A POSITIVE INFLUENCE ON OUR WORLD. 
          SO, SO, YEAH, THAT IS HE'S TAKEN THE NAME LEO THE FOURTH. 
          ALL RIGHT. GO AHEAD. GOOD MORNING. JUDGE. COMMISSIONERS,
I JUST WANT TO JUST TAKE AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK ON BEHALF OF THE SHERIFF AND TELL YOU HOW HIGH A PRIORITY IT IS THAT WE WE TRY TO FIND A
PATHWAY TO SOME COMPETITIVE COMPENSATION. 
          I'D LIKE TO THANK EACH OF YOUR OFFICES FOR PROACTIVELY REACHING OUT AND ASKING US FOR FOR
DATA AND ALREADY SEEKING WAYS TO FIND A PATH FOR FOR THAT GOAL. I'VE WORKED WITH THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE FOR 20 YEARS. 
          I'M A SECOND GENERATION DEPUTY SHERIFF, AND IT'S BEEN AN HONOR OF A LIFETIME TO WORK WITH
THESE MEN AND WOMEN. 
          THEY'RE THE BRAVEST, MOST COURAGEOUS FOLKS THAT TEXAS HAS EVER PRODUCED. 
          AND THEY ARE THE THE EPITOME OF PUBLIC SERVANTS. 
          AND I'M JUST HAPPY TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO STAND UP HERE AND SPEAK ON THEIR BEHALF. 
          AND I LOOK FORWARD TO, TO TO WORKING WITH YOUR OFFICES WITH OMB,
OCA. 
          AND I APPRECIATE Y'ALL'S COORDINATION AND COLLABORATION ALREADY. 
          I APPRECIATE Y'ALL. AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO TO WORKING WITH YOU ALL. 
          AND I'D BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. BUT WE DEFINITELY SUPPORT THE DEPUTIES AS THEY
SEEK COMPETITIVE COMPENSATION. 
          THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. CHIEF. YES,
CHIEF. 
          CHIEF. CHIEF, WE'LL HEAR FROM COMMISSIONER GARCIA,
COMMISSIONER RAMSEY AND THEN COMMISSIONER BRIONES. CHIEF, THANK YOU FOR COMING DOWN HERE AND SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF THE SHERIFF. 
          I SPOKE WITH HIM AS WELL, AND AND. ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. 
          LOOK I DON'T WANT TO BE LEFT WITH THE SHERIFF TRYING TO DO THE JOB BY HIMSELF. 
          IF WE DON'T REWARD OUR MEN AND WOMEN ACCORDINGLY,
AND I KNOW PARODY, YOU KNOW, LOOK, THE CITY OF HOUSTON HAS A $5 BILLION BUDGET. 
          WHEN WE WHILE WE HAVE A $2 BILLION BUDGET, WE DON'T GET ANY OF THEIR SALES TAX. 
          THEY'RE TRYING TO GET SOME OF OUR MOBILITY DOLLARS TO PAY FOR PUBLIC SAFETY. 
          I WISH WE COULD USE OUR MOBILITY DOLLARS FOR THE SAME THING. 
          BUT I LOOK FORWARD TO COMING UP WITH A SMART PLAN THAT WILL CREATE SOME COMPETITIVENESS
FOR ALL OF OUR DEPUTIES IN HARRIS COUNTY, BECAUSE YOU KNOW,
IT IS IT IS NO FAULT TO Y'ALL THAT THAT WE HAVE ANOTHER CITY THAT CAN DROP THAT KIND OF MONEY. 
          BUT I JUST LOOK FORWARD TO A GOOD CONVERSATION,
TO GETTING US TO A MUCH, MUCH BETTER PLACE FOR OUR MEN AND WOMEN. 
          THANK YOU. THANK YOU, SIR. COMMISSIONER RAMSEY. 
          CHIEF, THANKS FOR COMING DOWN. YES, SIR. WE ALWAYS WELCOME HARRIS COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE, DEPUTIES ASSOCIATION AND OTHERS. JUST FOR THE RECORD I'M REALLY PROUD OF THIS COURT. 
          I THINK IT'S BEEN IMPLIED THAT MAYBE WE HADN'T KEPT UP. 
          BUT I'M PROUD OF THE PAY RAISES THAT WE HAVE PROVIDED AND WILL CONTINUE TO PROVIDE. 
          I ENCOURAGE THE CITY OF HOUSTON TO FOLLOW OUR EXAMPLE. 
          YOU'RE RIGHT. BECAUSE WE'VE ONLY GIVEN PAY RAISES,
I THINK MANY TIMES OVER THE LAST FOUR YEARS. 
          I WOULD CHALLENGE THE CITY OF HOUSTON TO DO THE SAME. 
          SO MY CONVERSATION OR MY POINT RELATED TO WHAT THE CITY DID. 
          GREAT. I THINK PUBLIC SAFETY AND FINANCING AND SUPPORTING PUBLIC SAFETY IS A BIG DEAL. 
          THE PAY RAISES THAT HAVE BEEN PUT ON THE TABLE BY THE CITY,
THAT IS. 
          THAT'S GREAT IN TERMS OF WHAT THEY'RE DOING. WE'LL CONTINUE TO USE WE'LL CONTINUE TO FOCUS
ON THAT, GIVE PRIORITY TO THAT IN HARRIS COUNTY. BUT JUST TO BE CLEAR,
IF WE WERE TO ACHIEVE THE LEVEL OF INCREASE THAT THE CITY OF HOUSTON JUST DID,
THAT'S $141 MILLION. NOW, I THINK IT'S GOOD TO PUT THESE ISSUES ON THE TABLE EARLY. 
          [01:35:03]
SO WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT INCREASES AND YOU SIMPLY SAY,
WELL, WE NEED TO DO THE SAME AS THE CITY OF HOUSTON. 
          I THINK CITY HOUSTON NEEDS TO START BY DOING THE SAME AS HARRIS COUNTY,
BY GIVING PAY RAISES ON A REGULAR BASIS, WHICH IS WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING. THAT'S RIGHT. 
          BUT JUST TO DEFINE THAT, BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF TALK AND WHEN WHEN MEMOS ARE ISSUED AND
IT IMPLIES THAT WE NEED TO DO A BETTER JOB. I THINK THIS COMMISSIONER'S COURT HAS DONE AN EXTRAORDINARY JOB OF TAKING CARE OF
BUSINESS. 
          I APPRECIATE WHAT YOU DO AND THE NUMEROUS CONVERSATIONS WE'VE HAD WITH YOUR OFFICE. 
          THE COORDINATION WITH THE SHERIFF'S DEPUTIES ASSOCIATION HAS BEEN GREAT. 
          SO YOU'RE GOING TO FIND A A WILLING AND WELCOME EAR HERE IN TERMS OF SUPPORTING,
JUST LIKE WE HAVE IN THE PAST. 
          BUT I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO KNOW WHAT THAT NUMBER IS $141 $41 MILLION IS WHAT THAT IS
DEFINED AS THE CITY OF HOUSTON. SO AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR COMING DOWN. 
          I LOOK FORWARD TO DOING ANOTHER THING WHILE WE'RE TALKING. 
          YES, SIR. IF WE COULD JUST NOT OUTSOURCE FOLKS FROM OUR JAIL. 
          RIGHT. YOU KNOW, THAT'S $50 MILLION A YEAR. THAT'D BE NICE TO HAVE THAT MONEY SO WE COULD
USE IT TO GET PAY RAISES. THAT'S OUR OBJECTIVE. AND AND THANK YOU,
TANYA, SPECIFICALLY FOR YOUR WORK ON THAT ISSUE. 
          BUT THIS COURT HAS BEEN WORKING REAL HARD TO FREE UP MONEY. 
          EXCUSE ME? TO FREE UP MONEY SO THAT WE WILL HAVE DOLLARS TO ADDRESS IT. 
          SO IT'S STILL A PRIORITY. PUBLIC SAFETY IS A PRIORITY. 
          THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE IS A PRIORITY. AND EVERYTHING THAT THE SHERIFF HAS ASKED US TO DO. 
          THIS COURT HAS DONE JUST JUST TO BE SURE. THAT'S CLEAR. 
          IN CASE THERE WAS ANY MISUNDERSTANDING FROM A LETTER THAT I THINK THE SHERIFF SENT OUT
YESTERDAY. 
          THANK YOU. YES, SIR. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER. 
          OH, GO AHEAD SIR. NO, I WAS JUST SAYING THANK YOU TO COMMISSIONER. 
          SO, CHIEF DIAZ, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. AND I THANK SHERIFF GONZALEZ AND ALL OF THE MEN
AND WOMEN WHO SERVE IN OUR SHERIFF'S OFFICE, AS WELL AS ALL OF THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO SERVE IN OUR CONSTABLE'S OFFICES. 
          I ECHO MY COLLEAGUE'S STATEMENTS. I WILL BE DISCUSSING THE BAILOUT BILL MOMENTARILY,
AND HOW THEY'RE ABLE TO GIVE RAISES ON THE BACKS OF COUNTY DOLLARS, WHICH JEOPARDIZES THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE,
OUR CONSTABLES, AND WE HONOR YOUR SERVICE. 
          WE RESPECT YOUR SERVICE. WE HAVE BEEN MAKING POSITIVE MOVEMENT. 
          TO MY COLLEAGUE'S POINT, WE'RE MAKING PROGRESS AND TO HAVE TENS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS
UNJUSTIFIABLY TAKEN FROM THE COUNTY TO HELP THE CITY IS UNJUST. WE WILL TALK MORE ABOUT THAT MOMENTARILY. 
          BUT THE BOTTOM LINE IS, IS WE WANT TO WORK COLLABORATIVELY WITH THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE AND
WITH OUR CONSTABLES TO CONTINUE MAKING THE PROGRESS AND WITH OUR BUDGET OFFICE, BECAUSE WE WOULD, AND I'D INFINITELY RATHER USE THE 50 MILLION INSTEAD OF OUTSOURCING FOR
PAY RAISES. 
          THERE'S SO MANY DIFFERENT IDEAS THAT IF WE WORK COLLABORATIVELY AND MAKE SURE WE'RE
FOCUSED ON THE DATA AND EVIDENCE AT HAND AND HAVE A, YOU KNOW, WHERE WE'RE GOING TOGETHER. AND SO I HOPE WE CAN APPROACH THIS,
AS YOU HAVE ALWAYS BEEN, HIGHLY COLLABORATIVE AND JUST A JOY TO WORK WITH. 
          CHIEF. AND I FEEL THE SAME WAY ABOUT THE SHERIFF AS WELL AND MY CONSTABLE'S THAT I WORK
WITH. 
          AND SO I JUST HOPE WE CAN DO IT AS A IN THE SPIRIT OF UNITY AS A COUNTY,
BECAUSE PUBLIC SAFETY IS MY TOP PRIORITY, AND I AM COMMITTED TO WORKING WITH YOU ALL TO MAKE AS MUCH PROGRESS AS WE CAN AND BRINGING
OUR TAXPAYERS INTO THIS CONVERSATION TOO, RIGHT? SO THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT THINGS AND, AND HOW WE'RE INVESTING AS A COMMUNITY TO
HONOR YOUR SERVICE AND SACRIFICE. 
          SO THANK YOU IS THE BOTTOM LINE, AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING TOGETHER IN UNITY TO
CONTINUE PROGRESS HERE IN HARRIS COUNTY. 
          COMMISSIONER BRIONES. IF I, IF I COULD BORROW SOME OF YOUR TIME TO CHIEF,
I JUST WANT TO POINT OUT INTO THE DEPUTIES IN THE AUDIENCE TO THE POINT THAT COMMISSIONER RAMSEY JUST MADE ABOUT WHAT THE VALUE OF THAT COST IS. 
          THAT IS ALMOST THE SAME VALUE OF WHAT WE POTENTIALLY WILL LOSE FROM THE TOLL ROAD THAT WE
COULD IF WE HAD THE SAME PERMISSION OF HAVING OF TRANSFERRING THOSE DOLLARS INTO PUBLIC SAFETY DOLLARS. 
          THAT'S LITERALLY THE SAME AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT IS BEING TAKEN,
POTENTIALLY TAKEN FROM HARRIS COUNTY. 
          SO I JUST WANT TO MAKE THAT POINT. THANK YOU. 
          AS MY COLLEAGUE SAID, FOR FOR BRINGING THIS UP WITH SOME LEAD TIME,
BUT ALSO NOT REQUESTING THAT WE MAKE BUDGET DECISIONS OUTSIDE OF THE BUDGET SEASON. I WANTED TO ASK DIRECTOR RAMOS, AND YOU MAY WELL NOT BE PREPARED TO ANSWER THIS
QUESTION AT THE MOMENT. 
          [01:40:04]
BUT SO SO WHAT EXACTLY WOULD THIS COST? IT'S HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS. 
          HUNDREDS OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS. OKAY, SO SO FOR THIS COMING BUDGET CYCLE,
THE FIRST YEAR, CAN YOU PIN DOWN A NUMBER? WE CAN GET BACK. OKAY. 
          BUT ROUGHLY AROUND IT'S IT'S 100 FOR THE FOR THE FIRST. 
          FOR THE FIRST YEAR. YEP. YEAH. YEAH. AND AND AND JUST FOR CONTEXT,
OUR BUDGET ON A YEAR, ON OUR REVENUE ON A YEAR TO YEAR BASIS GOES UP ABOUT 100 MILLION. RIGHT, RIGHT. AND ALSO AND SO DO THE COSTS BECAUSE THE POPULATION IS GROWING
AND AND DEMANDS ON THE COMMUNITY ARE GROWING. 
          SO SO YEAH, I MEAN, WE'VE WE HAVE VERY MUCH PRIORITIZED YOUR OFFICE,
AS YOU KNOW, THE SAFETY OF YOUR OFFICERS. 
          AND AND A CONFLUENCE OF FACTORS, REALLY STARTING IN 2022. 
          THEN LEGISLATIVE VOTE AND FINALLY LAST YEAR THAT HAVE HAVE LIMITED OUR ABILITY TO COLLECT
ENOUGH REVENUE, I THINK ARE GOING TO BE AN ISSUE. BUT IT'S CERTAINLY SOMETHING I'LL CONSIDER VERY
SERIOUSLY. 
          I HAVE BEEN ABSOLUTELY COMMITTED TO NOT SPEND MONEY WE DON'T HAVE. 
          IT'S EASY TO VOTE FOR THINGS VERY EASY, BUT I DON'T WANT TO PUSH THE CAN DOWN THE ROAD AS
OTHER JURISDICTIONS HAVE DONE. 
          SO SO AGAIN, THANK YOU. THANK YOU, DIRECTOR,
FOR LOOKING INTO THIS. 
          AND AND, AND WE'LL CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION AND THANK YOU FOR THE WORK YOU DO. 
          THANK YOU. JUDGE. THANK YOU, COMMISSIONERS, WE'RE HERE AND READY. 
          JUST LET US KNOW WHAT Y'ALL NEED. WE APPRECIATE YOUR SUPPORT. THANK YOU. GREAT. 
          THANK YOU. OKAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH TO ALL THE OFFICERS HERE. WE APPRECIATE YOU GUYS. ALL RIGHT. 
          SO LET'S CONTINUE WITH THE SPEAKERS. NON-AGENDA SPEAKER GENESIS GALLARDO,
NON-AGENDA SPEAKER BEATRICE CASTILLO USING THE INTERPRETER AND NON-AGENDA SPEAKER JERRY STRICKLAND. 
          YOU EACH HAVE ONE MINUTE. THANK YOU. HELLO. MY NAME IS GENESIS GRANADOS, AND I'M THE ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE PROGRAMS MANAGER AT AIR ALLIANCE HOUSTON. 
          THANK YOU, HONORABLE JUDGE LINA HIDALGO AND COMMISSIONERS FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK
TODAY. 
          WE WANTED TO INFORM AND INVITE YOU TO AN UPCOMING PUBLIC MEETING THAT WILL BE HAPPENING
TONIGHT. 
          TEXAS CONCRETE ENTERPRISE HAS APPLIED FOR THE TEXAS COMMISSION ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
FOR RENEWAL OF THE AIR PERMIT FOR CONCRETE BATCH PLANTS, FOR CONTINUED OPERATION OF THEIR CHERRY STREET LOCATION IN NEAR NORTH SIDE. 
          CONCRETE BATCH PLANTS ARE A LARGE SOURCE OF PARTICULATE MATTER AND OTHER HAZARDOUS AIR
POLLUTANTS THAT IMPACT PUBLIC HEALTH. 
          IN ADDITION, THEIR SURROUNDING AREA ALSO EXPERIENCES ELEVATED LEVELS OF HEART DISEASE,
ASTHMA, AND CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE COMPARED WITH THE COUNTY,
STATE, AND NATIONAL AVERAGE, AND OVERALL WORSE LEVELS OF LIFE EXPECTANCY. AS A PERSON CURRENTLY LIVING IN A COMMUNITY
WITH CONCRETE BATCH PLANTS AND SEVERE ASTHMA. 
          IT IS IMPORTANT TO SHARE OUR STORIES ABOUT LIVING NEXT TO THESE FACILITIES AND ASK FOR
STRICTER REGULATIONS. 
          THANK YOU. YOUR TIME IS UP. THANK YOU. I'M NOT LOOKING FOR A COMMENT OTHER THAN I JUST
WANT TO THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR ADVOCACY. 
          I DO WANT TO ASK THAT YOU DOUBLE CHECK THAT THIS MEETING THAT'S BEING HELD IS WORTH
ANYTHING, BECAUSE WHEN I WAS HOLDING A BATCH PLANT MEETING WITH TC THAT TC HOSTED,
THE PERMIT HAD ALREADY BEEN ISSUED FOR BATCH PLANT THAT'S GOING UP NEXT DOOR TO MY INCLUSIVE ALL ABILITIES PARK,
WHICH IS JUST INFURIATING. 
          SO THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU'RE DOING. I ASK THAT YOU KEEP JAMES DRIVER INCLUSIVE PARK AS A
PART OF YOUR TALKING POINTS. 
          A BATCH PLANT NEXT TO A PARK THAT IS INTENDED FOR CHILDREN OF SPECIAL ABILITIES. 
          IT'S JUST HORRIBLE. AND THE TIME THEY GAVE US TO ADVOCATE AGAINST IT WAS WORTHLESS BECAUSE
THE PERMIT HAD ALREADY BEEN ISSUED. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER. 
          HI. I'M SPEAKING FOR MY MOM. SHE WAS PART OF THE BUYOUT PROGRAM,
MANDATORY PROGRAM, AND I DON'T THINK IT WAS FAIR FOR HER TO. 
          SHE WASN'T JUST ON THEM BUYING THE PROGRAM. THEY WEREN'T FAIR RACIALLY WITH HER. 
          THEY DIDN'T INTERPRET IT. THEY DIDN'T SEND AN INTERPRETER FOR HER. 
          THEY DIDN'T COMMUNICATE WITH HER. AND THE FUNDS ARE JUST NOT THERE. 
          MY MOM OWNS TWO PROPERTIES, TWO HOUSES, AND THEY'RE JUST GIVING HER $150,000. 
          AND I DON'T THINK THAT'S FAIR. AND I WANT TO KNOW,
AS A TAXPAYER, TO OUR LEADERS, WHAT ARE Y'ALL GOING TO DO ABOUT THE PEOPLE THAT ARE 
          [01:45:06]
SUFFERING BEHIND THIS PROGRAM? AND IT'S NOT ONLY MY MOM. 
          IT'S A LOT OF PEOPLE OUT THERE. AND THEY'RE REALLY MOSTLY HISPANICS,
LOW INCOME FAMILIES THAT ARE BEING TARGETED. 
          AND I WANT TO KNOW WHAT Y'ALL, AS POLITICAL LEADERS,
THAT Y'ALL ARE. 
          WHAT ARE Y'ALL GOING TO DO TO HELP US TAXPAYING PEOPLE? THANK YOU FOR COMING DOWN. AND THERE'S PROBABLY SOMEONE HERE FROM THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT
THAT CAN VISIT WITH YOU. 
          I KNOW THAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING THROUGH THIS. IT'S BEEN COMPLICATED. 
          IT'S BEEN A PROBLEM. SO. BUT THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING DOWN. 
          SPEAKING ON IT. I'M NOT ASKING FOR THAT. I'M ASKING FOR Y'ALL TO TELL ME WHAT Y'ALL GOING
TO GONNA DO FOR MY MOM AND FOR ALL THE OTHER PEOPLE THAT ARE SUFFERING BEHIND THIS MANDATORY PROGRAM? WHAT ARE Y'ALL GOING TO DO ABOUT IT? THANK YOU. SIR. YOUR TIME IS UP. I'M ASKING Y'ALL. 
          Y'ALL THE LEADERS, AIN'T Y'ALL? THANK YOU. Y'ALL MAKING PEOPLE SUFFER OUT HERE,
MAN, FOR NOTHING. 
          I THINK IT'S A MOTHERFUCKING GAME. IT AIN'T NO GAME. WAIT A MINUTE. 
          NO. NEXT. GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS JERRY STRICKLAND. 
          I'M A RETIRED AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER SUPERVISOR MANAGER AT INTERCONTINENTAL AIRPORT. 
          35 YEARS THERE. I'M ALSO A DIRECTOR IN WCID 110 FOR 41 YEARS. 
          ITEM 108 ON THE AGENDA. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER RAMSEY,
FOR ALLOWING US TO PARTICIPATE IN THAT AND ASSISTING IN IT. 
          I'M ALSO AN AVID METAL DETECTOR, AND I'M ASKING YOU POLITELY AND RESPECTFULLY TO RESCIND
THE BAN ON METAL DETECTING IN HARRIS COUNTY. 
          I BELIEVE THE SAN ANTONIO PROCESS IS A MUCH BETTER PROCESS. 
          IT PERMITS YOU EVEN HAVE YOU EVEN HAVE AN EXISTING PRECINCT RIGHT NOW,
A PERMIT SYSTEM THAT'S BEEN THERE FOR QUITE A FEW YEARS. 
          I ALSO GOT PERMISSION FROM CAGLE FOR ABOUT EIGHT YEARS PRIOR TO THE REORGANIZATION,
WE HAD ALL OF HARRIS COUNTY PRECINCT FOUR PARKS, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THOSE HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT OR ARCHEOLOGICAL SITES WERE
PROHIBITED, AND WE HAD GREAT RULES FOR IT. NO DAMAGE OCCURRED. 
          THERE WAS NOT ONE REPORT OF ANYTHING OUT OF THE LINE. 
          THANK YOU. YOUR TIME IS UP. WE'LL GET WITH YOU,
JERRY. 
          WE'LL FIGURE IT OUT. THANK YOU, I APPRECIATE IT. 
          TOM. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. AND THAT'S ALL I'M ASKING IS RESPECTFULLY AND POLITELY. 
          THANK YOU. NON-AGENDA SPEAKER GENESIS GALLARDO,
NON-AGENDA SPEAKER THEODORE WHISKEY. 
          AND NON-AGENDA SPEAKER REGINA JOHNSON. YOU EACH HAVE ONE MINUTE. 
          THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. IT'S SUCH AN HONOR TO BE HERE. 
          COMMISSIONERS. IN FACT, I KNOW THAT I VOTED FOR SOME OF YOU. 
          AND I'VE WATCHED YOU ALL OVER YEARS. I AM COMING AS A GRANDMOTHER. 
          I'M COMING AS A MOTHER. I'M COMING AS A COMMUNITY LEADER. 
          AND I BROUGHT MY GRANDCHILDREN UP HERE TO SEE WHAT I DO. 
          SO THIS IS THEIR FIELD TRIP FROM SCHOOL. I WOULD LIKE TO TELL YOU ABOUT AN ELDERLY LADY
THAT HAS PROPERTY. AND THERE'S A SMALL LITTLE BAYOU IN OUR COMMUNITY,
AND IT'S SINKING. 
          SO WHY AM I SAYING THIS? I WANT TO TALK TO OR ADDRESS THE HARRIS COUNTY FLOOD CONTROL
DISTRICT. 
          WE AS A COMMUNITY CAN ONLY SEE THE LACK OF INFECTION STRUCTURE. 
          AND PLEASE FORGIVE ME FOR MESSING THAT WORD UP. 
          MAINTENANCE. AN AREA THAT FLOODS FREQUENTLY. WE WANT TO IMPROVE COMMUNICATION FROM HARRIS
COUNTY. 
          YOUR TIME IS UP. DO YOU HAVE CAN YOU WRAP IT UP IN ABOUT 30S? I CAN TRY. THANK YOU SO MUCH. YOU'RE WELCOME. 
          COMMISSIONER GARCIA, WE WANT TO IMPROVE COMMUNICATION FOR FROM HARRIS COUNTY FLOOD CONTROL
ABOUT WHEN PROJECTS WILL BEGIN AND END. 
          TRANSPARENCY ON WHAT SCORE PROJECTS IN THE AREA HAVE BEEN RECEIVED AND HOW THEY ARE
SCORED. 
          WE ASK THAT THE PROJECTS ARE CHOSEN EQUALLY OR EQUITABLY. 
          THAT MEANS THAT THEIR SCORING SYSTEM SHOULD HAVE,
IF IT DOESN'T ALREADY ACCOUNT FOR HISTORICAL SPENDING IN THE AREA. 
          ALSO, INCREASED COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE COMMISSIONERS,
THE HARRIS COUNTY FLOOD CONTROL DISTRICT AND THE COMMUNITY SO THAT WE CAN HIGHLIGHT VULNERABLE AREAS THAT NEED THE MOST ATTENTION,
IF NOT FOR THIS BOND AND FOR FUTURE CONSIDERATIONS. 
          BUT THESE MUST ADDRESS THE WORST FIRST THAN AS SOONEST. 
          AND I THANK YOU SO MUCH. IT'S SUCH AN HONOR. ONCE MORE,
YOU GUYS. 
          THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SERVICE. AND Y'ALL HAVE A GREAT DAY. 
          THANK YOU. AND WHO ARE THESE BABIES WITH YOU? THESE ARE MY GRANDCHILDREN. 
          [01:50:03]
THIS IS JOSIAH AND MARIAH. SAY HELLO. SAY BE PROUD OF YOUR GRANDMA FOR FOR DOING THIS. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. FOR THE RECORD,
MA'AM. MA'AM. 
          GOOD AFTERNOON. I'M TED WEISKOPF, AND I MUST BE A HECK OF AN OPTIMIST,
BECAUSE IN ONE MINUTE, I WANT TO TRY TO CONVINCE YOU TO GET RID OF ROSENBERG'S RULES AND TO RETURN TO ROBERT'S
RULES OF ORDER. 
          MOST OF YOU PROBABLY DO NOT KNOW THAT ON PAGES 464 AND 465 OF THIS BOOK,
THERE ARE RULES FOR SMALL BOARDS LIKE YOURS AND THE COMMITTEES THAT SERVE UNDER YOU. 
          THESE ARE VERY SIMPLE RULES. TWO OF THEM ARE NUMBER ONE. 
          MOTIONS NEED NOT BE SECONDED. AND AND NUMBER TWO,
THERE IS NO LIMIT TO THE NUMBER OF TIMES A MEMBER CAN SPEAK TO A DEBATABLE QUESTION WITH A FOOTNOTE. HOWEVER,
MOTIONS TO CLOSE OR LIMIT DEBATE, INCLUDING MOTIONS TO LIMIT THE NUMBER OF TIMES A MEMBER CAN SPEAK TO A QUESTION, ARE IN ORDER IN MEETINGS OF A SMALL BOARD LIKE YOU,
BUT NOT IN MEETINGS OF COMMITTEES. 
          THANK YOU. YOUR TIME IS UP. LET US ADVANCE DEMOCRACY. 
          LET ME WORK WITH YOU. THANK YOU. ANY MORE SPEAKERS? NON-AGENDA SPEAKER JOSE LOPEZ AND NON-AGENDA SPEAKER NAKIA SIMS. YOU EACH HAVE ONE MINUTE. COME ON DOWN, MR. PRESIDENT. 
          GOOD AFTERNOON, COMMISSIONERS. I HEARD Y'ALL SPEAKING OF WHAT Y'ALL HAVE DONE FOR THE
DEPUTIES. 
          I HEARD THE CHIEF SPEAK ON WHAT HE'S DONE FOR THE DEPUTIES. 
          BUT YOU HAVEN'T HEARD FROM THE DEPUTIES YET. I'M A DEPUTY. 
          I REPRESENT 3800 DEPUTIES IN HARRIS COUNTY. THAT'S SHERIFF'S OFFICE. 
          THAT'S DEPUTY CONSTABLE'S COMMISSIONER. RAMSEY,
YOU SAID THAT THE CITY SHOULD FOLLOW SUIT IN RAISES FOR US, BUT WHERE ARE THE RAISES? WE'RE CURRENTLY STILL 20% UNDER WHAT HPD MAKES. 
          I'M JOSE LOPEZ, THE PRESIDENT OF THE HARRIS COUNTY DEPUTIES ORGANIZATION. 
          FOP 39. HOUSTON JUST GAVE ITS OFFICERS 36.5% RAISE OVER FIVE YEARS THIS JULY. 
          HPD'S AVERAGE SALARY WOULD BE 24,000, HIGHER THAN THAT OF DEPUTIES IN THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE
AND IN THE CONSTABLE'S OFFICE. 
          THANK YOU. YOUR TIME. GO AHEAD. THANK YOU. MADAM. 
          MAYOR WHITMIRE KEPT HIS PROMISE. HE MADE PUBLIC SAFETY HIS TOP PRIORITY. 
          MEMBERS OF THIS COURT HAVE MADE SAME PROMISES. 
          THE QUESTION IS, WILL YOU KEEP YOURS? WE'RE LOSING DEPUTIES,
AND A CRISIS IS INEVITABLE. 
          I'M HERE ON BEHALF OF THE 3800 MEMBERS AND THE SAFETY OF OUR COMMUNITY TO SAY WE NEED PAY
PARITY WITH HPD, AND WE NEED IT NOW. LEADERSHIP MEANS MAKING HARD CHOICES AND HAVING A STRONG BACKBONE. 
          DON'T BE THE ONE WHO TURNS YOUR BACK ON LAW ENFORCEMENT AND PUBLIC SAFETY. 
          THAT IS ALL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. AND I STEPPED OUT TO WATCH THE FIRST WORDS OF THE POPE. 
          IT'S VERY MEANINGFUL FOR ME. SO I HOPE YOU GUYS UNDERSTAND. AND,
MR. PRESIDENT, CAN I FINISH MY MY SENTENCE HERE? I WAS JUST SO,
SO I JUST TO TO YOUR POINT, I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU THAT, YOU KNOW WHAT WHAT I'VE BEEN TRYING TO DO OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS,
WHICH DOES TAKE SPINE. 
          2022 I WAS UP FOR REELECTION, AND TWO MEMBERS OF THE COURT THEN WERE ABSENT. 
          I WAS TRYING TO RAISE ENOUGH REVENUE. IT WAS ACTUALLY A TAX DECREASE. 
          BUT TO HAVE ENOUGH REVENUE TO RAISE LAW ENFORCEMENT SALARIES,
WE WERE GOING TO HAVE $1 BILLION THAT WE COULD USE FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT SALARIES AND AND PUBLIC SAFETY. BUT BECAUSE I WAS ON THE BALLOT AND THEY DIDN'T WANT ME TO HAVE A WIN. 
          WE HAD TO SET THE REVENUE AT AT A LEVEL WHERE WE DID NOT RECEIVE THOSE FUNDS. 
          OKAY. FAST FORWARD TO THIS YEAR. THIS PAST YEAR,
THERE WAS BECAUSE WE HAD THREE FEDERALLY DECLARED DISASTERS LAST YEAR, THE DERECHO BARREL. AND THE THIRD ONE I CAN'T REMEMBER RIGHT NOW. 
          I'M I'M A LITTLE OVERWHELMED WITH WHAT'S GOING ON HERE. 
          [01:55:02]
WE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO RECOVER FROM WHAT HAPPENED IN 2022 BECAUSE WE'RE ONLY ALLOWED TO
GROW SO MUCH. 
          SO OUR REVENUE PER PERSON, UNDER THE PREVIOUS LEADERSHIP,
BEFORE I CAME IN, IT GREW LIKE THIS. 
          OKAY. THE TAX RATE WAS ALWAYS THE SAME, BUT APPRAISALS WENT UP. 
          SO REVENUE PER PERSON WAS GROWING AS THE POPULATION WAS GROWING. 
          WHEN I TOOK OFFICE, I STARTED REDUCING THE TAX RATE. 
          SO IT'S GROWING A LITTLE BIT LESS BECAUSE APPRAISALS ARE STILL UP. 
          THEN 2022 THEY THEY LET US HAVE ZERO INCREASE SO POPULATIONS INCREASING. 
          BUT NOW WE WE CAN'T INCREASE REVENUE PER REVENUE PER PERSON IS ACTUALLY GOING DOWN RIGHT. 
          SO WE HAD AND THEN THE LEGISLATURE ONLY LETS US GROW REVENUE BY 3.5%. 
          AND I KNOW I DON'T THINK I'M GOING TO LOSE YOU GUYS BECAUSE YOU'RE ALL I CAN JUST TELL
YOU'RE FALLING HERE WITH ME. 
          WE USED TO GROW UNDER THE THE PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATION BEFORE I TOOK OFFICE. 
          EVERY YEAR WE'D GROW SOMETIMES OUR REVENUE MORE THAN 3.5% JUST BECAUSE OF APPRAISALS AND
POPULATION GROWTH. 
          AND THAT'S HOW WE COULD PAY FOR COUNTY SERVICES. 
          WHEN I CAME IN THE THE STATE LEGISLATURE PASSED A BILL IN 2019,
RIGHT WHEN I TOOK OFFICE LIMITING THE PERCENTAGE BY WHICH WE COULD GROW OUR REVENUE, WHICH MEANT THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH REVENUE TO KEEP UP WITH
THE DEMAND, BUT WE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY LAST FALL. THERE WAS AN EXCEPTION IN THE LAW THAT WOULD HAVE
ALLOWED US TO COLLECT ENOUGH REVENUE TO PAY FOR THINGS LIKE WHAT YOU ARE ASKING FOR. THAT MEANT GOING TO THE VOTERS AND ASKING THEM
WHETHER THEY WOULD BE WILLING TO PAY FOR THIS. 
          NOW THE TAX RATE WAS STILL GOING TO BE LOWER THAN IT EVER WAS UNDER MY PREDECESSOR. 
          TWO OF US VOTED TO PUT THAT ON THE BALLOT. AT LEAST ASK THE VOTERS. 
          THREE OF US WOULD NOT PUT IT ON THE BALLOT. OKAY. 
          THERE HAVE BEEN REQUESTS AT THIS COURT ALL YEAR TO FOR THE DA,
FOR THE FOR THE CLERK, FOR THIS AND THAT. 
          THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATION JUST LEFT. AND I HAVE TO IMAGINE IN PART IT WAS BECAUSE SHE
CONSTANTLY EXPLAINED WE DID NOT HAVE THE FUNDS TO PAY FOR THOSE REQUESTS. 
          BUT AS I SAID, IT IS EASY TO SAY YES, OKAY. THE DA WOULD BE HAPPY,
THE CLERK WOULD BE HAPPY. 
          YOU ALL WOULD BE HAPPY. SO WHAT I'VE TRIED TO DO IS THE PART THAT TAKES SPINE. 
          COLLECT THE REVENUE SO THAT WE CAN INCREASE YOUR SALARIES. 
          SO I WANT YOU GUYS TO KNOW THAT, OKAY? I DON'T WANT TO PRESIDE OVER COUNTY THAT'S IN THE
RED. 
          AND RIGHT NOW WE'RE HEADED WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE'RE GOING TO NOT BE IN THE RED
NEXT YEAR. 
          SO I'VE DONE EVERYTHING I CAN TO HAVE THAT REVENUE. 
          THE COLLEAGUES HAVE GIVEN IT AWAY, REFUSED TO ASK THE VOTERS IN THE FALL. 
          AND NOW THAT OPPORTUNITY IS GONE BECAUSE THEY'RE REVISING THE LAW. 
          SO SO WE CAN WE CANNOT RECOVER AT THIS POINT IN THE COUNTY IS IN A VERY BAD FINANCIAL
POSITION. 
          OKAY. SO THAT'S WHERE WE ARE. AND AND I JUST WANT TO LEVEL WITH YOU GUYS BECAUSE OF COURSE
I WANT PAY RAISES FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT. 
          IT'LL HELP US HAVE BETTER PEOPLE. AND YOU KNOW WHAT? NOBODY'S GOING TO BE UPSET ABOUT PAY RAISES FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT. EVERYBODY'S GOING TO BE
HAPPY ABOUT IT. 
          SO. BUT THE CHALLENGE IS, ARE YOU THERE WHEN IT'S TIME TO ASK FOR THE MONEY? AND I WAS THERE ALONG WITH MY COLLEAGUE WHO'S ABSENT TODAY. 
          SO JUST KNOW THAT AS PEOPLE SAY, THAT THEY WANT TO SUPPORT YOU AND THEY WANT THIS AND THEY
WANT THAT. 
          OKAY. HOW ARE YOU GOING TO PAY FOR IT? SO SO THAT'S WHERE WE ARE,
WHERE WE ARE. 
          AND OF COURSE, THE CITY TAKING THE MONEY DOESN'T HELP. BUT THAT'S THAT'S NOT THE THE
FUNDAMENTAL PIECE BEHIND WHAT'S HAPPENING. 
          AND AS I SAID, I'M EMOTIONAL BECAUSE OF THE POPE. 
          SO APOLOGIZE. THANK YOU GUYS. CAN I CAN I JUST SPEAK ON THAT? YES. THANK YOU FOR THAT, MA'AM. YEAH, BUT WE HAVE BEEN HEARING THAT. 
          WE HEAR THAT WE HAVE THE SUPPORT, BUT WE'RE NOT SEEING IT. 
          SIR, I HEAR YOU, I APPRECIATE YOU. I YOU HAVE THE SUPPORT,
BUT YOU CANNOT. 
          YOU. EVERYONE HAS THE SUPPORT TO GIVE MONEY AWAY. 
          I SEE, I SEE YOU ROLLING YOUR EYES BACK THERE. 
          SO WHY DON'T YOU COME AND TELL ME? ASK ME QUESTIONS. 
          COME. COME DOWN. SIR. OKAY. BECAUSE I REALLY WANT TO HAVE THIS DIALOG WITH YOU GUYS. 
          THERE'S THERE'S. OKAY, SO THERE'S THERE'S TWO SIDES TO THIS. 
          LET ME PREFACE FIRST BY SAYING HOW MUCH WE ALL APPRECIATE YOU GUYS OKAY. 
          WE KNOW THE WORK YOU DO. WE KNOW THE DANGER OF THE WORK THAT YOU DO. 
          TRUST ME, IF YOU ASKED OUR VOTERS, WOULD YOU LIKE TO GIVE LAW ENFORCEMENT A RAISE? OF COURSE THEY THEY WANT THAT. EVERYBODY WANTS THAT. 
          OKAY. BUT IF YOU ASK THE VOTERS, WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE YOUR TAXES INCREASED? THEY'RE NOT GOING TO WANT THAT. SO WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO DO TO GIVE LAW ENFORCEMENT A RAISE
TO THE TUNE OF THAT AMOUNT? YOU HAVE TO ASK THE VOTERS FOR A TAX FOR A TAX RATE DECREASE,
BUT A TAX INCREASE, OKAY. 
          [02:00:05]
THAT IS WHAT IT MEANS TO SUPPORT A RAISE. IF YOU SAY YOU SUPPORT A RAISE FOR LAW
ENFORCEMENT, YOU NEED TO HAVE THE MONEY TO PAY FOR THE RAISE FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT. 
          AND I'M NOT MAKING THIS UP. YOU GUYS CAN GO AND WATCH THE THE NEWS FROM LAST FALL WHEN WE
SET THE TAX RATE AND WE SET THE BUDGET AND WE HAD VERY LONG, PASSIONATE DISCUSSIONS IN WHICH I AND ONE OF MY COLLEAGUES HERE EXPLAINED,
WE CANNOT GIVE MONEY AWAY THAT WE DON'T HAVE. 
          SO YOU MIGHT GET A MAJORITY OF COURT SAYING,
SURE, LET'S GIVE US A RAISE. 
          THEN THE COUNTY IS GOING TO BE REALLY IN THE RED. OKAY. 
          SO SO THAT'S WHAT IT'S ABOUT. IT'S EASY TO GIVE THINGS AWAY. 
          EVERYBODY WANTS THINGS. EVERYBODY. LIKE IF WE SAID RIGHT NOW,
SURE HAVE THE MONEY, MAN, WE'D ALL BE CLAPPING. 
          BUT NOBODY HAD THE SPINE WHEN IT CAME TIME TO COLLECT IT. 
          LET ME HEAR FROM YOU. PLEASE BE BE POLITE, BUT BE HONEST WITH YOUR QUESTIONS,
OKAY? WELL, ONE OF THE ISSUES THAT WE HAVE IN AS LAW ENFORCEMENT IS THAT WE'VE BEEN ASKING FOR
THOSE RAISES, AND WE HAVEN'T BEEN RECEIVING THEM. WE RECEIVED A 3% RAISE WHEN THE SHERIFF CAME AND ASKED
FOR A 7% RAISE. 
          WE DIDN'T RECEIVE IT. THE PEOPLE THAT'S BEEN RECEIVING RAISES IN THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE WERE
THE DETENTION OFFICERS, AND THAT WAS TO RETAIN THEM. THE RIGHT. BUT WE HAVEN'T BEEN RECEIVING RAISES AND WE ARE
NOW A TRAINING GROUND FOR OTHER DEPARTMENTS. 
          RIGHT. WE HAVE A PLC THAT GRADUATE ON WEDNESDAY. 
          THEY QUIT FRIDAY AND THEY SWORE IN AT ANOTHER DEPARTMENT ON MONDAY. 
          WE ARE NOW BECOMING WHAT YOU CALL IS WORK AT THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE FOR A YEAR AND LEAVE. 
          I KNOW PLENTY OF TIMES THAT IN EACH DISTRICT THAT WE ONLY HAVE 3 OR 4 DEPUTIES PATROLLING, AND SOMETIMES AS SUPERVISORS LIKE MYSELF, I HAVE TO GO OUT AND PICK UP CALLS. 
          WE ARE THE ONES THAT ARE BUSTING OUR TAILS AND COMING TO WORK EVERY DAY,
AND WE'RE NOT GETTING PAID. 
          THERE'S SO MANY OF US THAT ARE STANDING UP HERE BECAUSE WE WOULD LIKE TO HAVE A DECENT
SALARY. 
          EVERYBODY THAT'S STANDING UP IS WORKING EXTRA JOBS JUST TO MAKE ENDS MEET. 
          WE'RE MAKING $56,000 WHERE EVERYBODY ELSE IS MAKING MORE. 
          RICE UNIVERSITY, SPRING ISD. ALDINE ISD. EVERYBODY IS MAKING SO MUCH MORE THAN US TO WHERE
IT MAKES NO SENSE TO COME TO THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE. 
          WE ARE A TRAINING GROUND FOR OTHER DEPARTMENTS,
AND WE'RE NOT PAYING OUR OFFICERS. 
          WE UNDERSTAND EVERY DAY JUST TO SIT HERE AND WE SIT UP HERE AND ASK FOR A DOUBLE DIGIT
RAISE BECAUSE WE NEED IT. 
          RIGHT. AND WE'RE NOT GETTING IT. AND IT'S BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW,
WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING, BUT WE DESPERATELY NEED THE RAISE. 
          RIGHT I UNDERSTAND. AND AND I HEAR THAT. AND I KNOW ABOUT THAT PROBLEM. 
          OKAY. WE WANT AND I APPRECIATE YOU MAKING THAT COMMENT. 
          AND BEING SO, SO DIRECT ABOUT IT. I'VE HEARD ABOUT THAT ISSUE. 
          IT'S NOT APPROPRIATE. IT'S NOT SMART FOR US TO BRING PROMISING PEOPLE UP TO TRAIN THEM AND
THEN TO LOSE THEM TO OTHER AGENCIES. OKAY. IT'S NOT A GOOD USE OF OUR RESOURCES. 
          I UNDERSTAND THAT THAT IS EXTREMELY CLEAR. THE BUDGET ISSUES STARTED IN 2022. 
          I WANTED TO GIVE YOU GUYS A RAISE. GO BACK AND LOOK. 
          ONE OF MY COLLEAGUES RIGHT NOW IN A PREVIOUS COLLEAGUE,
BOYCOTTED THE VOTE TO WHERE WE COULD NOT AFFORD THE RACE. 
          I TRIED TO GIVE YOU GUYS TO COLLECT THE MONEY TO GIVE YOU GUYS THE RACE LAST YEAR. 
          WHY DID WE NOT GIVE YOU GUYS THE 7% RAISE? BECAUSE WE COULDN'T AFFORD IT. 
          THE BUDGET DIRECTOR DID NOT DID NOT APPROVE IT. 
          WE COULDN'T AFFORD IT WITH THE BUDGET. IT'S A HUGE AMOUNT OF MONEY. 
          WE HAVE SOME SMALL DEPARTMENTS HERE AND THERE,
BUT TO THE TUNE OF OF LAW ENFORCEMENT. 
          AND THE HOSPITALS, WE HAVE TO COLLECT MORE REVENUE. 
          WE CAN'T SHIFT MONEY AROUND. SO I SAID, OKAY,
WE'RE NOT GOING TO HAVE THIS PROBLEM. 
          LET'S LET'S COLLECT ENOUGH REVENUE TO PAY THESE GENTLEMEN AND THESE WOMEN,
OKAY. 
          AND I DID NOT HAVE THE SUPPORT FOR IT. SO I'M GOING TO DO EVERYTHING I CAN. 
          LIKE THE COMMISSIONER SAID, IF THERE'S A WAY,
YOU KNOW, THE WAY THAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IT NOW IS MORE ROUNDABOUT. 
          IT'S LET'S WORK WITH THE VARIOUS AGENCIES TO REDUCE THE JAIL POPULATION SO THAT WE'RE NOT
OUTSOURCING PEOPLE, SO WE CAN USE SOME OF THAT MONEY TO GIVE RAISES. 
          STILL NOT ENOUGH MONEY. THE PAST CAUGHT. CAUGHT BEFORE THAT. 
          CAUGHT BEFORE THAT. SOME OF US AT THIS DAIS APPROVED MONEY FOR OTHER DEPARTMENTS. 
          I VOTED NO BECAUSE I KNOW THAT WHAT YOU GUYS NEED IS A RAISE. 
          OKAY. I AM NOT GIVING MONEY AWAY THAT WE DON'T HAVE. 
          SO, SIR, I UNDERSTAND THE PROBLEM, AND I'M GOING TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT A SOLUTION. 
          BUT I WANT TO LEVEL WITH YOU THAT THE SOLUTIONS THAT WE HAD WERE IN 2022 AND IN 2024,
AND I DID NOT HAVE THE VOTES FOR THOSE SOLUTIONS TO HAPPEN. OKAY. SO MAN,
I LOVE YOU GUYS. 
          I APPRECIATE YOU GUYS. WE'RE GOING TO KEEP WE'RE GOING TO KEEP TRYING. 
          THE SOLUTIONS WE HAVE RIGHT NOW ARE QUITE ROUNDABOUT. 
          THEY'RE TOUGH. THEY'RE GOING TO I DON'T I DON'T KNOW THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO FIND
THAT AMOUNT OF MONEY. OKAY. THAT'S NOT WHAT I WANT TO BE SAYING. 
          [02:05:06]
BUT I BUSTED MY MY BUTT TRYING TO GET THAT MONEY,
AND UNFORTUNATELY, I COULD NOT GET THE THIRD VOTE FOR IT. 
          WE HAD TWO VOTES. WE DIDN'T HAVE THE THIRD ONE. WHY? BECAUSE IT'S EASIER TO SAY,
LET ME GIVE YOU MONEY THAN TO SAY, LET ME COLLECT THE REVENUE TO GIVE YOU THE MONEY. 
          SO I JUST GOT A NOTE THAT COUNTY ATTORNEYS SAYING THAT WE'RE NOT ALLOWED TO HAVE THIS
CONVERSATION BECAUSE THERE'S NO ITEM ON THE AGENDA. SO. 
          NO, I AM 218 IS DEALING WITH THE SALARY SCALE FOR THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE,
BUT I THINK WE CAN REPOST THIS AT A LATER DATE TO HAVE A MORE IN-DEPTH CONVERSATION. 
          I THINK IT'S ALLOWED. WE CAN HAVE THE CONVERSATION NOW. I JUST I THOUGHT YOU GUYS SAID
IT'S NOT ALLOWED. 
          SO. SO WHAT'S THE DEAL? PLEASE, JOHN, JUST BECAUSE THIS WASN'T LISTED AS A SPEAKER ON THE
SPECIFIC ITEM. 
          SO SO WE ARE ALLOWED ACCORDING TO YOUR RULES. 
          SO WE ARE ALLOWED TO HAVE THIS CONVERSATION OR WE SHOULD STOP IT. WE SHOULD. 
          YOU SHOULD STOP IT ACCORDING TO YOUR RULES. IF BY YOUR RULES YOU MEAN THE RULES OF
COMMISSIONERS COURT, NOT LINA HIDALGO. YES, THERE'S BEEN A THERE'S BEEN A LOT SAID THAT I'M NOT GOING TO SIT
HERE AND LET THESE GOOD PEOPLE WALK OUT THINKING THAT WHAT'S JUST BEEN SAID IS ACCURATE AND TRUE. SO WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE THIS CONVERSATION. 
          I THINK COMMISSIONER GARCIA IS NEXT AND I'M AFTER HIM. 
          OKAY. SO COMMISSIONER GARCIA AND THEN COMMISSIONER RAMSEY,
AND I'D ENCOURAGE YOU GUYS TO READ THE NEWS ABOUT THIS. 
          I'LL HAVE MY STAFF SEND SOME LINKS TO THE TO THE LEADER SO YOU CAN SEND THEM AROUND. 
          BECAUSE IF THERE'S ONE THING I AM, IT'S HONEST. 
          I DON'T TAKE CONTRIBUTIONS FROM COUNTY CONTRACTORS. 
          I CALLED OUT BAD PURCHASING PRACTICES. I'M MY MY NET REVENUES AND THE NEGATIVES BECAUSE I
HAVE STUDENT LOANS. 
          I'M HERE FOR TAX INCREASES. I TAKE THE HEAT OKAY I DO,
AND SO IT'S EASY TO SAY SOMETHING'S ALIVE AND MAKE SURE YOU GUYS GET THE INFORMATION FROM FROM A CREDIBLE NEWS SOURCE, NOT SOMEBODY'S BLOG. 
          YES. COMMISSIONER GARCIA AND THEN COMMISSIONER RAMSEY. THANK YOU. HOLD ON,
MR. PRESIDENT. FIRST OF ALL, AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. 
          AND THANK YOU ALL FOR ADVOCATING FOR THIS. IT'S BEEN A CHALLENGE SINCE MY DAYS,
AND I HAD PROPOSED A MULTI YEAR PLAN AND DIDN'T GET APPROVED. ALL I ASK IS FOR THE ORGANIZATION TO WORK WITH US AT THE APPROPRIATE
TIME AS WE WORK THROUGH THE BUDGET. 
          AND LET'S COME UP WITH A SMART WAY TO ADDRESS THIS GAP,
BECAUSE IT IS ABSOLUTELY GETTING RIDICULOUS. 
          AND WE JUST I'D MUCH RATHER HAVE YOU HERE BECAUSE Y'ALL DO A MUCH BETTER JOB THAN THEY DO
OVER THERE. 
          THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK Y'ALL, THANK, THANK YOU FOR COMING DOWN. 
          WE'VE HAD MANY CONVERSATIONS THROUGH THE THROUGH THE YEARS. 
          I APPRECIATE WHAT Y'ALL DO. DAY IN AND DAY OUT. 
          I WANT TO BE SURE THAT WE'RE WE'RE CLEAR. COMMISSIONER. 
          COURT MAKES DECISIONS AND CHOICES. I'M GOING TO BE FOCUSED THIS YEAR ON STATUTORY
RESPONSIBILITY. 
          THE GOOD NEWS IS, WHAT YOU ALL DO IS STATUTORY. 
          NOT EVERYTHING THAT'S IN THE BUDGET IS STATUTORY,
BUT IT'S VERY SMALL. 
          VERY SMALL. DO NOT INTERRUPT ME, PLEASE. BECAUSE I DIDN'T INTERRUPT YOU WHEN YOU WERE
MAKING SOME OUTLANDISH STATEMENTS. 
          I WILL CONTINUE MY CONVERSATION WITHOUT YOU INTERRUPTING ME. 
          PERIOD. YOU DON'T NEED TO RAISE YOUR VOICE, BUT YOU'RE EXAGGERATING. 
          THOSE ARE TENS OF 5 MILLION, NOT HUNDREDS. WHAT I WOULD SAY STATUTORY RESPONSIBILITIES IS
WHAT WE WILL FOCUS ON. 
          I'LL TRY TO EXPLAIN THAT TO THE JUDGE WHAT THAT MEANS. 
          BUT STATUTORY RESPONSIBILITY IS WHAT WE WILL BE FOCUSED ON. 
          CHOICES HAVE BEEN MADE WHICH HAVE IMPACTED Y'ALL'S Y'ALL'S ABILITY TO GET INCREASES. 
          Y'ALL ALL KNOW THAT. I'M GLAD YOU'RE HERE BECAUSE YOU CAN SEE IF YOU STAYED THE WHOLE DAY. 
          YOU'RE GOING TO SEE A LOT OF CHOICES BEING MADE THAT DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH TRYING
TO FIND MONEY TO HELP FUND YOUR INCREASES. 
          SO THIS IS OUR COMMITMENT. I'M GLAD YOU PUT IT ON THE TABLE. 
          SOME PEOPLE HONESTLY CALLED AND SAID, GOSH, IT'S TERRIBLE. 
          MAYOR WHITMIRE HAS GIVEN LAW ENFORCEMENT AN INCREASE. 
          I'M SITTING HERE SAYING, PRAISE THE LORD. I'M GLAD HE DID IT. 
          WE'RE SETTING A STANDARD NOW. WE CAN HAVE SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT. 
          NOW WE CAN REALLY GET INTO A CONVERSATION. SO WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE BUDGET,
WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT AT WHAT IS IN THE BUDGET, I'LL BE LOOKING AT THAT WASTEFUL SPENDING. I PROMISE YOU IT'S GOING TO BE AN INTERESTING
BUDGET YEAR. 
          AND WHAT WE CAN DO AND THE REASON I SAID $141 MILLION,
BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT THE NUMBER IS. 
          Y'ALL SHOULD KNOW WHAT THAT NUMBER IS. WE ALL SHOULD KNOW WHAT THAT NUMBER IS. 
          SO AS WE GO INTO THE BUDGET YEAR CYCLE AND THAT'LL BE IN A MATTER OF WEEKS,
I LOOK FORWARD TO HAVING THOSE CONVERSATIONS. 
          [02:10:06]
AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR COMING DOWN HERE. IT MATTERS WHEN PEOPLE SHOW UP. 
          AND THANK YOU FOR SHOWING UP. THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU DO. 
          AND ONE OF MY FRIENDS BACK THERE WORKS AN EXTRA JOB WAS AT SAM'S WALMART,
WALMART. 
          SO I'M WALKING THROUGH ON A SATURDAY AND I'M HEARING COMMISSIONER. 
          COMMISSIONER. OF COURSE, I HAD MY BALL CAP AND GLASSES ON AND TRYING TO BE A LITTLE. 
          BUT ANYWAY, THAT'S A GREAT EXAMPLE OF WHAT YOU'RE DOING TO MAKE ENDS MEET. 
          AND THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU DO DAY IN AND DAY OUT. 
          AND I WANT YOU GUYS TO SEE THIS HEADLINE. FOX 26. 
          HARRIS COUNTY COMMISSIONERS CAGLE AND RAMSEY BOYCOTT 2023 BUDGET VOTE. 
          OKAY, THIS THIS AIN'T NEW YORK TIMES. THIS IS FOX 26 NEWS. 
          THAT WAS IN 2022. THEY BOYCOTTED THE BUDGET VOTE,
WHICH MEANT WE DIDN'T HAVE MONEY. 
          WE RESCHEDULED THE MEETING LIKE 4 OR 5 TIMES. 
          THEY NEVER SHOWED UP. OKAY, THAT'S POLITICS AT ITS PUREST. 
          THAT WAS THAT YEAR. THEN LAST YEAR. LET ME LOOK. 
          THIS IS JUST WHAT I FOUND RIGHT NOW. HERE'S THE HOUSTON LANDING. 
          IT SAYS HERE THIS YEAR'S DISASTERS WILL HELP HARRIS COUNTY ELIMINATE $130 MILLION DEFICIT
IN 2025 BUDGET. 
          OKAY. WHAT DOES IT SAY? DOWN HERE, IT SAYS HERE. 
          FROM FROM DIRECTOR RAMOS. AND FROM US. AND FROM. 
          AND FROM COMMISSIONER ELLIS. IT SAYS COUNTY JUDGE LINA HIDALGO ON THURSDAY MADE A MOTION,
WITH SUPPORT FROM PRECINCT ONE COMMISSIONER RODNEY ELLIS, TO ASK VOTERS TO ALLOW THE COUNTY TO PERMANENTLY RAISE THE TAX REVENUE BY 8%. 
          OKAY. SO THAT'S NOBODY LIKES TAXES. I AIN'T GOING TO RUN ON RAISING TAXES. 
          THAT'S NOT A WINNING PROPOSITION. OKAY, EASY THING IS TO SAY I'M GONNA GIVE YOU ALL MONEY, BUT WE PUT IT ON THE TABLE TO AT LEAST GO ASK THE VOTERS INSTEAD. 
          WHAT THIS BOARD VOTED FOR WAS TO HAVE THE INCREASE FOR ONE YEAR,
BUT THEN IT GOES BACK DOWN. 
          BUT WE COULD'VE ASKED THE VOTERS TO LEAVE. LEAVE THE REVENUE UP HERE AND GROW FROM THERE. 
          AND THE FUNNY THING IS, WE GOT PEGGED WITH RAISING TAXES ANYWAY BECAUSE A POLL SAID PEOPLE
DON'T LIKE TAXES. 
          I KNOW THERE WAS SOME POLLING DONE BY SOME COLLEAGUES HERE. OF COURSE,
PEOPLE LIKE TAXES. I COULD HAVE TOLD YOU THAT. OKAY, SO SO CHECK THESE ARTICLES OUT. THIS IS FOX 26. 
          IT'S THE HOUSTON LANDING. IT'LL SAY THAT WE VOTED TO A PERCENT. 
          BUT AGAIN, IT'S JUST FOR ONE YEAR. WHEN HE TALKS ABOUT CUTTING SOME PROGRAMS THAT ARE NOT
LAW ENFORCEMENT. 
          AS I SAID EARLIER, THEY'RE TEENY TINY PROGRAMS COMPARED TO DIRECTOR RAMOS. 
          WHAT'S THE SIZE THE THE BUDGET FOR YOUR COUNTY ADMINISTRATION OFFICE? 50 MILLION. SO IT'S SOMEWHERE AROUND 20 MILLION. 
          OKAY. AND WHAT DO YOU GUYS DO? SORRY. ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT MY. 
          THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATION DEPARTMENT? JUDGE,
WE OVERSEE OTHER DEPARTMENTS. 
          WE TRY TO IMPLEMENT COURTS ORDERS. COURTS COURTS EDICTS,
COURTS POLICY. 
          HOW MUCH WOULD YOU LIKE US TO TALK ABOUT? GO AHEAD. 
          I MEAN, IF WE WERE TO DELETE YOUR DEPARTMENT,
WHAT WOULD HAPPEN? YEAH. I MEAN, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF SERVICES THAT WE PROVIDE. 
          WE ORGANIZE, WE ORGANIZE THE AGENDA. THERE ARE DIRECTOR MILLS NEXT TO ME IS WORKING ON THE
JAIL, THE JAIL INNOVATION EFFORT TO TRY TO LOWER THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE IN THE JAIL. 
          THE SUSTAINABILITY DEPARTMENT WHICH IS LOOKING TO LOWER GREENHOUSE GASES. 
          THERE'S A SECURITY BUDGET WITHIN OCA THAT GOES TO PROTECT ELECTED OFFICIALS. 
          I, OF COURSE, CAN GET A FULL LIST AS WE GO. I THINK I THINK WE SHOULD HE'S INTERIM SO YOU
CAN GET IT LATER. 
          BUT EITHER WAY, 20 MILLION IS NOT 140 MILLION. 
          OKAY. AND IS THERE ANY LARGER DEPARTMENT? GUYS WE HAVE SOMEBODY NEEDS TO RUN THE COUNTY
LIKE WE. 
          BEFORE WE GOT HERE, IT WAS LIKE ONE COMMISSIONER WOULD BEAT UP IN A DEPARTMENT HEAD. 
          WHOEVER BEAT UP ON THE DEPARTMENT HEAD THE HARDEST,
THAT'S WHAT WOULD GET DONE, RIGHT? SO WE HAVE A COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR SYSTEM, JUST LIKE THEY HAVE CITY ADMINISTRATORS,
COUNTY ADMINISTRATORS ELSEWHERE, SO THAT WE CAN SAY, HERE'S WHAT WE'D LIKE TO DO. AND THEY DIVIDE THE WORK AMONGST THE
DEPARTMENT HEADS. 
          AND AND SO, SO THAT'S, THAT'S ESSENTIALLY WHAT THEY DO,
AS WELL AS RUNNING THE EFFORT THAT'S REDUCING THE JAIL POPULATION, WHICH WE NEED TO GET MORE MONEY. AND, AND IF YOU'D LIKE ANYBODY TO RAMOS OR OBVIOUSLY THE
BUDGET OFFICE IS WITHIN THAT. 
          SO WHAT DO YOU DO DIRECTOR RAMOS OVERSEE THE COUNTY'S MULTIBILLION DOLLAR BUDGET. 
          SO WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF WE DELETED YOUR OFFICE,
WHICH GOES IN THERE? WE ALSO RUN THE COUNTY'S DEBT PORTFOLIO, INVESTMENT,
INVESTMENT AND BANKING, ALONG WITH MANAGING THE ENSURING IMPLEMENTATION OF THE COUNTY'S BUDGET. WHEN I GOT HERE IN 2019, WE COULDN'T GET A STRAIGHT ANSWER FROM THE BUDGET
DIRECTOR AT THE TIME ABOUT WHAT THE BUDGET WAS. 
          [02:15:07]
LIKE, WE LITERALLY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT IT WAS. SO WE ESTABLISHED A PROFESSIONAL SYSTEM WITH
THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR AND DEPARTMENT HEADS. 
          REPORTING TO THEM IS WHAT ARE WHAT ARE THEIR LARGE EXPENSES THAT ARE NOT LAW ENFORCEMENT
IN THE COUNTY BUDGET, PUBLIC HEALTH. I'M WORKING WITH THE PUBLIC HEALTH BUDGET,
WHICH IS COUNTY, THE COUNTY ENGINEER, INDIGENT DEFENSE COURTS, ETC.. OKAY. SO SO THOSE ARE THE LARGE EXPENSES. 
          WHAT ARE OTHER SMALLER DEPARTMENT? WHAT ARE THEIR BUDGETS? IT RANGES FROM, YOU KNOW, AS SMALL AS A MILLION FOR SOME DEPARTMENTS UP TO. 
          I THINK THE LARGEST DEPARTMENT WE HAVE IS THE SHERIFF,
WHICH IS CLOSE TO 300 MILLION IN PATROL AND ANOTHER 300 MILLION. 
          SO WE HAVE VETERAN SERVICES. WHAT'S THE BUDGET FOR THAT? IT'S ABOUT A MILLION. A MILLION. AND WE DOUBLED IT OKAY. 
          SO THEY NEED MORE MONEY. WHAT'S THE BUDGET FOR MENTAL HEALTH? WE MAKE A CONTRIBUTION TO THE HARRIS CENTER. I DON'T HAVE THE EXACT NUMBER IN FRONT OF ME, BUT DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, IT'S RELATIVELY SMALL ACROSS VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS. 
          OKAY, SO. SO YOU SEE, THERE'S THESE LITTLE BITS HERE AND THERE THAT WE STARTED DOING THAT
THEY WEREN'T DOING IN THE PRIOR ADMINISTRATION. 
          SO YOU CAN SAY I'LL VOTE NO ON ALL OF THEM. THAT'S NOT GOING TO COVER EVEN A LITTLE
PERCENTAGE OF WHAT YOU NEED. 
          AND WE'RE NOT TRYING TO DELETE OUR PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT OR OR OUR VETERANS SERVICES
DEPARTMENT OR OUR BUDGET OFFICE THAT COMES IN IN THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR'S DEPARTMENT. 
          HE'S THE ONE THAT'S BEEN RECOMMENDING FOR YEARS THAT WE NOT SPEND MONEY WE DON'T HAVE. 
          AND THEY WERE RECOMMENDING IN 2022 THAT WE MAKE THE COUNTY SOLVENT BY SETTING A GOOD TAX
RATE, AND THAT LAST YEAR WE MADE THE COUNTY SOLVE IT BY GOING TO THE VOTERS. 
          OKAY. SO I'M HAPPY TO SIT WITH YOU. AS I SAID,
I'M GOING TO FIGHT TO GET THIS DONE. 
          BUT THE SOLUTIONS THAT WERE EASY. I, I HAD ONLY TWO VOTES FOR I DIDN'T HAVE THREE VOTES. 
          AND I READ YOU THE NEWS STORIES AND YOU CAN GO LOOK AT THEM YOURSELF. 
          THAT'S FOX 26 AND HOUSTON LANDING IS PROBABLY MORE I JUST GOOGLED REAL QUICK SO I'M NOT
MAKING IT UP. 
          YES. COMMISSIONER BRIONES, THANK YOU AGAIN FOR SHOWING UP. 
          THANK YOU FOR ALWAYS SHOWING UP FOR OUR COMMUNITY. WE HONOR YOUR SACRIFICE AND SERVICE. 
          AND AS I GAVE LONGER REMARKS WHEN CHIEF DIAZ SPOKE. 
          BUT THE BOTTOM LINE IS, IS WE WANT TO WORK COLLABORATIVELY AS COUNTY PARTNERS TO DRIVE
PROGRESS AND FIND A SOLUTION. 
          AND I APPRECIATE YOU SHOWING UP NOW BECAUSE AS YOU KNOW,
WE HAVE A MULTI-MONTH BUDGET PROCESS, AND I KNOW WE'RE MEETING VERY SOON AND I APPRECIATE YOU BEING HERE. 
          SO THANK YOU. AND I KNOW WE HAVE OTHER SPEAKERS. 
          SO WE LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING THIS CONVERSATION AND MAKING THE MUCH NEEDED PROGRESS. 
          SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU. CAN'T DO MUCH WITHOUT MONEY. 
          OKAY. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. 
          ALL RIGHT. WE'LL KEEP HEARING FROM THE SPEAKERS. 
          THANK YOU FOLKS. OKAY. THE LAST SPEAKER IS NON-AGENDA SPEAKER NAKIA SIMS. YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE. GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS NAKIA HILLARY SIMS,
OWNER OF HILLARY CONSULTING SERVICES. 
          THE INTERSECTIONALITY OF OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT. 
          WE ARE A COLLABORATIVE APPROACH WITH BOTH INDIVIDUALS THAT HAVE HELPED PEOPLE WITH SECOND
CHANCES WORKING WITH YOUTH SERVICES, AND PART OF REDUCING RECIDIVISM, WHICH MEANS TAKING THOSE FUNDS THAT GO INTO SOME OF THOSE
PROGRAMS TO ADDRESS SOME OF THE THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN DISCUSSED TODAY. 
          OUR PROGRAM TAKES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR DOLLARS FOR APPRENTICESHIP,
TRAINING AND BUILDING TRADES LEADING TO LICENSURE AND EMPLOYMENT. 
          SO WHY SHOULD YOU ALL CARE? AND WHY SHOULD YOU CALL 832582447? FOR HILLARY CONSULTING SERVICES BECAUSE IMAGINE A KID,
A YOUTH THAT'S BEEN IN FOSTER SYSTEM IN YOUR BACKYARD. 
          DO YOU WANT THAT YOUTH EQUIPPED WITH TOOLS, TRADES,
A SAW, A ANGLE GRINDER, OR DO YOU WANT THEM NOT TO HAVE THOSE TYPE OF OPPORTUNITIES? SO OUR PROGRAM WE'RE CURRENTLY WORKING WITH 18 COUNTIES,
INCLUDING HARRIS COUNTY. 
          WE THANK YOU ALL. WE THANK YOU FOR COMMISSIONER GARCIA FOR HIS ONE STEP INTERNSHIP
PROGRAM. 
          I'M A UT LAW GRADUATE AND WORKING WITH INDIVIDUALS THAT HAVE BEEN INCARCERATED HAVING
THESE OPPORTUNITIES, IT IMPACTS HOMELESSNESS. IT KEEPS PEOPLE OFF OF THE WELFARE ROLLS,
AND IT PROTECTS OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT BECAUSE THESE YOUTHS BECOME PRODUCTIVE CITIZENS. 
          THAT'S 832582447 FOR HILLARY CONSULTING SERVICES. 
          THANK YOU ALL FOR THE WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING. 
          THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. ANY OTHER SPEAKERS? NO,
MA'AM. 
          OKAY, SO I THINK WE BREAK FOR LUNCH, COLLEAGUES. 
          OH THERE'S ONE MORE SPEAKER. GO AHEAD. SIR. JUST STATE YOUR NAME AND ANY AFFILIATION FOR
THE RECORD. 
          [02:20:01]
YEAH, I SIGNED UP AS A SPEAKER. MY NAME IS BYRON WHITAKER. 
          I'M A HARRIS COUNTY RESIDENT FOR OVER 50 YEARS,
AND I'M A AVID METAL DETECTING HOBBYIST SINCE 1978. 
          I'M FOLLOWING UP TO JERRY STRICKLAND'S COMMENTS TO REMOVE THE METAL DETECTING BAN IN
HARRIS COUNTY PARKS. 
          WE ASK THAT YOU REMOVE THESE BANS ON METAL DETECTING THAT HAVE BEEN IN PLACE SINCE 2015
AND HARRIS COUNTY PARKS, OR OFFER A PERMANENT BADGE SYSTEM IN PLACE. THERE ARE NO ESTABLISHED REASONS FOR THE BAN. 
          NO DAMAGES, NO STOLEN TREASURES, NO HISTORIC DISCOVERIES. 
          IT'S JUST HEARSAY. HARRIS COUNTY DOES HAVE A SMALL PERMIT SYSTEM IN PLACE AT SYLVAN BEACH
PARK. 
          WE WOULD LIKE TO MIRROR THAT IF POSSIBLE. WHAT WE ARE DOING,
IF WE WERE ALLOWED TO, IS TO SEARCH FOR LOST COINS, JEWELRY AND TRINKETS. AS A REMINDER, ALL OF YOU WALK THROUGH A METAL DETECTOR WHEN YOU
CAME IN THIS ROOM. 
          THERE ARE NOT A BAD THING. THE HARRIS COUNTY LOCAL,
THE HOUSTON LOCAL CLUBS, AND SEVERAL OTHER CLUBS IN TEXAS. 
          CLUBS HAVE PROVIDED A VOLUNTEER SERVICE OVER 40 SOMETHING YEARS TO ALLOW ASSISTANCE. 
          THANK YOU. MA'AM. TO ALLOW ASSISTANCE WITH THE LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT COUNTY ATTORNEY'S
OFFICES FOR EVIDENCE, SEARCHES FOR BULLETS, GUNS, ARTIFACTS WE'VE HELPED EVIDENCE COLLECT. 
          AND ALSO, ONE OF THE POLICE OFFICERS WAS RECENTLY KILLED FIVE YEARS AGO HERE IN HOUSTON TO
FIND EVIDENCE. 
          WE OFFER THAT SERVICE AT NO CHARGE AND DOES NOT COST THE TAXPAYER A DIME. 
          WE'D LIKE TO REMIND YOU THAT WE ARE ALL PERSONS WHO ARE TAXPAYERS AND VOTERS,
AND WE WANT TO USE OUR COUNTY PARKS. 
          AND I THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. AND, RAMSEY. THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. ANY OTHER SPEAKERS? OKAY. 
          SO, COLLEAGUES, I THINK WE BREAK FOR LUNCH. IT'S 109. 
          SO WE'LL BE BACK AT 2:00. WOULD YOU GUYS WANT TO DO 215? COMMISSIONER ELLIS, WELCOME. COMMISSIONER ELLIS. 
          CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY. DID YOU ALL WANT TO DO THE CONSENT AGENDA,
JUDGE, OR YOU JUST WANT TO? I CAN'T HEAR YOU THAT WELL,
COMMISSIONER, WE DID NOT GO OVER THE DISCUSSION ITEMS. ALL WE'VE DONE IS THE RESOLUTIONS. AND WE HEARD SPEAKERS. 
          AND SO WE'RE PLANNING ON BREAKING FOR LUNCH. IT'S 2:00. 
          OKAY. OR DO YOU GUYS PREFER 215 TO 2? ALL RIGHT. 
          WE'RE BREAKING UNTIL 1:00. EXCUSE ME UNTIL 2:00 FOR LUNCH. 
          THANKS. GREAT. OKAY, SO IT'S IT'S 216. COMMISSIONERS COURT IS BACK IN SESSION,
AND I'M JUST GOING TO START GOING OVER CORRECTIONS WHILE WE WE GET COMMISSIONER GARCIA HERE. WILL YOU CHECK ON HIM? BECAUSE I DON'T SEE HIS STUFF. 
          OKAY. SO STARTING WITH ITEM ONE, KJO REQUESTS NO ACTION 
          [Departments (Part 2 of 3)]
ITEM TWO, OUT OF ORDER. ALL RIGHT. SO ITEM ONE IS ON ADMINISTRATIVE. 
          RAMIREZ, WHO HAD JURY DUTY TODAY? ITEM 22 ON THE CLIMATE JUSTICE ADVISORY COLLABORATIVE. 
          OCA REQUEST NO ACTION. ITEM 244 CORRECTION AD 20 DASH 2026 AFTER FY 2025. SO IT SAYS FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 2025 TO 2026. 
          COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH PROGRAM ITEM 265. ON TRANSFERRING POSITIONS TO UNIVERSAL SERVICES, THE TAX OFFICE REQUESTS NO ACTION. WELCOME, COMMISSIONER. 
          WE'RE JUST GOING OVER CORRECTIONS. ITEM 337,
AN INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT WITH WILSON KIMMICH. 
          PURCHASING REQUEST. NO ACTION. 379 IS THE PUBLIC HEARING. 
          WE'LL GET TO THAT. 446 STATUS AND DATA WAREHOUSE OCA REQUEST NO ACTION. 
          468 PURCHASING REGARDING CHAPTER 381 AGREEMENT WITH METALAB. 
          CHANGE 232,727 TO 117,527. AND THAT IS IT FOR ANY CORRECTIONS. DID I MISS ANYTHING? NO,
JUDGE. 
          OKAY, SO NOW LET ME GO OVER. THE DISCUSSION ITEMS. SO HERE'S WHAT I HAVE. EXECUTIVE SESSION FOR 36. 
          DOES ANYBODY NEED TO GO TO EXECUTIVE SESSION FOR THAT? THAT IS ON FOR 36. 
          IT'S A REAPPOINTMENT TO THE AS A BENEFICIARY. 
          DIRECTOR OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS. OKAY. WHAT ABOUT FOR 37? FOR 38. HISPANIC CULTURAL COUNCIL FOR 39. FINANCE CORPORATION FOR 
          [02:25:01]
40. PACIFIC ISLANDER COMMISSION FOR 42. HOUSING FINANCE CORPORATION FOR FOR 43. RESOURCES FOR CHILDREN AND ADULTS. 
          FOR 44 HARRIS COUNTY HOSPITAL DISTRICT. FOR 45. 
          OLD TOWN SPRING IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT FOR 58. AGREEMENTS BETWEEN HARRIS COUNTY AND BRIGHT
CLOSE AND BARGER. 
          ONLY IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS. DO YOU GUYS HAVE QUESTIONS? YES. IT'S A SUPPLEMENTAL. NO. OKAY. SO DISCUSSION LIST. 
          JUDGE. YES. ALL APPOINTMENTS WILL BE APPROVED AS PRESENTED. 
          THANK YOU. YES. EXECUTIVE SESSION ITEMS PLACED BACK ON THE CONSENT AGENDA WILL BE. 
          MOTION TO BE APPROVED AS PRESENTED. NOW. DISCUSSION. 
          OKAY. NOW HERE ARE THE DISCUSSION ITEMS. COMMISSIONER GARCIA,
WOULD YOU STILL LIKE TO REQUEST 19 AND 20? I GUESS SO. YEAH. COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR. SO WE'LL TAKE THOSE TOGETHER. 
          21 FLAGGED BY EVERYBODY. WE'LL KEEP THAT ON THERE. 
          ON THE TRAVEL POLICY. 22 OK REQUEST. NO ACTION. 
          SO, COMMISSIONER RAMSEY, ARE YOU OKAY WITH THAT? UNDERSTOOD. 
          OKAY. 24 COMMISSIONER RAMSEY. THIS WAS ON ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE FOR FEDERAL GRANTS. 
          WE DO. OKAY. 166 TIA GUIDELINES, COMMISSIONER BRIONES. 
          YES. OKAY. 182 COMMISSIONER GARCIA. BEST PRACTICES ON CLEANUP AND MAINTENANCE OF
FLOODWAYS. 
          188 COMMISSIONER BRIONES. HARRIS COUNTY LEGISLATIVE AGENDA. 
          YES. AND IF WE COULD PLEASE TAKE THAT UP WITH 492. 
          TAKE THAT UP BEFORE 92. OKAY. WE DON'T HAVE 92 AS A AS A 492. 
          OKAY. TO TAKE IT WITH 492. GOT IT. TAKE WITH 492. 
          DO WE NEED TO GO TO EXECUTIVE SESSION ON THAT ONE? YES. YES. OKAY. SO I'M JUST GOING TO PUT THAT ONE IN EXECUTIVE SESSION AS WELL. 
          JUDGE ON 490 YOU NEED TO TAKE 492 TO EXECUTIVE SESSION. 
          YEAH. SO PARDON ME. SO WE DO PLEASE. SHOULD TAKE 188 AND 492. 
          492 IS ACTUALLY ABOUT THE FIFA WORLD CUP. SO THEY DON'T GO TOGETHER. 
          THEY SHOULD BECAUSE THEY'RE BOTH IGA RELATED ITEMS. SO JUST FOR PURPOSES OF EFFICIENCY OKAY. BUT ONLY DISTINCT SUBJECT MATTERS. 
          ONLY 188 WILL GO TO EXECUTIVE SESSION. GOT IT. 
          YEAH. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. SO WE'RE OKAY. THEN WE HAVE FOUR 348 PRECINCTS,
TWO AND FOUR EMERGENCY EVENTS AND DEPARTMENT SECURITY NOTIFICATIONS. IS THAT EXECUTIVE SESSION? NO. OKAY. 357, PRECINCT THREE ON THIRD PARTY FACILITATOR FOR SPACE PLANNING. 
          358 COMMISSIONER RAMSEY, KEEP IT. 381 YES. OR 89 A COMMISSIONER. ELLIS. A 491. RAMSEY. YES 492. BRIONES. 
          YES 494. COMMISSIONER BRIONES ON REIMBURSEMENTS. 
          IS THIS EXECUTIVE SESSION OR OPEN COURT AS WELL? I HAVE SOME LEGAL QUESTIONS ON 494, PLEASE. OKAY. 
          AND THEN I NEED TO ADD JUDGE. YEAH. 237 OKAY. 
          JUST A SECOND. SO 237 IS EIGHT POSITIONS FOR THE COMPLIANCE AND REVIEW DIVISIONS. TOLL ROAD COLLECTIONS TEAM. 
          IS THAT RIGHT? OKAY. 244 OKAY. 244 THAT IS. 
          THAT WAS THE CORRECTION. THAT ONE'S FOR HHS HEALTH. 
          NO. TEXAS HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES COMMISSION GRANTS,
IS THAT RIGHT? OKAY. AND 257 257. THAT ONE IS APPROVAL OF PAYMENT OF AUDIT CLAIMS. OKAY. ANYTHING ELSE? THAT'S IT. 
          OKAY. SO LET ME GO BACK OVER THESE. OOPS. ARE YOU OKAY? YEAH. SO FIRST IS FOR EXECUTIVE SESSION, WE HAVE. 
          ITEMS 188 AND 490 FOR REGULAR AGENDA 19, 
          [02:30:09]
20, 21, 24, 166, 182, 188. EIGHT. TWO. 37. TWO. 44. TWO. 57. 
          THREE. 48. THREE. 57. THREE. 58. THREE. 81. FOUR. 
          89. FOUR. 91. FOUR. 92 AND FOUR. 94. 
          ANY QUESTIONS? OKAY, SO LET ME TAKE THE PUBLIC HEARING FIRST,
AND THEN WE'LL MAKE THE MOTION FOR THE REMAINING ITEMS. SO THAT IS ITEM 379. 
          WE NOW HAVE A PUBLIC HEARING FOR ITEM 379. IN THE PUBLIC HEARINGS ON PAGE 46,
I NOW OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING TO CONSIDER APPROVAL, TO CONSIDER AND ADOPT IN ORDER TO PROVIDE REQUIRED NOTICES AND ESTABLISH NEW BOUNDARIES
FOR HARRIS COUNTY ELECTION PRECINCTS. 
          PRECINCT NUMBERS. 
          00490126014902000209033104200624, 063006880712, 07470901, 0923, 0934, 09700991, AND 1170. IS THERE ANYONE WHO'D LIKE TO SPEAK FOR OR AGAINST THIS ITEM? TIFFANY. NO, MA'AM. THERE'S NO SPEAKERS. ANY DISCUSSION? I NOW CLOSE THIS PUBLIC HEARING. IS THERE A MOTION ON THIS ITEM? MOTION BY COMMISSIONER GARCIA, SECOND BY COMMISSIONER RAMSEY. 
          ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES UNANIMOUSLY. 
          SO IS THERE A MOTION FOR ALL ITEMS ONE THROUGH 497,
WITH THE EXCEPTION OF ITEMS ALREADY VOTED ON AND DISCUSSION ITEMS JUST LISTED? MOTION BY COMMISSIONER GARCIA, SECOND SECOND BY COMMISSIONER BRIONES. 
          ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. MOTION CARRIES UNANIMOUSLY. 
          OKAY, SO LET'S START AT THE TOP. THAT WOULD BE ITEMS 19 AND 20 TAKEN TOGETHER,
COMMISSIONER GARCIA. 
          WE GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION FIRST. I WANT TO GO FIRST. 
          OKAY. ALL RIGHT. SO WE'RE GOING TO GO TO EXECUTIVE SESSION ON. 
          ARE WE GOING EXECUTIVE SESSION ON 19 AND 20 AS WELL YOU GUYS. 
          NO. NO. OKAY. THE OTHER ONES. OKAY. SO LET'S GO TO EXECUTIVE SESSION ON ITEM 492. 
          [Executive Session]
EXCUSE ME 188, WHICH IS THE LEGISLATIVE AGENDA AND ITEM 494,
WHICH IS THE OTHER ITEM? IT IS 227. WE'RE GOING TO EXECUTIVE SESSION TO CONSULT WITH OUR ATTORNEYS. 
          [Departments (Part 3 of 3)]
THE TIME IS NOW 320. WE ARE BACK FROM EXECUTIVE SESSION,
AND I'M GOING TO RECOGNIZE COMMISSIONER RAMSEY ON ITEMS 188 AND 494. 
          BUT LET ME FIRST SAY THAT I AND AND COMMISSIONER ELLIS HAS JOINED US,
AND I DO WANT TO RECOGNIZE THE INCREDIBLE WORK THAT MY COLLEAGUES, COMMISSIONER BRIONES, IN PARTICULAR,
COMMISSIONER RAMSEY AND OUR IGA TEAM THE INCREDIBLE SUPPORT THAT THEY'VE BEEN PROVIDING US DURING THIS LEGISLATIVE SESSION. SO I WANT TO COMMISSIONER RAMSEY,
THANK YOU. 
          COMMISSIONER GARCIA WE CONTINUE TO DISCUSS AND REVIEW OPTIONS IN TERMS OF HOW THE CITY AND
COUNTY MIGHT WORK TOGETHER GOING FORWARD. LET ME JUST SAY FROM THE OUTSET,
THE COUNTY IS READY TO WORK IN ANY FORM OR FASHION WITH THE CITY GOING FORWARD. 
          I THINK A GREATEST ILLUSTRATION OF THIS COURT'S COMMITMENT TO BEING TRANSPARENT,
THIS COMMISSIONERS COURT COMMITMENT TO DOING THINGS IN AN ACCORDING TO SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN ACTUALLY GO BACK AND AND AUDIT IS THE FORMULA
THAT WE CAME UP WITH TO DISTRIBUTE THE FUNDS AMONGST THE PRECINCTS. SO IT ENDED UP BEING A VERY DOCUMENTED IT ENDED UP BEING CLEAR. 
          IT ENDED UP BEING SOMETHING THAT YOU COULD CLEARLY DEFINE. 
          SO WHEN WE LOOK TO THE OTHER PART OF THE BILL RELATED TO REIMBURSEMENT OF THE,
OF THE CITY FOR EXPENSES RELATED TO THE TOLL ROAD, 
          [02:35:07]
WE WANTED TO FOLLOW THE SAME TYPE OF A DEAL IN TERMS OF A FORMULA,
SOMETHING THAT WE COULD LOOK, SOMETHING THAT YOU COULD AUDIT. COMMISSIONER BRIONES TOOK THE LEAD IN TERMS OF WORKING
WITH EACH ONE OF THE OFFICES. 
          I'M TAMMY, WORKED WITH EACH ONE OF THE OFFICES. 
          COMMISSIONER BRIONES, I THINK, CAME UP WITH A DRAFT OF REDLINES THAT WAS COMMUNICATED LAST
WEEK IN TERMS OF WHAT THE BILL COULD BE. 
          WE'VE STILL NOT HEARD BACK ON THOSE REDLINES. 
          THE MESSAGE TODAY IS WE WANT TO WORK WITH THE CITY. 
          WE'RE HERE READY TO WORK WITH THE CITY. WE WANT TO BE SURE THAT WE FOLLOW EVERY PART OF
THE REQUIREMENTS THAT A TOLL ROAD AUTHORITY HAS, BECAUSE THIS HAS IMPLICATIONS NOT JUST IN THE GREATER HOUSTON AREA,
BUT IN DALLAS AND SAN ANTONIO AND ALL OVER. 
          SO THE MESSAGE BACK IS WE ARE STILL WORKING CLOSELY WITH WITH OUR FOLKS IN AUSTIN. 
          WE PROVIDED REDLINES WANT TO CONTINUE TO WORK THROUGH THAT AS THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS
CONTINUES. 
          SO WE'RE GLAD TO BE WILLING PARTNERS WITH THE CITY. 
          WE'RE READY TO RECOGNIZE EXPENSES AND DEAL WITH THOSE,
AND BE SURE THAT THE THE CITY IS TREATED FAIRLY IN TERMS OF THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES RELATED TO THE HARRIS COUNTY TOLL ROAD AUTHORITY. 
          WONDERFUL. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER RAMSEY. CHAIR RECOGNIZES COMMISSIONER BRIONES. 
          THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER GARCIA. THANK YOU FOR YOUR PARTNERSHIP,
COMMISSIONER RAMSEY. 
          THE FIVE OF US WANT TO THANK OUR WONDERFUL IGA DIRECTOR,
TAMMY NARVAEZ, FOR HER LEADERSHIP WORKING WITH THE FIVE OFFICES. 
          WE LOOK FORWARD TO COMMENTS. THE FIVE OFFICES PUT IN THE RED LINES. 
          AND THE BOTTOM LINE IS, IS WE LOOK FORWARD TO BEING FAIR,
SOLUTIONS ORIENTED. 
          WE'RE DEEPLY INVESTED IN INFRASTRUCTURE AND PUBLIC SAFETY,
AND WE'RE DEEPLY COMMITTED TO WORKING OUT A LOCAL SOLUTION TO A LOCAL ISSUE. 
          SO WE THANK IN ADVANCE THE COUNTY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE FOR THEIR ONGOING PARTNERSHIP AS WELL
WORKING WITH IGA TO MAKE SURE WE CONTINUE PROGRESS WITH THE CITY. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. WONDERFUL. 
          THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER BRIONES, AND THANK YOU BOTH AGAIN FOR YOUR INCREDIBLE WORK. 
          I ALSO WANT TO RECOGNIZE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TREVINO,
BECAUSE HE'S BEEN DRIVING UP AND BACK AS MUCH AS ANYBODY ELSE. 
          AGREED. THANK YOU. YEAH. SO THANK YOU ALL. THANK YOU ALL. 
          ALL RIGHT. SO THERE'S NO ACTION ON ITEM 188 AND 494,
AND SO WE'LL MOVE ON. 
          CHAIR RECOGNIZES WE'RE NOW ON ITEM 19. I'LL RECOGNIZE MYSELF INITIALLY,
AND THEN I'LL, I WILL RECOGNIZE MY COLLEAGUES BECAUSE IT'S BEEN REQUESTED BY THE THREE OF US. THIS IS THE ITEM THAT HAS TO DO WITH THE JOB DESCRIPTION AND
ROLE OF THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR. AND FIRST, I WANT TO THANK MR. DICKERMAN FOR HIS WILLINGNESS TO BE IN THIS ROLE. 
          FOR THE TIME BEING. WE WANT TO THANK MR. RAMIREZ FOR HER WORK DURING HER TIME AS
ADMINISTRATOR. 
          MY MY POSITION IS, AND I THINK EVERYBODY SAW THAT I HAD MADE A MOTION AT THE LAST COURT TO
DO AWAY WITH THE OFFICE. 
          AND HERE'S MY CONTINUED PERSPECTIVE. THERE'S BEEN PLENTY OF EXTRAORDINARY WORK DONE BY THE
OCA OFFICE AND THE TIME IT HAS EXISTED. 
          SOLAR FOR ALL SUSTAINABILITY, A REVISION OF HOW WE HANDLE GRANTS,
AND MORE. 
          HOWEVER, MY SKEPTICISM AROUND THIS OFFICE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE WORK THAT THE OFFICE
HAS COMPLETED. 
          I DON'T BELIEVE A TRADITIONAL COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR LIKE THE ONE IN TRAVIS COUNTY WILL
EVER, EVER WORK IN HARRIS COUNTY. I THINK IT'S A DISSERVICE TO OUR CONSTITUENTS IN A COUNTY AS
BIG AS HARRIS COUNTY. 
          WE ARE CLOSER. THE COMMISSIONERS ARE CLOSER TO THE CONSTITUENTS AND UNDERSTAND THEIR NEEDS
BETTER THAN ANY COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR. 
          AND JUST A CAVEAT TO THAT. I DIDN'T RUN TO TELL MY CONSTITUENTS TO CALL 301 FOR ALL THEIR
PROBLEMS, AND EVENTUALLY SOMEBODY WOULD GET TO THEM OR TO WAIT IN LINE FOR SERVICES TO BE DELIVERED. 
          I RAN TO BE THE ONE TO BE RESPONSIVE TO THE NEEDS OF THE CONSTITUENTS. 
          SO I DON'T WANT TO SPEAK FOR ANY OF MY COLLEAGUES,
BUT I DIDN'T TAKE THIS JOB TO ALSO BE A LEGISLATOR. 
          AND JUST VOTE ON THINGS THAT COME UP ON THE AGENDA. 
          I'M ALWAYS GOING TO BE IN THE WEEDS OF THINGS,
MAKING SURE THAT THE COUNTY WORKS BEST FOR MY CONSTITUENTS. 
          AND IF WE'RE ARE GOING TO HAVE A COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR THEY NEED TO BE LESS OF A MANAGER,
LESS OF AN ADMINISTRATOR LESS OF A BUREAUCRAT, A BUREAUCRAT OR BUREAUCRACY BUT BE MORE OF A FACILITATOR. 
          AND WE HAVE EXTREMELY COMPETENT, EXPERIENCED WELL-PREPARED DIRECTORS AND EXECUTIVE
DIRECTORS. 
          [02:40:08]
THEY ARE THE SUBJECT MATTER TO OUR TO OUR COUNTY OPERATIONS ESPECIALLY THOSE EXECUTIVE
DIRECTORS WHO LEAD THE LARGER DEPARTMENTS. AND WE RIGHTFULLY HAVE HIGH EXPECTATIONS OF THEM. 
          SO I'M GOING TO TALK TO THESE DEPARTMENT HEADS. 
          THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATORS SHOULD BE WORKING WITH THESE DEPARTMENTS AND FILLING IN THE GAPS
IN THEIR WORK TO MAKE SURE THE GOALS AND DIRECTIVES OF THE COURT ARE BEING COMPLETE. 
          THERE ARE A NUMBER OF SMALLER DEPARTMENTS THAT NEED AN ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT,
BUT PERHAPS THEY CAN FIND SOME OTHER WE CAN FIND SOME OTHER WAY TO FACILITATE THEIR SUCCESS. WITH THAT I WILL RECOGNIZE COMMISSIONER RAMSEY. 
          YEAH. I WOULD ECHO THE COMMENTS OF COMMISSIONER GARCIA. 
          WE PROBABLY HAVE COME TO THIS CONCLUSION FROM DIFFERENT DIFFERENT AREAS,
I THINK. 
          BUT THE BOTTOM LINE IS WE'VE HAD THIS EXPERIMENT FOR GOING ON FOUR YEARS. 
          DAVID BERRY HANDLED IT FOR TWO YEARS, AND THEN THE INTERIM HANDLED IT FOR TWO YEARS. 
          AND HAVING WORKED WITH 50 CITIES AND 20 COUNTIES IN TEXAS DOING WORK HARRIS COUNTY IS A
DIFFERENT IS A DIFFERENT TYPE OF ORGANIZATION. NO OTHER COUNTY IN THE,
IN THE IN THE STATE HAS A TOLL ROAD AUTHORITY LIKE THIS ONE. 
          NO ONE HAS A FLOOD CONTROL DISTRICT LIKE THIS ONE. 
          NO ONE HAS PORT CONSIDERATIONS LIKE THIS ONE. 
          NOBODY HAS A HOSPITAL DISTRICT LIKE THIS ONE. 
          SO THERE'S A LOT OF OF ISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH IT. 
          SO, JESSE, IT'S NOT A REFLECTION OF YOU, NOR WAS IT OF DIANA,
NOR WAS IT OF OF THE PREVIOUS COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR. 
          I JUST THINK IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO, TO DO THAT. SO I DO THINK THERE MIGHT BE SOME
ORGANIZATION AROUND BEING A FACILITATOR A PROJECT MANAGER, A PROGRAM MANAGER,
THOSE TYPES OF THINGS THAT THAT NECESSARILY. 
          I THINK THE WORK ON THE JAIL, TONYA, HAS BEEN EXTRAORDINARY. 
          I THINK THAT'S A GREAT EXAMPLE OF WHEN WE FOCUS ON SOMETHING,
WE MIGHT ACTUALLY GET SOMETHING DONE. 
          AGAIN. SO THAT WAS KIND OF A FACILITATOR OF WORKING WITH WORKING WITH THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE
AND, AND OUR COUNTY BECAUSE AS MR. RAMOS TELLS ME ON MORE THAN ONE OCCASION,
OUR BIGGEST UNKNOWN IS THE OUTSOURCING TO THE JAIL TO THE TUNE OF $50 MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR. 
          SO I WOULD AGREE WITH WHAT COMMISSIONER GARCIA IS REFERRING TO. 
          I THINK THIS IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE IF YOU'RE GOING TO GO OUT AND RECRUIT,
I MEAN, THE LAST TIME WE DID THIS, TWO YEARS AGO, WE DID A NATIONWIDE SEARCH, AND WE HIRED SOMEONE THAT'S ALREADY WORKING
HERE. 
          SO WE'RE GOING TO DO ANOTHER NATIONWIDE SEARCH AND END UP IN A VERY COMPLICATED PLACE
AGAIN. 
          I DON'T THINK WE WE WE DON'T HAVE TIME TO WASTE. 
          WE DON'T HAVE DOLLARS TO WASTE. I WILL BE MAKING A MOTION FOR THE TIME BEING,
AND WE CAN CALL THIS AN INTERIM BASIS. BUT TO MOVE THE OFFICES OF THE TOLL ROAD AUTHORITY,
FLOOD CONTROL DISTRICT, THE COUNTY ENGINEER AND THE OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT BUDGET. HAVE THEM REPORT BACK DIRECTLY TO THE COURT DURING THIS INTERIM TIME,
SO WE CAN BE SURE THAT AT LEAST IN THOSE FOUR AREAS, WE'VE GOT COURT DIRECTED ACCOUNTABILITY TO GET SOME THINGS DONE. 
          IS THAT A MOTION? I DO MAKE THAT MOTION. I WOULD SECOND THAT MOTION. 
          BUT BEFORE WE TAKE THE VOTE COMMISSIONER. BRIONES. 
          YES. SO I SEE IT DIFFERENTLY. AS ALWAYS, I GO BACK TO THIS BOTH AND I AGREE WITH YOU ALL
IN TERMS OF WHERE THE BUCK STOPS WITH THE FIVE OF US, PERIOD. WE'RE ULTIMATELY RESPONSIBLE FOR EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS IN THIS COUNTY,
AND WE SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE BY THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE ENTRUSTED US TO SERVE. 
          PERIOD. I ALSO AGREE THAT THINGS NEED TO CONTINUE IMPROVING IN THE WAY THE OFFICE
OPERATES. 
          ABSOLUTELY. BUT I SEE IT AS A BOTH AND RIGHT. 
          I SEE US AS FIVE CEOS. WE DETERMINE THE POLICY AND THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR,
ESPECIALLY IN A COUNTY WHERE WE HAVE APPROXIMATELY 20,000 EMPLOYEES. 
          [02:45:01]
BUT FOR THE 16 DEPARTMENTS, THERE ARE COO, RIGHT. 
          THEY KEEP TRACK OF THE MULTITUDE OF COURT DIRECTIVES. 
          THEY KEEP TRACK OF OF TIMELINES, OF DELIVERABLES OF OUTCOMES. 
          THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO LIAISE BETWEEN THE VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS. 
          TANYA, I THINK YOU'RE A GREAT EXAMPLE TO MAKE SURE WE'RE GETTING DATA FROM DIFFERENT
DEPARTMENTS, MAKING RECOMMENDATIONS, WORKING WITH STAKEHOLDERS. 
          SO I SEE THEM AS AS KIND OF THE COO TEAM TO JUST PROJECT MANAGE TO HELP DRIVE SMOOTH,
EFFECTIVE, EFFICIENT OPERATIONS. AND THEN YOU ALL PRESENT RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE COURT. 
          AND WE'RE THE DECISION MAKERS. WE'RE THE ONES IN CHARGE. 
          WE'RE THE ONES MAKING POLICY. BUT TO ME, IN THE THIRD LARGEST COUNTY IN THE COUNTRY,
AND I USED TO BE A COO. 
          SO I KNOW THAT I'M VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A COO AND A CEO,
BUT WE I THINK WE FUNDAMENTALLY, IN THE THIRD LARGEST COUNTY NEED A COO. AND I AGREE,
WE NEED TO ITERATE, MAKE IT AS EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT AS POSSIBLE. 
          AND ULTIMATELY, FOR INSTANCE, WE CAN HAVE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT,
LET'S SAY, THE COUNTY ENGINEER WHO HAPPENS TO BE SITTING HERE SMILING AT US RIGHT HERE. 
          WHAT DOES MANAGEMENT LOOK LIKE OR NOT LOOK LIKE? I THINK WE CAN TAKE WE CAN ITERATE THE 3.0 VERSION BECAUSE ULTIMATELY THEY'RE ACCOUNTABLE
TO THE FIVE OF US, PERIOD. I AGREE WITH THAT. AND THERE COULD BE DAY TO DAY RECOMMENDATIONS,
INSIGHTS, COLLABORATION, OPERATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS AND EFFICIENCY THAT WE DON'T HAVE TIME TO PROJECT MANAGE EVERY
SINGLE PROJECT IN THE COUNTY. 
          AND THERE'S NOT SOMEBODY LIAISING BETWEEN WHAT I SAW AS DEEP SILOS WHEN I ARRIVED TWO AND
A HALF YEARS AGO. 
          SO I HAVE MOTIONS WITH REGARD TO 19 AND 20. AS WELL,
WHEN THE TIME IS APPROPRIATE. 
          BUT I DON'T KNOW, COMMISSIONER ELLIS. IT SEEMED LIKE YOU WERE TRYING TO SAY. YEAH,
I WAS JUST GOING TO SUGGEST THAT JUST LISTENING TO THE CONVERSATION. 
          LOOKS LIKE THIS MIGHT BE TWO. TWO. SO I WAS JUST GOING TO SUGGEST,
RESPECTFULLY, MAYBE WE GO TO THOSE ITEMS WE THINK WE CAN DISPOSE OF. 
          COMMISSIONER GARCIA, THAT MAKES SENSE TO YOU. I JUST,
YOU KNOW. 
          OKAY. I'M JUST. I'M JUST. I'M JUST SPECULATING. 
          I DON'T KNOW. I GET IT. YOU WANT THE JUDGE TO VOTE ON IT AS WELL? YEAH. SO. ALL RIGHT, LET'S MOVE ON. WE WILL WE'RE GOING TO SKIP ITEM 21. 
          THE JUDGE WANTS TO HOLD THAT ITEM FOR HER RETURN. 
          ITEM 22 WHICH IS TO REQUEST APPROVAL FOR TO DISTRIBUTE FUNDS. 
          COMMISSIONER, I'M SORRY. ITEM 22 IS NOT ON THE LIST. 
          OKAY. IT'S ON IT'S ON THIS LIST. I'M SORRY. OKAY. 
          19 AND 20. WE'RE GOING TO TALK 19 AND 20 WHEN THE JUDGE RETURNS. 
          YES. YEAH, THAT WOULD BE MY SUGGESTION BECAUSE I THINK WE'D END UP WITH A TWO. TWO. 
          YEAH. ALRIGHT. ITEM 24. IS THAT OKAY? REQUEST FOR DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION TO
PROVIDE A MONTHLY UPDATE ON ITS OUTSTANDING BALANCE OF AMOUNTS RECEIVABLE FOR FEDERAL GRANTS TO ENSURE COMPLIANCE WITH THE RECOMMENDED
CAP OF 100 MILLION. 
          CHAIR RECOGNIZES COMMISSIONER RAMSEY. YEAH, IT LOOKS LIKE WE RECEIVED THE WHERE. DANIEL, WHERE ARE WE RIGHT NOW? WITH WITH WITH RESPECT TO THE $100 MILLION CAP? WE ARE AT 71.2 MILLION. SO AT THIS TIME, WE WE THE BUDGET OFFICE DON'T RECOMMEND
COMMISSIONERS COURT TAKE ANY ACTION AT THIS POINT. WE HAVE WE. WHILE THE PAYMENTS MAY NOT BE AS CONSISTENT AS OR
REGULAR AS THEY WERE PREVIOUSLY, EVERY TIME WE'VE GOTTEN CLOSE TO THAT CAP, WE'VE GOTTEN A BIG PAYMENT. 
          AND SO WE HAVE NO CONCERNS AT THIS POINT. I WILL WARN EVERYONE THAT WE ARE STARTING TO
START TO GET SOME OF THE DISCONTINUATION LETTERS FOR CERTAIN GRANTS, SO THOSE WILL BE PRESENTED TO YOU ALL AS PART OF THE BUDGET PROCESS. 
          BUT IN TERMS OF THAT, YOU KNOW, OUR BIGGEST CONCERN,
WHICH WAS BEING, YOU KNOW, US RACKING UP A HUGE ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE THAT WE WEREN'T GOING TO BE ABLE TO RECOVER FROM, THAT HAS NOT BEEN BORNE OUT YET. 
          SO IT'S ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE RELATED TO GRANTS. 
          THAT'S CORRECT. AND WE'VE ACTUALLY GONE DOWN THIS,
THIS PAST I THINK AN INTERESTING YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO IT IN THE NEXT TEN MINUTES. 
          BUT BEFORE THE NEXT MEETING, IT'D BE INTERESTING TO SEE WHAT OUR ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE ARE
TO GRANTS OVER THE LAST THREE YEARS. 
          OKAY. WE CAN PULL THAT SO THAT WE'LL KNOW. SO I THINK WE PROBABLY WE DEPEND A LOT ON
GRANTS. 
          LEAH COULD WRITE A BOOK ON IT. WE DEPEND A LOT ON GRANTS. 
          SO IT'D JUST BE INTERESTING TO SEE WHAT THAT WOULD BE,
TO PUT CONTEXT TO WHAT WE ARE NOW. 
          [02:50:02]
I'LL I'LL SEND THAT DATA AROUND TO EACH OF THE COURT OFFICES. 
          BUT YEAH, WE IN TERMS OF LIKE THIS, WHERE WE ARE TODAY,
WE FEEL VERY COMFORTABLE. 
          AND WHEN WE SET THE POLICY OF OF 100 MILLION,
WE WENT BACK A YEAR IN TERMS OF THE ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE. 
          AND WE HAD AVERAGED VERY CONSISTENTLY AROUND 70. 
          SO THAT'S WHERE THAT POLICY HAD. YOU CAN ALREADY SAY WE'RE AVERAGING ABOUT WHAT WE'VE
ALWAYS DONE. 
          BUT YES, AT THIS POINT. AND THE BIG ONE IS THE THE CDBG DRIVES A BIG CHUNK OF THIS BECAUSE
THEY'RE CONSTRUCTION GRANTS. 
          SO WE WE BILL IN VERY LARGE MILESTONES AS OPPOSED TO KIND OF ON A,
ON A MONTHLY OR QUARTERLY BASIS. 
          AND THAT WE'VE BEEN WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO GET THE REIMBURSEMENTS. 
          I HAD NO ACTION. ALL RIGHT. NO ACTION ON THIS ITEM. 
          ALL RIGHT MOVING ON TO ITEM 166 WHICH IS REQUEST FOR APPROVAL TO ADOPT THE HARRIS COUNTY TRAFFIC IMPACT ANALYSIS GUIDELINES. 
          AND AND WE HAVE DOCTOR RAHMAN HERE. DOCTOR, YOU WANT TO MAKE A PRESENTATION ON THIS,
A QUICK ONE. 
          GOOD AFTERNOON. MEMBERS OF THE CODE MIDDLETON COUNTY ENGINEER. 
          SO THE OFFICE OF THE COUNTY ENGINEER HAS BEEN WORKING WITH THE DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY,
ENGINEERING COMMUNITY, AND YOUR OFFICE OF RECOMMENDING A GUIDELINES FOR TRAFFIC IMPACT ANALYSIS. SO WHAT IS A TRAFFIC IMPACT ANALYSIS? ACTUALLY HELPS US IN TERMS OF FINDING OUT WHAT IS THE IMPACT OF A PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT ON
OUR TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE? THE NEW GUIDELINES THAT WE ARE RECOMMENDING. IT CLARIFIES A LOT OF THINGS THAT OUR OLD
GUIDELINES DIDN'T DEFINE. 
          THINGS LIKE WHEN YOU NEED TO DO A TRAFFIC IMPACT ANALYSIS,
HOW DETAILS YOU NEED TO GO BASED ON WHAT TYPE OF ANALYSIS. 
          SO IT ALSO TAKES A LOT OF THE SUBJECTIVITY AWAY FROM INTERPRETATION,
FROM AN ENGINEER SAYING, YOU KNOW, NOW I FEEL LIKE YOU NEED TO DO AN ANALYSIS OR NOT. 
          FOR EXAMPLE, WE ADDED THE THRESHOLD OF WHEN YOU NEED TO DO A TIRE. 
          IT'S A 50 TRIPS PER PEAK HOUR. AND SEGMENTATION OR CAPACITY ANALYSIS. 
          THAT'S ONE OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER RAMSEY,
FOR MAKING WE SAID THAT IF YOU GENERATE MORE THAN 300 TRIPS PER PEAK HOUR, YOU NEED TO DO A SEGMENTATION ANALYSIS AND THEN HOW FAR YOU NEED TO GO DO YOU GO THE NEXT
INTERSECTION? YOU KNOW, HALF A MILE OR QUARTER MILE. SO ALL KICK IT OUT. 
          COMMISSIONER ELLIS, YOUR MIC IS OPEN. SO ALL THOSE DETAILS HAS BEEN ADDED TO BETTER GIVE A
GUIDELINES FOR OUR DEVELOPER, FOR OUR ENGINEERS. AND ALSO, MORE IMPORTANTLY THESE GUIDELINES,
IF ADOPTED, WOULD ALSO INCLUDE A CLEAR DEFINITION OF THE ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITY OF A DEVELOPER ONCE WE ARE SEEING A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF GROWTH
HISTORICALLY IN THE LAST THREE YEARS IN HARRIS COUNTY AND YEARS TO COME, WE PROJECT THAT. SO WHAT A DEVELOPER HAS TO DO IN A DEVELOPMENT,
HOW THEY'RE GOING TO PAY THEIR FAIR SHARE OF AN IMPACT THEY CREATE ON OUR TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM. SO THESE GUYS CAN YOU KNOW, I RECOMMEND THE CODE APPROVE THE GUIDELINES. 
          WE WORKED WITH ALL OF YOUR OFFICE ADDRESS, YOUR COMMENTS. 
          AT THE SAME TIME, WE ALSO WORK WITH GREATER HOUSTON BUILDERS ASSOCIATION AND HCC,
AND WE ADDRESSED ALL THEIR COMMENTS. 
          WONDERFUL. DOCTOR RAHMAN, THANK YOU AND YOUR TEAM FOR FOR YOUR WORK AND THANK YOU FOR
ENGAGING THE STAKEHOLDERS. 
          THAT'S ALWAYS IMPORTANT TO ME. CHAIR RECOGNIZES. 
          COMMISSIONER. THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER GARCIA. 
          FIRST OF ALL, DOCTOR RAMON, THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP ON THIS. 
          AND THANK YOU TO YOUR TEAM AS WELL. WE REALLY APPRECIATE IT. 
          AND THANK YOU FOR WORKING WITH ALL OF OUR OFFICES. I KNOW THIS ESPECIALLY REPRESENTING ONE
OF THE FASTEST GROWING AREAS IN TEXAS AND IN THE UNITED STATES. 
          THIS POLICY IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO ME BECAUSE IT'S BEEN CHALLENGING TO KEEP UP WITH THE
IMMENSE, RAPID DEVELOPMENT. AND JUST ALL THE INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS THAT COME ALONG WITH THAT. 
          SO MY QUESTION TO YOU AND I HAVE A MOTION RELATED TO THIS IN TERMS OF THE IMPLEMENTATION
AND WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE. 
          COULD YOU JUST ORALLY TALK US THROUGH AND THEN I'LL READ A MOTION. 
          BUT FROM YOUR VANTAGE POINT TODAY, COULD YOU AND YOU'VE ALREADY TOUCHED ON IT,
BUT TWO THINGS. 
          CAN YOU JUST TALK ABOUT MORE OF THE STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT AND HOW FEEDBACK WAS
INCORPORATED? AND THEN TWO, WHAT THE GAME PLAN IS IN TERMS OF IMPLEMENTATION,
PLEASE. 
          ABSOLUTELY. COMMISSIONER BRIONES, THANK YOU. SO THE FEEDBACK,
YOU KNOW, WE INITIALLY ENGAGED WITH GBA, SDC AND ALL THE OFFICES TO SEE WHAT WHAT WE LACK IN THE EXISTING GUIDELINES,
WHERE WE HAVE GAPS, WHERE YOU DON'T HAVE A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING THAT WHAT YOU NEED TO DO. 
          SO WE HAVE RECEIVED A LOT OF FEEDBACK FROM BOTH THE AGENCY. 
          WE ADDRESSED THAT WE HAVE RECEIVED FEEDBACK FROM MOST OF YOUR OFFICE,
AND WE ADDRESSED THAT TO MAKE SURE THAT IT'S BEEN INCLUDED IN THE FINAL 
          [02:55:09]
PRODUCT. SO WHAT YOU SEE TODAY, THAT IS ACTUALLY A CONSENSUS OF ALL THE FEEDBACK WE
RECEIVED. 
          AND WE ADDRESSED MAJORITY OF THEM. IF NOT, I'LL SAY 99% OF THEM. 
          SO IN TERMS OF THE IMPLEMENTATION PLAN THE FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS WOULD BE TO FAMILIARIZE
OUR DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY, THE ENGINEERS THAT, HEY, HERE IS A NEW GUIDELINES HERE. SO WE'RE GOING TO OFFER A WORKSHOP
IN OFFICE OF THE COUNTY ENGINEERS TO INVITE THE DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY, THE ENGINEERS COMMUNITY, TO INTRODUCE THEM WITH THE GUIDELINES. AND THAT'S ONE.
THE OTHER THING IS WE ALSO DO NOT ONLY THE TRAFFIC IMPACT ANALYSIS. 
          EVERY YEAR, WE INVITE THE ENTIRE DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY FOR WORKSHOP,
WHERE WE TALK ABOUT ALL THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF PERMITS OUR OFFICE DEALS WITH, WHETHER IT'S A DRAINAGE IMPACT ANALYSIS, WHETHER IT'S FIRE MARSHAL'S PERMIT. 
          WE INVITE ALL THE OTHER OFFICES FROM HARRIS COUNTY. 
          THEY ALSO ISSUE PERMITS ARE INVOLVED IN THE PERMIT OPERATION. 
          SO WE'LL CONTINUE TO OFFER THAT AS WELL. THANK YOU,
DOCTOR RAHMAN. 
          AND I'M GOING TO READ MY MOTION. BUT THE BOTTOM LINE IS IS AGAIN,
THANK YOU FOR DRIVING THIS PROGRESS, TO THANK YOU FOR WORKING WITH STAKEHOLDERS AND MOST IMPORTANTLY IN THE PRECINCT OFFICES IN
TERMS OF IMPLEMENTATION. 
          I KNOW WE ALL GET CALLS FROM CONSTITUENTS FROM,
YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES WITH THEIR JUST CHALLENGES, WITH THEIR INFRASTRUCTURE. AND SO TO ME, IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT THE PRECINCTS ARE LET. 
          ARE YOU ALL LET US KNOW AT THE OUTSET THAT ONE OF THESE TRAFFIC IMPACT ANALYSIS WILL
BEGIN? BECAUSE IF THERE'S POTENTIAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR COLLABORATION OR IMPROVEMENT OR WAYS THE
PRECINCT CAN AUGMENT WHAT IS BEING DONE IN TERMS OF POTENTIAL OUTCOMES, I THINK THERE'S ALWAYS AN OPPORTUNITY. AND SO ANYWAY,
SO MY MOTION IS TO DIRECT THE HARRIS COUNTY ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT TO IMPLEMENT THE REVISED TIA GUIDELINES, EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY,
ENSURE THEIR ENFORCEMENT IS BUILT INTO THE DEPARTMENT'S INTERNAL PROCESSES, AND CONSULT PRECINCT STAFF AS RELEVANT DURING IMPLEMENTATION. 
          AND TO PLEASE DIRECT THE DEPARTMENT OF ENGINEERING TO REPORT BACK TO COMMISSIONERS COURT
ON IMPLEMENTATION AT THE AUGUST 7TH, 2025 COURT. SECOND DOCTOR, REMIND YOU AND YOUR STAFF ARE GOOD WITH THIS MOTION. 
          ABSOLUTELY, COMMISSIONER. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I JUST WANTED TO EXPLAIN IS A LOT OF THAT
AS DEVELOPMENT IMPACTS ARE ROADWAY. 
          AND IN TERMS OF THE MITIGATION PLAN, A LOT OF THE TIME WE DO DEVELOPERS AGREEMENT THAT
WHAT THEY'RE GOING TO DO. 
          AND IN THOSE AGREEMENTS, PRECINCT IS AN INTEGRAL PART OF YOU KNOW,
WHAT MAKES SURE THAT THE PRECINCT AGREE? BECAUSE AT THE END OF THE DAY, IT IS THE ROADWAY OR THE INFRASTRUCTURE IS Y'ALL'S
RESPONSIBILITY TO MAINTAIN. 
          WELL, THE POSTER CHILD OF WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DEAL WITH IS A ROAD IN MY PRECINCT WHERE
OVER 3500 HOMES WERE BEING BUILT ON A TWO LANE ROAD, GOING TO A T INTERSECTION ON A FARM TO MARKET ROAD. 
          AND THE COUNTY HAD FULL RESPONSIBILITY OF DEALING WITH THE ISSUES OF THOSE DEVELOPMENT. 
          NOW WE'RE GOING BACK ONE ON ONE AND TRYING TO GET A LITTLE HELP IN TERMS OF DOING THAT. 
          YOUR OFFICE, BY IMPLEMENTING THIS, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE THOSE DISCUSSIONS UPFRONT WHEN
PLANS ARE BEING APPROVED AND IT'S BEING DETERMINED EXACTLY WHAT THE DEVELOPER WILL DO IN TERMS OF WHAT THE COUNTY NEEDS TO DO GOING FORWARD. 
          RIGHT. VERY GOOD. ABSOLUTELY, COMMISSIONER. MOTION'S BEEN MADE. 
          SECOND BY. MOTION'S BEEN MADE BY COMMISSIONER,
SECOND BY COMMISSIONER GARCIA. 
          ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. AYE. ALL OPPOSED? ALL RIGHT. 
          IS IT YOUR. YOU'RE VOTING IN FAVOR? CORRECT,
COMMISSIONER? YES. 
          OKAY. I'M FOR IT. YES. OKAY. THANK YOU AGAIN. 
          MOTION PASSES. 4 TO 4. 040. THANKS AGAIN, DOCTOR,
AND THANK YOU. 
          ALL RIGHT. CHAIR IS NOW ON ITEM 182. I'LL BEGIN SOME CONVERSATION ON THIS. 
          I RECOGNIZE THAT WE HAVE DOCTOR PETERSON EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE HARRIS COUNTY FLOOD
CONTROL DISTRICT AND AND JEREMY RADCLIFFE. 
          I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU BOTH FOR YOUR INCREDIBLE WORK. 
          WE'VE BEEN GETTING A LOT OF FEEDBACK FROM OUR CONSTITUENTS IN REGARDS TO THE HOMELESS,
ENCAMPMENTS ALONG OR NOT ALONG, BUT IN THE HARRIS COUNTY FLOODWAY. AND I WANT TO THANK DOCTOR PETERSON FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP
ON THIS ITEM, AS WELL AS DIRECTOR TOR COSTAS AND OUR COLLABORATORS BEING CAREER RECOVERY RESOURCES FOR
THEIR SUPPORT, ALONG WITH DEPUTY CONSTABLE'S AND THE HARRIS COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE,
AS WELL AS THE HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT ON DEALING WITH THIS ISSUE. 
          AND SO THIS IS THIS ITEM IS ABOUT A YEAR IN THE MAKING THAT I CALLED ON THE FLOOD CONTROL
DISTRICT TO COME UP WITH AN APPROACH 
          [03:00:05]
ON THIS ISSUE. SO I'M PROUD TO SAY THAT THE WORK HAS FINALLY MADE ITS WAY TO OUR OUR OUR
DESK HERE AT THE DAIS. 
          AND WE'RE CALLING OUR HOMELESSNESS ON THE BAYOU FRAMEWORK WHICH IS VERY SIMILAR TO MY
REVIVE TO THRIVE APPROACH IN DEALING WITH PUBLIC SAFETY IN THE COMMUNITY BECAUSE IT ALWAYS WORKS BETTER WHEN WE'RE COLLABORATING AND
TREATING EVERYONE WITH DIGNITY AND RESPECT. 
          THIS POLICY IS SETS A CLEAR, COUNTYWIDE PROCESS AND APPROACH FOR HOW WE SHOULD HANDLE
ENCAMPMENTS IN THE FLOODWAY. 
          AND FULLY ALIGNS WITH STATE LAW AND TAILORED TO DIFFERENT SITE TYPES,
FROM LARGE ENCAMPMENTS TO SMALL HOTSPOTS. 
          IT ALSO SPELLS OUT WHAT THE FLOOD CONTROL DISTRICT CAN YOU KNOW,
PRACTICALLY HANDLE AND AND THE LOGISTICS OF SUCH WHILE LAW ENFORCEMENT AND OUTREACH TEAMS HANDLE THE, THE ENGAGEMENT AND THE ENFORCEMENT EVERY STEP IS STRUCTURED
FOR FROM REPORT TO CLEANUP. 
          AND THEN, MOST IMPORTANTLY, IT REQUIRES AT LEAST 14 DAYS OF OUTREACH BEFORE ANY CLOSURE
AND BRINGS IN HOUSING AND SERVICE PARTNERS TO PROVIDE SUPPORT, NOT JUST THE ENFORCEMENT. I WANT TO MAKE SURE PEOPLE UNDERSTAND. 
          WE DON'T, YOU KNOW, THOSE ARE HUMAN BEINGS DOWN THERE. 
          GOD BLESS THEM FOR WHAT TOOK THEM TO THOSE PLACES. 
          BUT NONETHELESS, THEY ARE IN HARM'S WAY. AND WE HAVE TO HAVE AN APPROACH TO THIS. 
          THE FLOOD CONTROL DISTRICT MANAGES OVER 70,000 ACRES ACROSS 20,000 PARCELS IN HARRIS
COUNTY. 
          MUCH OF IT IS IN AREAS LIKE GREEN'S BAYOU, CARPENTER'S BAYOU,
HUNTING BY YOU ALL OF THOSE IN PRECINCT TWO. 
          BUT THROUGHOUT HARRIS COUNTY THESE ARE FLOOD PRONE,
FLOOD PRONE AREAS THAT SEE FAST, FREQUENT, DANGEROUS FLOODING. AND SO AS OF NOW THAT WE KNOW OF,
THERE ARE 31 KNOWN ENCAMPMENTS IN THE FLOOD CONTROL DISTRICT RIGHT AWAY. 
          SIX HAVE ALREADY BEEN CLEARED AND 25 ARE STILL PENDING TO BE ADDRESSED. 
          AND THIS IS COSTING HARRIS COUNTY ABOUT AN AVERAGE OF $700,000 TO DEAL WITH. 
          AND ON AVERAGE, IT'S TAKEN US ABOUT THREE AND A HALF WEEKS TO ASSESS,
COORDINATE, ENGAGE AND CLEAR EACH SITE. 
          AND THE POLICY IS IS ABOUT MORE THAN JUST CLEARING LAND. 
          IT'S ABOUT BUILDING COORDINATED SAFETY FIRST SYSTEMS AND WHICH,
YOU KNOW, REALLY PROVIDES FOR A GOOD GOVERNMENT APPROACH THAT IS STRATEGIC, COMPASSIONATE AND RESULTS DRIVEN. AND SO BUT OBVIOUSLY THIS POLICY IS NOT
ENOUGH. 
          AND THE ONE THING ABOVE ALL THE GREAT THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN DONE,
THE ONE THING THAT I WANTED TO BE SURE IS IN IT AND THIS WOULD BE MY MOTION, IS TO MAKE SURE THAT THE CITIZENS HAVE A WAY TO REPORT THIS TO US. 
          AND BECAUSE IT'S DEALING WITH IT IT'S APPROACH,
THE APPROACH IS TO DEAL WITH IT COUNTYWIDE. 
          SO I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE IS A SYSTEMIC WAY,
IN A COORDINATED WAY, THAT THAT INFORMATION ULTIMATELY GETS TO ALL OF THE RESPECTIVE STAKEHOLDERS THAT WILL BE INVOLVED IN THIS POLICY,
AND THAT IS THAT WE DON'T HAVE A CENTRAL REPORTING SYSTEM. 
          AND SO MY MOTION WOULD BE TO DIRECT UNIVERSAL SERVICES TO UPDATE THE 311 SYSTEM TO ALIGN
WITH THIS NEW POLICY, SPECIFICALLY TO BEGIN TRACKING HOMELESS ENCAMPMENT COMPLAINTS SUBMITTED BY CONSTITUENTS IN
A CONSISTENT AND COORDINATED WAY, AND WORK WITH THE HARRIS COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE,
FLOOD CONTROL, FLOOD CONTROL, HOUSING, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, PUBLIC HEALTH, AND OTHER PARTNERS LIKE THE COALITION FOR THE HOMELESS. 
          AND SO I'D LIKE TO SEE SOMETHING COME BEFORE COMMISSIONERS COURT NO LATER THAN SEPTEMBER
TO THE COMMISSIONERS COURT MEETING IN SEPTEMBER. 
          AND SO THAT WOULD BE MY MY MOTION. IS THERE A SECOND? I'LL SECOND THAT. WONDERFUL. AND THEY DO ADD THE CONSTABLES IN THERE,
TOO. 
          YES. AND THEY DEAL WITH THIS ISSUE A LOT IN PRECINCTS. 
          AND THE CONSTABLES, HARRIS COUNTY DEPUTY CONSTABLES. 
          I ACCEPT THAT FRIENDLY AMENDMENT. MOTION'S BEEN MADE. 
          IT'S BEEN SECOND. ANY DISCUSSION. NO, NO, NO,
I'LL SECOND IT WITH THE WONDERFUL. 
          ALL IN FAVOR? AYE, AYE. ANY OPPOSED? ALL RIGHT. 
          MOTION PASSES, FOUR ZERO, COMMISSIONER, JUST TO CONFIRM IT WAS SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER
RAMSEY. 
          THAT'S CORRECT. O'BRIEN. THAT'S FINE. AND I MADE THE FRIENDLY AMENDMENT. 
          GOOD DEAL. SO BE GARCIA. RAMSEY I'M JUST VERIFYING. 
          YES. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. EXCITED FOR THAT. 
          AND DOCTOR PETERSON AGAIN TO YOU AND YOUR TEAM. 
          THANK YOU. AND I ALSO WANT TO RECOGNIZE FRANCISCO CASTILLO IN MY OFFICE FOR HIS WORK ON
THIS ITEM. 
          AND AND TO THE CONSTITUENTS, THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONCERN. 
          AND I AM I'M VERY EXCITED THAT NOT ONLY WITH YOUR SUPPORT OF THE MAINTENANCE OF PROP A WE
NOW HAVE THE RESOURCES TO ADDRESS THESE ISSUES, 
          [03:05:07]
BUT NOW WE HAVE A POLICY THAT SPEAKS TO HOW WE WILL DEAL WITH THIS. 
          ALL RIGHT. NEXT MOVING ON TO THE NEXT ITEM, WHICH IS ITEM 348. 
          AND THIS IS TO REQUEST FOR DISCUSSION, POSSIBLE ACTION CONCERNING EMERGENCY EVENTS AND
DEPARTMENT SECURITY NOTIFICATIONS FOR COUNTY EMPLOYEES. 
          WE RECOGNIZE DEPUTY JONES EARLIER TODAY, AND WE ACKNOWLEDGE HER DEDICATION AND BRAVERY. 
          HOWEVER, MANY COUNTY EMPLOYEES HAVE BEEN CHALLENGED OVER THE YEARS,
AND AND SOMEHOW OR ANOTHER, WE HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO GET TO A VERY GOOD,
CONSISTENT WAY TO NOTIFY ALL THOSE OUTSIDE OF THOSE BEING AFFECTED ALL ALL THE OTHER EMPLOYEES THAT MAY BE IN THE
AREA. 
          SO THIS IS AN ITEM TO TO CREATE THAT FRAMEWORK. 
          AND I WANT TO THANK OUR FIRE MARSHAL LORI CHRISTENSEN FOR HER WORK. 
          AND SO AS A PART OF THIS IMPLEMENTATION THIS THE COUNTY WILL ACTUALLY REPLICATE THE
PREVIOUSLY ESTABLISHED, ESTABLISHED COVID BLACKBOARD SITE FOR THIS EMERGENCY USE. 
          EMPLOYEE MOBILE NUMBERS WILL BE IMPORTED FROM STARS WITH A BI WEEKLY BI MONTHLY UPDATES. 
          AND THE COURT WILL REQUIRE THAT ALL DEPARTMENTS PROMOTE EMPLOYEE PARTICIPATION BY
PROVIDING THOSE MOBILE NUMBERS INTO STARS AND REFRAINING FROM OPTING OUT OF THE EMERGENCY NOTIFICATIONS. 
          SO MY MOTION ON THIS ITEM WILL BE THAT COMMISSIONERS COURT APPROVED THE IMMEDIATE USE OF
THE EXISTING BLACKBOARD MASS NOTIFICATION SYSTEM PREVIOUSLY USED DURING COVID 19 RESPONSE AS A TEMPORARY SOLUTION FOR
EMPLOYEE EMERGENCY INCIDENT NOTIFICATIONS ACROSS HARRIS COUNTY DEPARTMENTS AND EMPLOYEES. 
          AND THEN, AS I MENTIONED, AS PART OF THIS IMPLEMENTATION,
THE COUNTY WILL REQUIRE THE PREVIOUSLY ESTABLISHED COVID BLACKBOARD SITE FOR EMERGENCY USE. THE EMPLOYEE NUMBERS WILL BE IMPORTED FROM SARS ON A BI MONTHLY BASIS. 
          THE COURT WILL REQUIRE ALL DEPARTMENTS TO PROMOTE EMPLOYEE PARTICIPATION AND REFRAIN FROM
OPTING OUT. 
          THEN, FURTHERMORE, I MOVE THAT WE DIRECT THE HARRIS COUNTY FIRE MARSHAL'S OFFICE TO
COORDINATE WITH THE HARRIS COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE, DISPATCH AND CONSTABLE DISPATCH CENTERS AND ANY OTHER NECESSARY STAKEHOLDERS FOR
APPROPRIATE ACTIVATION TRAINING. 
          EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS SHALL BE DISTRIBUTED BY COUNTY DEPARTMENTS,
AND THE SYSTEM SHALL BE LAUNCHED WITH ONGOING MONITORING. 
          FINALLY, I ASK THAT THE HARRIS COUNTY FIRE MARSHALS AND THE HARRIS COUNTY UNIVERSAL
SERVICES CONTINUE TO ASSESS BLACKBAUD'S LONG TERM VIABILITY AND PURSUE PHASE TWO ENHANCEMENTS, INCLUDING POTENTIAL INTEGRATION WITH THE COUNTY'S PHONE
SYSTEM, ACTIVE DIRECTORY, OTHER TECHNOLOGIES, AND DIGITAL SIGNAGE TO ENSURE THAT WE ARE MOVING
TOWARD A COMPREHENSIVE INDUSTRY STANDARD MASS NOTIFICATION FOR EMPLOYEE SAFETY. THAT IS MY MOTION,
AND I WILL SECOND IT, COMMISSIONER. 
          WONDERFUL. THANK YOU. MAY I PLEASE SAY A FEW QUICK WORDS? YES, PLEASE. FIRST OF ALL, COMMISSIONER GARCIA,
THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THAT. 
          I KNOW WE WERE BOTH IN THIS BUILDING THE DAY OF THAT SHOOTING,
AND I JUST FEAR. 
          AND I PRAISE DEPUTY JONES FOR RESPONDING THE WAY SHE DID. 
          BUT THE FACT I KNOW OUR TEAM MEMBERS WERE WALKING OUT AND WE. 
          I MEAN, IT WAS JUST NOBODY KNEW. AND IN THE THIRD LARGEST COUNTY,
WE DEFINITELY NEED TO BE HAVE HIGHER STANDARDS WITH REGARD TO INCIDENT SAFETY NOTIFICATIONS. SO I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THIS. 
          I WANT TO THANK CHIEF CHRISTENSEN. WE HAVE THE BEST FIRE MARSHAL IN THE WHOLE UNITED
STATES. 
          THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING YOU DO AND IN THE HEART AND HUSTLE AND HIGHER STANDARDS WITH
WHICH YOU DO IT, AND UNIVERSAL SERVICES. THANK YOU, DIRECTOR MENON. 
          I ALSO WANT TO THANK ALL OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT PARTNERS,
ESPECIALLY I KNOW IN 2019 CHIEF SHAH, THANK YOU. CONSTABLE ROSEN AND THEIR TEAM. THIS WAS ONE OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS. 
          I'M SO HAPPY WE'RE ACTING ON IT. AND I AM JUST SO GRATEFUL FOR THE COLLABORATION BETWEEN
ALL OF OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES. 
          AND THANK YOU, CHIEF CHRISTENSEN, FOR REALLY QUARTERBACKING THIS,
TO KEEP ALL OF OUR EMPLOYEES SAFE. 
          AND ALL OF THE FOLKS WHO ARE WALKING THROUGH OUR VERY BUSY COUNTY BUILDINGS. 
          SO I REALLY LOOK FORWARD TO TAKING ACTION AND CONTINUING TO DRIVE PROGRESS SO WE CAN
ENHANCE SAFETY. 
          SO THANK YOU AND I'M PROUD TO SECOND. THANK YOU,
COMMISSIONER RAMSEY. 
          YEAH, ONE QUICK ONE QUICK COMMENT. I THINK WE SHOULD SOLICIT FROM OUR EMPLOYEES THOSE THAT
MIGHT NOT FEEL 
          [03:10:02]
SAFE FOR WHATEVER REASON. I KNOW THAT COMMISSIONER GARCIA,
YOU AND I SHARE CLOSE WORKING AREAS. THERE WAS A VERY CLEAR THREAT MADE TO YOUR RECEPTION,
AND THUS MY RECEPTIONIST UP THERE. 
          THERE REALLY WASN'T. WE HAD WE WERE VERY VULNERABLE. 
          I WILL PUT IT THAT WAY. SO WE'VE GOT CERTAIN VULNERABILITIES OUT THERE THAT WE NEED TO
BETTER DEFINE. 
          IT'S NOT JUST THE NINTH FLOOR HERE ON PRESTON,
BUT IT'S PICK A BUILDING IN THE COUNTY AND JUST COMMON SENSE. 
          LOOK AT WHAT WE DO AND HOW WE DO IT, BECAUSE WE DON'T WANT TO PUT OUR EMPLOYEES AT RISK. 
          WHETHER THEY'RE WORKING OUT ON THE ROAD DURING HEAVY TRAFFIC OR THEY'RE WORKING IN A
BUILDING. 
          WE NEED TO PUT TO SOME EXTENT PROTECTIONS IN PLACE FOR THEM. 
          SO THIS IS A GREAT FIRST STEP, BUT WE SHOULD BE SOLICITING GOOD INPUT FROM OUR FOLKS ON
THEIR WORKING SITUATION. 
          I AGREE, AND ON THAT POINT REALLY QUICKLY, CHIEF CHRISTENSEN,
YOU'RE THE MOST COLLABORATIVE PERSON I KNOW. 
          AND AGAIN, YOU'RE THE BEST OF HARRIS COUNTY. IF YOU COULD SHARE THAT 2019 REPORT AND I'M
NO SAFETY EXPERT, I DEFER TO THE EXPERTS. BUT THERE ARE SOME REALLY COMMON SENSE GREAT LOW HANGING FRUIT,
LOW COST EFFORTS THAT WE CAN JUST START IMPLEMENTING. 
          AND SO IF YOU COULD PLEASE JUST WORK COLLABORATIVELY,
SEE WHAT WE CAN TAKE, ENHANCE WHAT WE NEED TO DO. 
          BUT I AGREE THAT WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO LOOK AT THIS VERY HOLISTICALLY AND IN A VERY
MULTIFACETED FASHION. 
          SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER GARCIA AND THEN LASTLY,
THANK YOU, CHIEF. 
          AND LASTLY, I WANT TO MAKE SURE YOU DIDN'T NEED ME,
SIR. THANK YOU. AND JUST ONE ONE LAST POINT. 
          MAKE SURE THAT WE THINK ABOUT OUR PARKING GARAGE. 
          ALL TOO OFTEN OVER THE YEARS, WE HAVE HAD MANY EMPLOYEES,
ESPECIALLY SOME OF OUR FEMALE EMPLOYEES THAT HAVE BEEN ATTACKED OR ACCOSTED THERE. SO AND THEN NOBODY OVER ON THIS BUILDING KNOWS ANYTHING. 
          SO PLEASE PAY ATTENTION TO THAT. COMMISSIONER ELLIS. 
          YEAH. COMMISSIONER GARCIA, I WAS GOING TO SAY IF THIS ITEM IS BROAD ENOUGH,
I'M WONDERING WHY IS IT THAT WE DON'T HAVE THE METAL DETECTORS TO GET IN THIS, IN THAT ADMINISTRATION BUILDING THAT YOU HAVE AT CITY HALL AS AN EXAMPLE,
OR THE COURTHOUSE? I THINK YEAH, WE'LL ACCEPT THAT AS A FRIENDLY AMENDMENT. 
          AND YEAH, I'M JUST BECAUSE I THINK IT'S TIME TO DO THAT. I'M NOT IN THERE AS MUCH AS AS AS
YOU ALL ARE. 
          YOU KNOW, I'M AT ANOTHER OFFICE, BUT I JUST THINK THAT'S JUST THAT OUGHT TO BE A
DETERRENT. 
          WE OUGHT TO JUST PUT THAT IN. I THINK WE SHOULD LOOK AT IT ALL. SO I AGREE WITH YOU,
COMMISSIONER. YEAH. ALL RIGHT. MOTION'S BEEN MADE. 
          SECOND BY COMMISSIONER BRIONES. MOTION BY GARCIA. 
          MOTION MADE BY SECOND BY COMMISSIONER BRIONES. 
          ALL IN FAVOR? AYE, AYE. ALL OPPOSED. MOTION CARRIES FOUR ZERO. 
          ALL RIGHT. AND THEN I WANT TO GO BACK BECAUSE WE DID MISS A COUPLE OF COMMISSIONER
RAMSAY'S ITEMS. THE FIRST ONE THAT WE MISSED WAS 237 WHICH IS TO REQUEST FOR APPROVAL OF EIGHT POSITIONS
FOR COMPLIANCE AND REVENUE DIVISIONS. 
          TOLL ROAD COLLECTIONS TEAM FOR EFFECTIVE MAY 17TH OF 2020,
2025. 
          RATHER. COMMISSIONER RAMSEY, YOU HAD A QUESTION. IT JUST REMINDED ME,
AS WE APPROVED THESE POSITIONS. 
          JONATHAN, I SEE YOU OVER THERE TO TO START WITH. 
          DON'T NEED IT TODAY, BUT IT WOULD BE NICE TO SEE HOW WE'RE DOING ON COLLECTIONS SINCE WE
TOOK IT OVER COMPARED TO THE PREVIOUS THREE YEARS PRIOR TO. IT'S ALWAYS GOOD TO TAKE A LOOK AT IT AND AT LEAST SEE THERE MAY BE REASONS WHY
SOME NUMBERS ARE UP OR SOME NUMBERS ARE DOWN. 
          BUT IF YOU CAN AGAIN, IT'S NOT AN EXHAUSTIVE AUDIT. 
          IT'S MORE OF A REFLECTION ON NOW THAT WE'VE TAKEN IT OVER. 
          IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT THE MONEY, BUT IT'S ALSO ABOUT THE COLLECTIONS. 
          RIGHT? YEAH. AND SO I THINK WE PRESENTED SOME OF THAT DATA WHEN WE WERE TALKING ABOUT
TAKING DELINQUENT PROPERTY TAX COLLECTION IN-HOUSE. 
          AND SO THE DATA THIS WAS 2023 SHOWED THAT SINCE WE HAD TAKEN TOLL COLLECTION IN-HOUSE IN
2019, WE HAD OUTPERFORMED THE PRIVATE LAW FIRMS THAT WERE DOING IT BEFORE. 
          BUT WE CAN UPDATE THAT DATA. THIS PARTICULAR REQUEST IS ACTUALLY BECAUSE WE'VE SEEN THAT
THERE ARE MORE VIOLATORS ON THE TOLL ROAD SINCE WE ESSENTIALLY GOT RID OF THE GATES, WHICH IS WHAT YOU WOULD EXPECT TO SEE. 
          AND SO WORKING WITH DIRECTOR TREVINO, WE DECIDED IT WAS WORTH EXPANDING THE TEAM TO
INCREASE OUR COLLECTIONS. 
          OKAY. THANK YOU. WONDERFUL. SO MOTION HAS BEEN MADE SECOND. 
          SECOND BY COMMISSIONER. MOTION'S BEEN MADE BY COMMISSIONER RAMSEY,
SECOND BY COMMISSIONER BRIONES. 
          ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. ALL OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES FOUR ZERO. 
          AND THEN, COMMISSIONER RAMSEY, YOU ALSO FLAGGED THE 244. 
          BUT I THINK YOU MENTIONED YOU KIND OF SPOKE TO IT EARLIER. 
          [03:15:02]
BUT YOU DID HAVE A QUESTION ON 244, WHICH IS REQUEST BY PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICES FOR
APPROVAL TO ACCEPT FROM THE TEXAS HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES COMMISSION GRANT FUNDS IN THE AMOUNT OF 1 MILLION, WITH AN IN-KIND MATCH OF A MILLION FROM THE FY 2025 COMMUNITY MENTAL
HEALTH PROGRAM. 
          AND AGAIN, WE'RE GETTING A GRANT, BUT WE'RE ALSO MATCHING A GRANT. 
          SO IT'S IN-KIND THAT'S IS THAT COMING OUT OF THE GENERAL FUND? OH, SORRY. YES, COMMISSIONER, THIS IS LEAH BARTON. 
          AND THOSE ARE IN-KIND POSITIONS THAT ARE ALREADY IN THE GENERAL FUND SO THAT THE POSITIONS
ALREADY EXIST. 
          YES, THEY'RE ALREADY IN OUR BUDGET. WE'RE USING OUR EXISTING BUDGET AS THE MATCH. 
          OKAY. ALL RIGHT, I'LL MAKE A MOTION. SECOND. MOTION HAS BEEN MADE BY COMMISSIONER,
SECOND BY COMMISSIONER JONES. 
          ALL IN FAVOR? AYE, AYE. ALL OPPOSED. MOTION CARRIES FOUR ZERO. 
          THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER. RAMSEY. YOU ALSO FLAGGED ITEM 257 WHICH IS A REQUEST FOR APPROVAL
OF PAYMENT OF AUDITED CLAIMS. IS THERE A VOTE IN THERE YOU JUST NEED TO MAKE? YEAH,
WE NEED TO BOSTON CONSULTING GROUP. 
          OKAY. MOVE TO ACCEPT ALL ITEMS IN THE AUDITOR'S REPORT EXCEPT BOSTON CONSULTING GROUP. 
          SECOND. SECOND. MOTION HAS BEEN MADE BY COMMISSIONER GARCIA. 
          SECOND BY COMMISSIONER. BRIONES. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. ALL OPPOSED. THAT CARRIES. THAT GOES FOUR ZERO. 
          AND NOW TO ACCEPT THE BOSTON CONSULTING GROUP AUDITED REPORT MOTION MADE BY COMMISSIONER
GARCIA, SECOND, SECOND BY COMMISSIONER BRIONES. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. ALL OPPOSED? NO. MOTION CARRIES, 3 TO 1. 
          ALL RIGHT. NOW WE HAVE ITEM 348. REQUEST FOR DISCUSSION. 
          POSSIBLE ACTION CONCERNING. OH, NO. WE ALREADY WENT THROUGH THAT ONE. 
          LET'S SEE. THREE. ITEM THREE. I'M SORRY. MY APOLOGIES. 
          FOR 348. CAN I JUST CONFIRM THAT THE AMENDMENT THAT COMMISSIONER ELLIS MADE TO ADD THE
METAL DETECTORS WILL BE INCLUDED IN YOUR. 
          YES, THAT'S. THAT WAS ACCEPTED AS A FRIENDLY. THANK YOU. 
          ALRIGHTY. NOW WE'LL GO TO ITEM 357, WHICH IS REQUEST FOR DISCUSSION. 
          POSSIBLE ACTION ON USING A THIRD PARTY FACILITATOR OR ARCHITECT TO LEAD THE SPACE PLANNING
PROGRAM. 
          COMMISSIONER. RAMSEY. EVERY NOW AND THEN, COUNTY ENGINEER,
I TRY TO DO SOMETHING THAT'S HELPFUL AND AND NORMALLY I DON'T COME HERE, WANT TO SPEND MORE MONEY, BUT WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON SPACE PLANNING,
PARTICULARLY FOR THIS BUILDING FOR AT LEAST A YEAR. THERE'S AT LEAST A COUPLE OF COMMISSIONERS YOU'RE LOOKING AT TODAY THAT
THIS IS A, A A HIGH PRIORITY. SO THE RECOMMENDATION WOULD BE IF YOU NEED TO HIRE OUTSIDE HELP TO COME
IN AND HELP WITH THE PLANNING, PARTICULARLY RELATED TO THE NINTH FLOOR OF THIS BUILDING. 
          I KNOW COMMISSIONER BRIONES, AND I APPRECIATE IT,
COMMISSIONER. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH. WE ARE ACTUALLY PLANNING TO HIRE A CONSULTANT TO HELP US. 
          SO DO WE NEED TO TAKE ACTION THEN, OR ARE YOU ALREADY HIRING THE THIRD PARTY? WE ARE HIRING A THIRD PARTY TO ASSIST US. SO THE PROCESS,
YOU KNOW, USUALLY WHAT WE DO IN THE INITIAL PHASE, WE TRY TO COLLECT REQUIREMENT. ANYTIME WE GET A REQUEST FOR A SPACE FOR ANY DEPARTMENT YOU
KNOW, GLOBALLY IN THE COUNTY WE ASK THEM, YOU KNOW,
HOW MANY STAFF MEMBER HOW MANY OFFICES DO YOU NEED? DO YOU NEED A CONFERENCE ROOM? DO YOU NEED A KITCHEN? DO YOU KNOW ADDITIONAL AMENITIES? AND THEN WE LOOK FOR OUR AVAILABLE INVENTORY AND WHAT? WE GIVE THEM A TOUR. HEY, THIS IS THE AREA WE HAVE AVAILABLE. 
          AND THEN SOMETIMES YOU FIND A SPACE, THEN WE SAY,
OKAY, THE SPACE IS GOOD, BUT IT NEEDS SOME MODIFICATION TO FIT OUR NEEDS. 
          THAT'S THE TIME WE HIRE A CONSULTANT AND AN ARCHITECT TO COME IN AND HELP US OPTIMIZE THE
SPACE TO FIT NEEDS. 
          YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE WORK THAT WE DID COMMISSIONER BRIONES ON YOUR OFFICE SPACE YOU'VE
BEEN WORKING. 
          WE HAD AN ARCHITECT. SIMILARLY, WE DID WITH COMMISSIONER GARCIA,
COMMISSIONER RAMSEY'S SPACE. 
          AND THAT'S THE PROCESS FOR ANY ACTUALLY REMODELING EFFORT. 
          WE BRING THEM AND PROGRAMING. YOU KNOW, IN OUR WORLD,
WE CALL THIS PROGRAMING YOU KNOW, TO MAKE SURE THAT YOUR THE FUNCTION THAT EVERY OFFICE HAS, EVERY OFFICE HAS DIFFERENT FUNCTIONS THE SPACE THAT SERVES IT. 
          SO WE ALREADY DO THAT. AND SO WHEN WILL THIS THIRD PARTY CONSULTANT BE ENGAGED? DOCTOR RAMON. THIS ONE, COMMISSIONER. WE ARE PLANNING TO ENGAGE THEM IN ABOUT A COUPLE OF
MONTHS. 
          WE ARE TALKING TO THEM AT THIS TIME, BUT WE ARE ALSO SIMULTANEOUSLY WORKING ON COLLECTING
REQUIREMENTS FROM EVERY COUNTY DEPARTMENT. 
          THE OFFICE IN THIS BUILDING. WHAT ARE THE NEEDS? 
          [03:20:02]
WHAT KIND OF SPACE THEY WILL NEED? WHAT KIND OF AMENITIES THEY WILL NEED. SO INTERNALLY,
OUR OUR DIRECTOR FOR REAL PROPERTY, MICHAEL WEYER, HE AND HIS TEAM IS COLLECTING THE REQUIREMENTS. 
          AND THEN HE'S GOING TO GATHER EVERYBODY AND SAY,
HEY, NOW IS THE TIME TO GET A BROKER AND A REAL AND AN ARCHITECT. 
          OKAY. THANK YOU. ANY UPDATES TO OUR OFFICES YOU COULD PROVIDE ON SCHEDULE? WE APPRECIATE IT. SORRY, MICHAEL, IF I CAN BRING MICHAEL ABOUT TALKING ABOUT THE SCHEDULE
OF THIS INITIATIVE. 
          YEAH. GO AHEAD. AND, MICHAEL, JUST SORRY REALLY QUICKLY,
TO BE CLEAR, IF YOU CAN EXPLAIN THIS, WHETHER THIS THIRD PARTY ARCHITECT WILL ALSO BE THE OVERALL PROGRAM MANAGER,
KIND OF QUARTERBACKING THIS ENTIRE SPACE PLANNING EFFORT OR WHAT WILL BE DONE IN-HOUSE VERSUS A THIRD PARTY. IF I COULD HAVE CLARITY,
PLEASE. 
          GREAT. GREAT QUESTION, COMMISSIONER. AND WELCOME BACK,
JUDGE. MICHAEL WARE, DIRECTOR OF REAL PROPERTY. 
          IT'S GREAT TO BE HERE. I'M TASKED WITH THE DOWNTOWN MASTER PLAN. 
          SO I DO ALL THINGS REAL ESTATE. SO WE ABOUT A MONTH AGO,
THREE WEEKS AGO, KICKED OFF THE DOWNTOWN MASTER PLAN. 
          AND IT WE PRESENT IT TO ALL THE STAKEHOLDERS,
31 STAKEHOLDERS IN THE COUNTY. 
          AND THERE'S TWO MAJOR PORTIONS TO THE START OF THE CRITICAL TO THE CRITICAL PATH PLAN. 
          THE FIRST ONE IS GATHERING DATA. LIKE DOCTOR AMON SAID,
WE ARE WORKING. 
          WE JUST SENT OUT A SURVEY LAST WEEK WHERE WE'RE WORKING WITH THE STAKEHOLDERS,
31 COUNTY AGENCIES, 31 COUNTY DEPARTMENTS THAT HAVE A STAKE IN DOWNTOWN. 
          WE'RE WALKING THE PROPERTIES WITH THEM. MOST PEOPLE,
MOST OF THE PEOPLE HERE HAVE HAVE HEARD FROM ME, AND WE'VE WE'VE BEEN CONVERSING ABOUT THEIR NEEDS,
THEIR CURRENT REQUIREMENTS, THEIR FIVE YEAR REQUIREMENTS, THEIR TEN AND 20 YEAR REQUIREMENTS. WHAT ARE YOUR CURRENT PC? WHAT ARE YOUR FUTURE PC? WHAT ARE YOUR CURRENT? WHAT UNITS DO YOU HAVE? WHAT ARE THE SQUARE? WHAT ARE THE SIZES OF EACH UNIT? WE'RE COUNTING PARKING SPACES. WE'RE GATHERING ALL OF THEIR REQUIREMENTS. 
          WE HAVE A TEAM DEDICATED TO GATHERING THESE REQUIREMENTS,
AND WE BELIEVE IT'LL BE ABOUT TWO MONTHS MORE BEFORE WE GATHER ALL THOSE REQUIREMENTS. 
          CONCURRENTLY WITH THAT, ON THE OTHER SIDE, WE HAVE AN INVENTORY TEAM,
AND THEY'RE INVENTORYING ALL THAT PROPERTY DOWNTOWN. 
          THEY'RE CATALOGING THE INVENTORY. THEY'RE WORKING WITH BOS. 
          WE'RE WALKING SITES. WE'RE LOOKING AT FLOORPLANS. 
          WE'RE MEASURING SITES SO WE CAN GATHER ALL OF THE INVENTORY DATA FOR DOWNTOWN AT ROUGHLY
LIKE DOCTOR HARMON SAID, ROUGHLY WITHIN A MONTH, WE'RE GOING TO PROCURE A BROKER AND CONTRACT AN ARCHITECT WHO WILL
BE, AS YOU SAID, QUARTERBACKING THIS PROJECT. THEY WILL TAKE THIS PROJECT AND COMBINE THE
DATA. 
          MY MY, MY. SO MY TEAM IS GATHERING THE DATA. IT'S EASIER FOR SOMEONE INTERNAL TO WALK THE
SITES AND GATHER THE DATA. 
          WE WILL GIVE THEM THE RAW DATA, AND AT THAT POINT,
THE ARCHITECT WILL TAKE OVER THE PROJECT AND COMBINE THE DATA. 
          THE BROKER'S ROLE WILL BE MAKING THE ASSUMPTION THAT THERE WILL BE A DEFICIENCY. 
          OBVIOUSLY, IN A LONG TERM GROWTH, WE'LL NEED MORE SPACE. 
          THE BROKER WILL IDENTIFY FUTURE DEVELOPMENT SITES,
FUTURE BUILDINGS TO PURCHASE AND REMODEL, AND THEY WILL GIVE THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE ARCHITECT. THE ARCHITECT WILL THEN TAKE
ALL THE DATA AND COMBINE IT INTO 3 OR 4 PRELIMINARY MASTER PLANS. 
          PERHAPS THE MOST AFFORDABLE, THE MOST CENTRALIZED,
THE FASTEST WILL WILL DECIDE SOME CRITERIA TO GIVE THE ARCHITECT, AND THEY WILL COMBINE ALL OF THE DATA THAT WE ARE CATALOGING RIGHT NOW INTO 3 OR 4 MASTER
PLANS, WHICH WE WILL THEN PRESENT TO THE SPACE PLANNING COMMITTEE. 
          AND AT THAT POINT, THE SPACE PLANNING COMMITTEE WILL GIVE US RECOMMENDATIONS. 
          ALL Y'ALL WILL GIVE US RECOMMENDATIONS. YOU LIKE A CERTAIN PORTION OF THIS PLAN,
A CERTAIN PORTION OF THAT PLAN. AND THEN WE WILL COMBINE WITH THE ARCHITECT'S HELP INTO ONE GRAND MASTER PLAN, WHICH WE BELIEVE THAT WE CAN HAVE BY THE END OF THE YEAR. THAT'S
CORRECT. WHAT I WHAT I DON'T WANT TO GET BOGGED DOWN INTO IS A TWO YEAR MASTER PLAN. AND YOU'VE GOT INCREDIBLE IDEAS ON TERMS OF ALL OF OUR FACILITIES. 
          WE'VE HAD AN EMPTY SPACE ON THE NINTH FLOOR OF THIS BUILDING FOR A YEAR. 
          SOUNDS LIKE IT'S GOING TO BE A FEW MORE MONTHS. 
          SO THERE'S SOME THINGS YOU CAN DO SOONER RATHER THAN LATER. 
          I WOULD ASSUME. ABSOLUTELY, COMMISSIONER. SO THE SPACE PLANNING COMMITTEE,
WE CAN BRING THAT UP. 
          SO WE YOU KNOW, WE CAN PUT IT IN THE NEXT MONTH'S COMMISSIONERS SPACE PLANNING COMMITTEE
AGENDA. 
          AND ONCE WE COLLECT FEEDBACK, WE'VE BEEN TALKING. 
          COMMISSIONER, AS YOU KNOW WHAT WE COULD DO FOR THE COURTROOM AND THE BACK YOU KNOW,
EXECUTIVE CONFERENCE ROOM IN THE BACK IN THE NINTH FLOOR. 
          THERE HAS BEEN CONVERSATION IN THE PLANNING COMMITTEE,
BUT NEVER AN IDEA FOR A VOTE YET. 
          BUT SO WE WILL PUT IT BACK ON THE PLANNING COMMITTEE AGENDA IN THE NEXT MONTH,
AND HOPE WE CAN BRING BACK A RECOMMENDATION TO THE COURT SOON AFTER TALKING TO ALL THE COURT MEMBERS ON THAT. ABSOLUTELY. SO JUST TO GIVE YOU KNOW,
FOR EVERYBODY. 
          PLANNING COMMITTEE HAS A MEMBER FOR EACH OF YOUR OFFICE AND ALSO AN ALTERNATIVE VOTING
MEMBER. 
          [03:25:05]
OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NO ACTION. 
          ALL RIGHT, SO THAT IS 357. CORRECT. ALL RIGHT,
SO NO ACTION ON THAT ONE. 
          THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER GARCIA, FOR LEADING THE MEETING. 
          SO I HAVE SOME NOTES HERE ON WHAT WE WENT THROUGH. 
          I SEE THAT ITEM 19 AND 20 NEEDS TO BE NEED TO BE TAKEN AGAIN. 
          IS THAT RIGHT? OKAY. ALL RIGHT. SO AND I'D LIKE TO VOTE ON THE OTHER ONES GENERALLY WHEN
YOU GUYS ARE ABSENT AND GOING TO COME BACK, I WAIT UNTIL YOU RETURN TO TAKE THE VOTE. SO I'D LIKE TO REGISTER MY VOTE WITH THE SAME
COURTESY I EXTEND TO OTHERS. 
          SO ITEM 19 AND 20 GO TOGETHER. 21 DOES NOT. RIGHT. 
          OKAY. SO SO SO WE TAKE 19 AND 20 TOGETHER. IS THAT OKAY? IS THERE A MOTION? SO WE HAD DIFFERENT MOTIONS. 
          JUDGE, TO SUMMARIZE THE CONVERSATION. WELL, I DON'T WANT TO SPEAK FOR MY OTHER TWO
COLLEAGUES, BUT MY POSITION AND IT SEEMED LIKE COMMISSIONER ELLIS WAS IN AGREEMENT. 
          WE DO WANT TO MOVE FORWARD WITH 19 AND 20. WE I,
I BELIEVE THERE IS ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT IN OCA, BUT I THINK IT SERVES A FUNDAMENTALLY CRITICAL ROLE IN LEADING A COUNTY THAT IS OUR SIZE. 
          AND SO I'M IN FAVOR OF KEEPING OCA AND MOVING FORWARD WITH THE INTERIM COUNTY
ADMINISTRATOR JOB DESCRIPTION IN THE PERMANENT COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR PROCESS. 
          AND I'LL SECOND THAT MOTION. ALL RIGHT. SO MOTION BY COMMISSIONER,
SECOND BY COMMISSIONER ELLIS. 
          THIS IS ON 19 AND 20 OH 19. ON 19. ALL RIGHT. 
          SO THIS MOTION AND SECOND ON 19. ALL IN FAVOR? I'M SORRY. AND YOU WANT ME TO READ IT? YES. WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT SPECIFICALLY WITH
REGARD TO NUMBER 19, IS MOTION TO APPROVE THE INTERIM ADMINISTRATOR PRIORITIES AS PRESENTED AND TO ADD THEM TO
THE DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES SECTION OF THE JUNE 2023 COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR JOB DESCRIPTION TO CREATE AN UPDATED JOB DESCRIPTION FOR THE
INTERIM COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR. 
          ALL RIGHT. MOTION BY COMMISSIONER, SECOND BY COMMISSIONER ELLIS. 
          ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. ANY OPPOSED? NO. I'M IN FAVOR OF MOTION CARRIES 3 TO 2. 
          WHAT ABOUT ITEM 20? JUDGE, WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW THE MOTION? YES, PLEASE. MOTION? SURE. IT MAY BE A MOOT POINT AT THIS POINT. 
          I THINK IT IS MY MY STAFF HAD GIVEN ME A LITTLE WRITTEN SUMMARY. 
          SO. SO I DID READ IT. BUT BUT GO AHEAD. WELL,
THE MOTION THAT WAS MADE AND SECONDED WAS FOR THE OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT BUDGET, HARRIS COUNTY TOLL ROAD AUTHORITY, HARRIS COUNTY FLOOD CONTROL DISTRICT AND THE COUNTY
ENGINEER TO REPORT DIRECTLY TO COMMISSIONERS COURT DURING THE INTERIM AS WE LOOK FOR A NEW COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR. AND THAT WAS SECONDED. 
          ALL RIGHT. ALL IN FAVOR? ANY OPPOSED? NO. NO,
I'M OPPOSED AS WELL. 
          MOTION FAILS TO PASS. THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER RAMSEY. 
          I UNDERSTAND WHERE YOU GUYS ARE COMING FROM. AND THEN,
JUDGE, MAY I PLEASE READ WHAT I WOULD PROPOSE FOR 20 THAT I BELIEVE OCA AND ARE ALL FIVE OFFICES HAVE RECEIVED THIS,
BUT TO READ IT NUMBER 20 MOTION TO DIRECT HRT TO WORK WITH OCA AND A HIRING COMMITTEE MADE UP OF ONE STAFF MEMBER PER EACH COMMISSIONER'S COURT OFFICE TO SELECT AND APPROVE AN
EXECUTIVE RECRUITMENT FIRM ALREADY UNDER CONTRACT WITH HARRIS COUNTY TO ASSIST IN THE SEARCH FOR A PERMANENT COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR. 
          I SECOND THAT MOTION BY COMMISSIONER, SECOND BY COMMISSIONER ELLIS. 
          ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. ANY OPPOSED? NO. I'M IN FAVOR OF MOTION. 
          CARRIES 3 TO 2. THAT'S ITEM 20. IS THERE ANOTHER MOTION ON ITEM 20? OKAY, SO THAT IS 19 AND 20. MOVING ON TO ITEM 21. 
          THANK YOU FOR HOLDING THIS ONE UNTIL I RETURN. 
          MY UNDERSTANDING IS INTERIM ADMINISTRATOR DICKERMAN WILL BE PRESENTING THIS ONE. 
          THANK YOU. JUDGE. SO I THINK LAST TIME WE WERE ASKED TO COME BACK FOR FOR THIS COURT WITH
THE COMPLETE SORT OF REWRITE ON THE TRAVEL AND TRAINING POLICY. AND SO WE HAD WE'D BEEN WORKING ON THIS FOR SOME TIME WITH THE OFFICE OF
MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET PRESENTED A NUMBER OF CHANGES AROUND COST INCREASES TO TO PER DIEM AND TO A NUMBER OF OTHER ISSUES. 
          WE WE WE DID NOT GET CLARITY ON THE THE INTERNATIONAL TRANSPORTATION ISSUE IN LOOKING FROM
COURT, BUT WE PUT THREE OPTIONS IN HERE REALLY TO GET DIRECTION FROM FROM COURT ON ON WHERE
PEOPLE WANTED TO GO. 
          WE RECEIVED FEEDBACK FROM VARIOUS OFFICES. AND,
YOU KNOW, IF YOU'D LIKE JUDGE, WE CAN WE CAN WALK THROUGH THOSE THREE, 
          [03:30:07]
THOSE THREE OPTIONS AS, AS WE SEE THEM, IF THAT'S ALL RIGHT. 
          JUST BRIEFLY. SURE. YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. OH, WAIT. 
          WHERE TO GO? SORRY, SORRY. ONE SECOND. I THINK I MISPLACED THE. 
          IT'S OKAY. WHERE DID THAT GO? WHAT'S THAT? I'VE GOT IT RIGHT HERE. YEAH? YEAH. 
          WALK THROUGH. I JUST HAVE TOO MANY WINDOWS OPEN IN THIS PLACE. 
          WHICH ONE I WANT? RIGHT THERE. YOU GOT IT. OH. 
          APOLOGIES, COMMISSIONERS. SO ON OPTION A YOU KNOW,
ORIGINALLY THIS COURT HAD A POLICY THAT RESTRICTED ALL TRAVEL OUTSIDE OF THE UNITED STATES. THEY'RE STARTING IN AUGUST OF 2006. AND SO OPTION A WAS JUST TO CONTINUE THE
EXISTING POLICY, WHICH REALLY CREATED AN EXEMPTION FOR EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCES. 
          THIS THIS WASN'T PARTICULARLY WELL DEFINED. OPTION B WAS,
YOU KNOW, CONTINUING WITH THE APPROVAL PROCESS BUT EXPANDING THESE SORT OF PERMISSIBLE CIRCUMSTANCES CALLING OUT IN PARTICULAR OFFICIAL GOVERNMENT INTERGOVERNMENTAL
SUMMITS OR CONFERENCES THAT ARE RELEVANT TO COUNTY BUSINESS, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, PUBLIC SAFETY OR EMERGENCY RESPONSE COORDINATION OR INFRASTRUCTURE,
TRANSPORTATION OR HEALTH RELATED PARTNERSHIPS. 
          THIS ONE ALSO INCLUDES PRIOR APPROVAL FROM COMMISSIONERS COURT,
THE COUNTY BUDGET OFFICER, AND THE AND THE DEPARTMENT HEAD. AND THEN OPTION C CREATED FURTHER EXEMPTIONS FOR
COMMISSIONER, COURT OFFICES AND EXPANDING THOSE PARTICULAR CIRCUMSTANCES. 
          JUDGE AND COMMISSIONERS, WE LOOKED AT POLICIES ACROSS OUR PEER COUNTIES. 
          AND HONESTLY, THERE WAS VERY LITTLE WRITTEN DOWN ON INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL. 
          IT'S NOT AN ISSUE THAT THAT MOST COUNTIES HAVE CALLED OUT. 
          I THINK, YOU KNOW, WHILE IT'S QUITE FREQUENT FOR OFFICIALS TO TRAVEL TO DIFFERENT TO
DIFFERENT PLACES, THIS POLICY DEALS IN PARTICULAR WITH SPENDING COUNTY DOLLARS OFTEN TRIPS,
YOU KNOW, TRIPS ARE PAID FOR BY, BY OTHER MEANS. I DON'T THINK OUR RULES SPEAK TO THAT AT ALL. 
          THEY JUST SPEAK TO THE SPENDING OF COUNTY OF COUNTY DOLLARS. 
          SO WE PUT THOSE THREE OPTIONS ON, ON THE TABLE REALLY FOR FOR THE DISCUSSION OF OF COURT. 
          AGAIN, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF OTHER SORT OF DETAILS AND UPDATES FROM THE POLICY THAT WE'VE
INCLUDED THAT WE THINK BRINGS IT UP TO STANDARD INCREASES PER DIEMS INCREASES SOME THRESHOLDS TO,
TO COSTS THAT HAD BEEN QUITE LOW. 
          AND WE HOPE WILL LOWER THE ADMINISTRATIVE BURDEN ON SOME OF THESE ISSUES. 
          THERE ARE A LOT, A LOT OF TRAVEL AND TRAINING REQUESTS. 
          AND WE'LL BE PROVIDING IF THIS IF THIS ITEM IS APPROVED,
WE'LL BE PROVIDING TRAINING FOR THE DEPARTMENTS ON ON THE CHANGES. 
          GREAT. THANK YOU. ANY QUESTIONS FROM MY COLLEAGUES OR MOTIONS? OH, MY SCREEN IS OFF. OKAY, COMMISSIONER RAMSEY THEN,
GARCIA, AND NOT ME. 
          OKAY. GO AHEAD, COMMISSIONER RAMSEY. I FOR ONE THINK OPTION A IS IS FINE. 
          THAT REQUIRES WHICHEVER FOLKS NEED TO TRAVEL INTERNATIONALLY,
THEY NEED TO COME TO COURT. 
          WE NEED TO KNOW HOW MUCH IT'S GOING TO COST. WE NEED TO KNOW WHERE PEOPLE ARE GOING. AND
THAT'S TRANSPARENT. 
          IT DOES REFERENCE IN THAT OPTION, EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCES. 
          SO THAT WOULD BE DEFINED WHEN THE PERSON BRINGS IT TO COURT. 
          HERE ARE THE EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCES FOR THE INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL. 
          SO IT, IT APPEARS THAT THE, THE CURRENT POLICY,
WHICH IS OPTION A IS IS WORKABLE IF WE COME TO COURT, DESCRIBE WHAT IT IS, WHERE WE'RE GOING,
AND LET COURT MAKES DECISIONS. 
          I HAVE HAVE NO REASON. NO, NO NO REASON TO CHANGE WHAT WE CURRENTLY DO. 
          COMMISSIONER GARCIA. THANK YOU. AND I, TOO CONCUR WITH COMMISSIONER RAMSEY. 
          WE'RE A VERY LOCAL GOVERNMENT, AND IT'S GOOD TO UNDERSTAND HOW OTHER COUNTIES HANDLE THE
KIND OF WORK THAT WE DO AND GO TO THE CONFERENCES FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENTS TO LEARN ABOUT BEST PRACTICES AND NEW DEVELOPMENTS. NACO HAS IS A IS A GREAT EXAMPLE OF THAT. 
          ONE OF MY FIRST CONFERENCES INSPIRED ME TO LOOK AT HOW WE COULD BRING SOLAR AMENITIES TO
HARRIS COUNTY. 
          AND IT'S LED US TO SOLAR FOR ALL, AS AN EXAMPLE. 
          AND THERE'S MANY OTHER EXAMPLES OF HOW THE BENEFIT OF GOING TO NACO HAS HAS HELPED ME IN
MY PARTICULAR WORK. 
          [03:35:04]
HOWEVER, AS COMMISSIONER RAMSEY MENTIONED, I DON'T WANT TO OPEN THE DOOR ANY MORE THAN IT
ALREADY IS FOR INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL. 
          THERE'S LITTLE TOO LITTLE TO BE THERE'S TOO LITTLE TO BE GLEANED FROM THAT TYPE OF TRAVEL. 
          AND I CERTAINLY DON'T WANT TO OPEN IT ANY, ANY MORE THAN IT IS FOR STAFF DELEGATIONS,
WHICH CAN MAKE THINGS EXPONENTIALLY MORE EXPENSIVE. 
          AND I'M NOT SUPPORTIVE OF ANYTHING THAT MAKES THE PROCESS LESS TRANSPARENT. 
          WE HAVE THESE TRAVEL AND TRAINING POLICIES BECAUSE IT IS SOMETHING THAT HAS BEEN ABUSED IN
THE PAST. 
          AND AND SO IF WE CAN'T FOLLOW THE PROCESS, THEN WE SHOULDN'T TRAVEL. 
          SO MY MOTION WOULD BE TO SUPPORT OPTION A, IS THERE A SECOND SECOND OKAY. 
          MOTION A SECOND. WE'LL HAVE DISCUSSION ON THE MOTION,
BUT I NEED TO ACCEPT THE MOTION IN A SECOND. 
          GO AHEAD, COMMISSIONER BRANDIS. SO I FUNDAMENTALLY WELL,
FIRST OF ALL, JESSE, ON THE SMALL UPDATES SINCE IT HADN'T BEEN UPDATED SINCE 2017, LIKE THE PER DIEM TO MAKE THEM IN ACCORDANCE WITH STATE,
ETC.. 
          I THINK THOSE CHANGES ARE HELPFUL BECAUSE IT'S THE YEAR 2025,
SO I WOULD BE IN FAVOR OF MAKING THOSE KIND OF FACTUAL UPDATES DATES WITH REGARD TO INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL, WE ARE ALL STEWARDS OF TAXPAYER DOLLARS. 
          I BELIEVE WHEN WE'RE USING PUBLIC FUNDS, WE NEED TO BE COMPLETELY TRANSPARENT AND OPEN
WITH THE PUBLIC. 
          AND SO I COULD BE SUPPORTIVE OF THE MOTION THAT WAS JUST MADE WITH THE UPDATES TO THINGS
THAT HADN'T BEEN UPDATED IN 2017, I.E. PER DIEM, FOR EXAMPLE. SO, COMMISSIONER,
IS THAT BASICALLY OPTION B? WHAT WOULD EXACTLY WHAT WOULD THE POLICY READ EXACTLY? SO IT WOULD BE THE CURRENT POLICY WHICH JUST SOME FACTS WOULD NEED TO BE UPDATED. 
          AND I KNOW AN OCA ARE WORKING ON. SO COMMISSIONER THE CURRENT POLICY,
THE POLICY DRAFT THAT WE PROVIDED YOU KNOW, OPTION A, THOSE ADDITIONAL CHANGES THAT WE'VE MADE ARE IN THIS POLICY. 
          SO CHOOSING OPTION A HERE WOULD WOULD INCLUDE THE OTHER UPDATES THAT WE'VE MADE TO PER
DIEM AND AND OTHER DETAILS. 
          SO? SO I THOUGHT YOU SAID OPTION A IS KEEP THE CURRENT POLICY AS IS. 
          I JUDGE THE CURRENT OPTION A IS TO KEEP THE CURRENT INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL POLICY,
AS IS THE. 
          THE OTHER UPDATES HAVE BEEN MADE ACROSS THOSE AT THE LAST COURT. 
          WE DID NOT. WE BROUGHT THIS IS THE FIRST TIME WE'VE ACTUALLY BROUGHT THE FULL POLICY BACK. 
          SO THERE WAS THAT WAS WHY WE ASKED TO BRING IT BACK AT THE LAST COURT,
BECAUSE WE DIDN'T HAVE ALL THOSE UPDATES CONSOLIDATED INTO A SINGLE DOCUMENT. 
          THAT'S THAT'S WHAT'S BEEN CIRCULATED AMONG YOUR OFFICES. 
          OKAY. SO THE SO THE. YES, COMMISSIONER. JUST HAVE A COUPLE QUESTIONS HERE. 
          SO THE THE THERE DOESN'T SEEM TO BE DISAGREEMENT AS TO THE PER DIEM,
ETC.. 
          THAT'S WHY YOU'RE NOT PRESENTING ANYTHING ON THAT AND SO ON THE INTERNATIONAL POLICY. 
          WE WOULD KEEP THE THE ORDER FROM 2006 WITHOUT UPDATING IT,
AND IT WOULD SAY PROHIBITING COUNTY BUSINESS TRAVEL. 
          NO TRAVEL FUNDS APPROVED EXCEPT IN EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCES WHICH INVOLVE COUNTY
BUSINESS. 
          THE EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCES REQUIRE PRIOR APPROVAL. 
          SO MY MY THINKING, THOUGH, IS THAT OPTION B IS MORE RESTRICTIVE THAN OPTION A,
AND I WOULD RATHER GO WITH THAT ONE. 
          I ALSO THINK IT'S A LOT MORE SPECIFIC. SO INSTEAD OF JUST SAYING EXTRAORDINARY
CIRCUMSTANCES WHICH EVERYBODY COULD INTERPRET DIFFERENTLY, OPTION B LAYS OUT WHAT ARE THE KINDS OF CIRCUMSTANCES THAT WE WANT PEOPLE TO BRING TO
COURT. 
          AND ALSO IT'S IT GIVES FOLKS A GUIDANCE ON, YOU KNOW,
DON'T EVEN BOTHER BRINGING THAT. 
          SO I THINK IT'S THE SAME THING BUT UPDATED FOR 2025. 
          SO I WOULD PUT A WHAT DO YOU CALL IT SUBSTITUTE MOTION FOR,
FOR OPTION B. 
          CAN I ASK A CLARIFYING QUESTION FOR A OR B? BECAUSE TO ME IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE
COME TO COURT, ARE VERY TRANSPARENT WITH THE INFORMATION, DETAILS,
COST, PURPOSE, ETC.. 
          LOCATION. BOTH A OR B WOULD COME TO COURT FIRST FOR PRIOR APPROVAL. 
          AND COMMISSIONER, JUST SO YOU KNOW, COMMISSIONER GARCIA HAD WAS ON THE LIST FOR. 
          SO I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT'S WELL I WOULD LOVE THE ANSWER IN A SECOND. 
          THANK YOU. SORRY, COMMISSIONER GARCIA. NO. NO WORRIES. 
          MY ONE THING THAT I DID FORGET TO MENTION IS THAT WHAT IS NEEDED IN ANY OTHER IN ANY
OPTION THAT WE DO ADOPT, IS TO AMEND WHERE POSSIBLE THAT THAT WE CONNECT THE PER DIEM AND OTHER
REIMBURSEMENT TO FEDERAL RATES TO ELIMINATE DOLLAR AMOUNTS. THE APPARENTLY OUR PER DIEM SCHEDULE IS A LITTLE BIT OUT OF
WHACK. 
          [03:40:03]
AND AND THIS WILL ALLOW US TO KEEP IT CURRENT WITH WHATEVER THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
STANDARD IS SO THAT I, SAID, YOU KNOW, I'M NOT GOING TO DEBATE OPTION A OR B AT THE MOMENT,
BUT I DO MAKE A MOTION TO AMEND WHERE AMEND TO WHERE POSSIBLE, CONNECT PER DIEM AND OTHER REIMBURSEMENT TO FEDERAL RATES TO ELIMINATE DOLLAR AMOUNTS. 
          COMMISSIONER, WE WE DID LOOK CLOSELY AT HOW TO AT THE AT THE GSA'S SUGGESTED RATES. 
          WE PUT IN THIS DOCUMENT INTO 65 MOST OF OUR OUT OF AREA TRAVEL IN TEXAS TRAVEL TO DALLAS,
AUSTIN. 
          YOU KNOW, SAN ANTONIO WAS AROUND THAT RANGE. WE THOUGHT THAT THE ACTUAL FEDERAL RATE SITE
IS QUITE COMPLICATED TO NAVIGATE. 
          AND SO WE THOUGHT AS AN INTERIM STEP TO PUT 65,
WE CAN COME BACK NEXT YEAR WITH SOME MORE TIME IN TRAINING AND GET FOLKS TO DO THE SPECIFICS. SO YOU WANT TO YOU WANT TO WAIT ON THAT ON THAT MOTION. 
          WELL, WE IF POSSIBLE, WE'VE UPDATED IT TO 65,
WHICH IS THE CURRENT GSA RATE FOR THE PLACES WHERE MOST COMMONLY TRAVELING INSIDE INSIDE TEXAS, DALLAS, AUSTIN, SAN ANTONIO. AND SO WE THOUGHT THAT UPDATE WOULD COVER MOST NEW
YORK IS, YOU KNOW, QUITE 90, RIGHT? IT'S HIGHER. BUT BUT THERE'S LESS LESS TRAVEL THERE. 
          MY QUESTION IS, DO YOU NEED THE MOTION OR NOT? I THINK WE CAN HOLD OFF ON THE MOTION,
IF THAT'S OKAY WITH YOU. I WITHDRAW MY MOTION. 
          THANK YOU. JESSE. OKAY, SO THAT'S THAT'S BEING DONE. 
          THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER. COMMISSIONER BRIONES. SORRY TO GO BACK TO THE QUESTION OF A AND
B, BECAUSE TO ME, WHAT'S MOST IMPORTANT IS, IS THE TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY OF PUBLIC
FUNDS FOR PUBLIC PURPOSES. 
          JESSE, COULD YOU JUST VERY CLEARLY BETWEEN A AND B STATE THAT THERE? YES. I THINK WE ADDED THIS LINE FOR OPTION B,
WHICH SAID FOR ALL COUNTY DEPARTMENTS, THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL NECESSITY REQUIRES PRIOR APPROVAL FROM COMMISSIONERS COURT,
THE COUNTY BUDGET OFFICER AND THE DEPARTMENT HEAD. 
          SO THAT LANGUAGE IS IN B I. AND SO I THINK THAT IN B THAT CERTAINLY IS TRUE. 
          A IS THE CURRENT POLICY. I THINK WE DON'T HAVE AS EXPLICIT LANGUAGE IN THE CURRENT POLICY
AS, AS IN OPTION B. AND I TO ME, IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT IT'S CLEAR ALSO NOT ONLY IS PRIOR
APPROVAL WITH FULL TRANSPARENCY FOR THE REASONS I'VE STATED, BUT ALSO FOR ALL COUNTY DEPARTMENTS,
INCLUDING THE FIVE OF US, BECAUSE WE NEED TO BE LEADING BY EXAMPLE. 
          AND SO I AND I THINK THERE'S SOME LANGUAGE THAT NEEDS TO BE IMPROVED SO THAT IT'S CRYSTAL, CRYSTAL CLEAR. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU HAVE THE LANGUAGE IN FRONT OF YOU. 
          SO. WELL, DO YOU HAVE AN OPINION ON THE CLARITY OF LANGUAGE FOR A OR B? I HAVE NO OPINIONS ON THIS. I WILL PLEAD THE FIFTH J I'LL MAKE A MOTION THAT WE ADOPT
OPTION A SECOND. 
          DID YOU SAY THAT WE PICK OPTION A COMMISSIONER? OKAY. AND THEN I HAD A MOTION FOR OPTION B. BE. 
          DO I HAVE A SECOND FOR MY SUBSTITUTE MOTION? POINT OF ORDER. 
          MR. RAMSAY HAS ALREADY SECOND THE ITEM. SO WE WOULD HAVE TO VOTE ON THE FIRST ITEM. 
          IS THAT CORRECT? YEAH. THAT'S CORRECT. MOTION HAS BEEN MADE. 
          IT'S BEEN SECONDED. SO IF HE WANTS TO, I THINK I THOUGHT WHEN WE HAVE A SUBSTITUTE ONE WE
VOTE ON THE SUBSTITUTE ONE FIRST. 
          AND I'M SORRY. YOU'RE CORRECT. IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE DOING? YEAH. OKAY. I'M ASKING FOR A SECOND. FOR MY MIND DOESN'T EXIST. 
          LET ME ASK THIS. WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO? WELL, THE FIRST ONE SAYS THAT NO FUNDS WILL BE APPROVED EXCEPT IN,
QUOTE, EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCES WHICH INVOLVE COUNTY BUSINESS. 
          SO THERE'S NO SPECIFICITY SLASH TRANSPARENCY. 
          THE SECOND ONE EXPLAINS THE CIRCUMSTANCES. IT SAYS IT'S PERMISSIBLE ONLY UNDER THE
FOLLOWING CIRCUMSTANCES. 
          AND IT LISTS OFFICIAL INTERGOVERNMENTAL SUMMITS OR CONFERENCES RELEVANT TO COUNTY
BUSINESS, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, PUBLIC SAFETY OR EMERGENCY RESPONSE COORDINATION EFFORTS,
INFRASTRUCTURE, TRANSPORTATION, OR HEALTH RELATED PARTNERSHIPS. BOTH OF THEM SAY THAT THE TRAVEL REQUIRES PRIOR APPROVAL FROM COMMISSIONERS COURT,
THE COUNTY BUDGET OFFICE AND THE DEPARTMENT HEAD. 
          AND OPTION A IS ALMOST 20 YEARS OLD. SO IS IT. 
          I'M JUST TRYING TO MAKE THIS IS JUST FOR COMMISSIONERS,
FOR EVERYBODY. 
          SO MY TAKE IS OPTION B IS MORE TRANSPARENT THAN OPTION A AND GIVES CLARITY TO THE
DEPARTMENTS ON WHAT THEY CAN CONSIDER BRINGING OR NOT BRINGING FOR OUR APPROVAL. SAME FOR US. SO NOW WE'RE TALKING ABOUT INTERNATIONAL TRAVELERS ISSUE HERE,
RIGHT? YEAH. LIKE DOMESTIC TRAVEL. AND CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG,
JESSE IS NOBODY HAS AN ISSUE WITH THAT. 
          CORRECT THE WAY IT CURRENTLY IS DONE. THIS THIS SECTION IS SPECIFICALLY INTERNATIONAL
TRAVEL COMMISSIONERS JUDGE. 
          SO I'M I DON'T I'M NOT PREPARED TO GO GIVE DEPARTMENT HEADS THE ABILITY TO GO DO
INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL. 
          IF ONE OF YOU ALL WANT TO DO INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL AND IT'S OUT OF YOUR BUDGET,
I DON'T HAVE A PROBLEM WITH IT. 
          [03:45:01]
IN MY CASE, IF I DO INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL, I DON'T PUT IT ON THE CAMERA. 
          I'LL PAY FOR IT OFF MY CAMPAIGN. THAT'S JUST MY PREFERENCE. 
          RIGHT. SO THESE. SO BOTH OF THESE GIVE THE OPTION FOR ANY ONE OF US AND DEPARTMENT HEADS
TO BRING TO BRING IT TO COMMISSIONERS COURT FOR APPROVAL OR REJECTION. SO YOU COULD JUST VOTE NO. 
          BUT BUT YEAH, I MEAN, WE COULD ALSO TAKE OUT DEPARTMENTS,
I GUESS, AND JUST MAKE IT FOR US. 
          I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW. DO YOU WANT, DO YOU WANT US TO SEND YOU THE OPTIONS AND WE CAN JUST
COME BACK TO THIS ITEM? NO. YEAH, THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. 
          JUDGE BECAUSE I WAS GOING TO SAY IT DOESN'T SPECIFY THAT IT'S SPECIFIC FOR INTERNATIONAL
EITHER. 
          THE WAY THE ITEM IS WORDED ON THE AGENDA, I THINK THE LANGUAGE ACTUALLY NEEDS HONING,
WHETHER YOU'RE AN OPTION A TEAM OR OPTION B TEAM, BOTH TO ME, STILL LACK CLARITY AND PRECISION IN THE WORDS. 
          AND SO MY END GOAL IS THE TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY OF PUBLIC FUNDS. 
          AND BOTH OF THEM STILL, IN MY OPINION, NEED WORDSMITHING WHETHER YOU'RE ON TEAM A OR TEAM
B TO MAKE IT CLEAR THAT IT'S THE FIVE OF US PLUS EVERY OTHER OFFICE, OR DEPENDING ON WHATEVER ONE'S PHILOSOPHY IS. 
          BUT SURE. SO, I MEAN, WE CAN TAKE THIS BACK. I MEAN,
I THINK IF WE'RE GOING BETWEEN TWO RATHER SIMILAR, SIMILAR MOTIONS AND YOU'D LIKE THERE TO BE MORE SPECIFICITY ON WHAT GETS REPORTED,
COMMISSIONER, WE CAN DO THAT. AND I THINK FOR THIS POLICY,
THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT A SECTION THAT'S SPECIFICALLY TO INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL. 
          THE OVERALL THIS IS THE OVERALL TRAVEL AND TRAINING POLICY. 
          SO THEY'RE THEY'RE JUST TALKING ABOUT ONE SECTION THAT IS SPECIFIC TO INTERNATIONAL
TRAVEL. 
          YEAH. SO I DON'T HAVE A PROBLEM WITH RAISING THE RATES. SO WE ARE WHEREVER THE STATE IS OR
THE FEDS BECAUSE I THINK WE'RE OUT OF WHACK WHEN IT COMES TO INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL. 
          I WANT TO KNOW LOS ANGELES COUNTY IN PARTICULAR,
WHAT DO THEY DO? BUT I DON'T WANT TO GET INTO DEPARTMENT HEADS DOING IT. 
          THAT'S JUST A IF THERE HAD BEEN A VERY SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCE BUT IF SOMEBODY WANTED US
TRADE DELEGATION. 
          BUT NEITHER OF THESE APPROVES THAT. COMMISSIONER ELLIS. 
          SO TO SO TO GO TO COUNTY CLERK, YOU HAD A QUESTION. 
          WHAT WAS YOUR POINT? I WAS JUST TRYING TO CLARIFY,
BECAUSE THE WAY IT'S WORDED ON THE AGENDA, IT DOESN'T SPECIFY THAT IT'S JUST FOR INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL. 
          THE WAY WHAT'S WORDED, THE WAY IT'S WORDED ON THE AGENDA IS ITEM 21. 
          IT SAYS FOR DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON PROPOSED UPDATES TO THE HARRIS COUNTY TRAVEL
TRAINING AND BUSINESS MEETING POLICY. 
          SO, SO SO IT DOESN'T SAY THAT WE'RE DOING INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL,
BUT IT DOESN'T SAY WE'RE NOT DOING INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL. 
          CORRECT. SO WE JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE. SO WHENEVER A MOTION IS READ THAT,
YOU KNOW, WE'RE SO THAT WE HAVE TO PASS BOTH SO THAT WE SAY WE APPROVE EVERYTHING AND EVERYTHING, NOT NOT INVOLVED INTERNATIONAL. AND THEN FOR INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL,
HERE'S THE MOTION, IS THAT I THINK OUR INTENT, OUR INTENT COMING IN HERE WAS THAT WE COULD APPROVE THE
OVERALL POLICY WITH OPTION A OR THE OVERALL POLICY WITH OPTION B, RIGHT. THAT'S WHAT WE PROVIDED THOSE OPTIONS SO THAT WE COULD A MOTION. 
          MOTION TO APPROVE THE INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL POLICY INCLUDING OPTION A. 
          OKAY. SO GOOD SO GOOD CATCH. SO THE MOTION WILL BE OVERALL POLICY WITH OPTION A WITH
OPTION B OR WITH OPTION C. 
          OKAY. SO I THINK LET'S LET'S COME BACK TO IT BECAUSE I KNOW COMMISSIONER ELLIS IS STILL
GETTING THE INFORMATION AND, AND FRANKLY, I'M NOT YOU KNOW, I DON'T FEEL THAT STRONGLY ABOUT THE OPTIONS. 
          I JUST THINK WE NEED TO HAVE IT. HAVE IT HAVE A A CLEAR PROCESS. 
          SO SO, COMMISSIONER, MY, MY TEAM IS WORKING WITH YOURS,
AND I'LL MAKE A NOTE TO COME BACK TO 21. 
          OKAY. ALL RIGHT. SO THAT'S SO THAT WAS 21. AND THEN JUDGE. 
          YES. JUST TO CLARIFY ON ON ITEM 21, ARE YOU SUGGESTING NO ACTION ON IT FOR TODAY'S MEETING
OR ARE YOU GOING TO BRING IT BACK? CIRCLE BACK BECAUSE HE DOESN'T. SOUNDS GOOD. THE NOTES YET. 
          ALL RIGHT. SO ITEM 22 WAS NEXT. A JUDGE. THERE WAS NO ITEM 22 ON THE DISCUSSION LIST. 
          OKAY. GOT IT. ALL RIGHT. ITEM 24. NO, I BELIEVE IT GOES. 
          IT JUMPS TO ITEM 358. YEAH. I'M SORRY. THERE WAS THEY TWEAKED MY MY COLORS HERE SO I DON'T
KNOW WHAT'S WHAT. 
          OKAY. SO WHAT'S THE NEXT ITEM? THREE 5858 EXCUSE ME. 
          358 SO WE DIDN'T VOTE ON ANYTHING ELSE AT ALL. 
          WE DID. AND THAT WAS GOING TO GO BACK TOWARDS THE END TO ASK,
YOU KNOW. 
          SO THAT'S WHAT I WANT TO DO NOW. VOTE ON THE ITEMS,
THE FOR YOUR VOTE TO BE COUNTED ON THE ITEMS. YES. SO WHAT'S THE NEXT ONE THAT WAS VOTED ON AFTER THEY WE DISCUSSED 19 AND 20 AND THEN
WHAT? 166. ALL RIGHT. SO 166 SO THIS IS GUIDELINES WERE APPROVED AS PRESENTED. 
          IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE THESE GUIDELINES AS PRESENTED? SO YOU WANT TO GO BACK AND REVOTE ON THOSE ITEMS? JUDGE. YEAH. IF SO, MOVED. JUDGE I THINK THAT THE EASIEST,
FASTEST WAY TO DO IT IS JUST THERE. 
          [03:50:06]
LET'S SEE, 66 I HAVE IT'S 166 182, 348, 237,
244 AND 257 WERE THE ITEMS THAT WERE VOTED ON WHEN THE JUDGE WAS SO WOULD BE A MOTION TO
RECONSIDER THOSE ITEMS. SO MOVED. ALL RIGHT. SO MOTION TO RECONSIDER THOSE ITEMS. MOTION BY COMMISSIONER GARCIA SECOND. IS THERE A SECOND FOR THAT? ARE WE GOING TO ARE WE GOING TO TAKE EACH ONE OF THEM? NO. JUST WERE THEY UNANIMOUS VOTES ON. ARE WE GOING TO HAVE TO GO BACK AND DEBATE EVERY
ONE OF THESE AGAIN? NO. I THINK THIS IS JUST SO THAT THE JUDGE COULD RECORD HER VOTE IN FAVOR. 
          BUT CAN WE MAKE A MOTION TO LET THE JUDGE VOTE ON EACH ONE? CAN I MAKE A MOTION. YEAH, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE THE MOTION ABOUT,
COMMISSIONER ELLIS. 
          AND WHENEVER ONE OF YOU HAS BEEN LATE OR ABSENT,
I'VE SAVED US THE VOTING SO THAT YOU CAN RECORD YOUR VOICE, YOUR VOTE. SO I'M JUST ASKING IF WE CAN TAKE IT ONE AT A TIME TO MAKE IT EASIER. 
          IF THAT'S EASIER FOR YOU, COMMISSIONER. I THOUGHT THEY WERE ALL UNANIMOUS. WE'VE RECORDED
THE VOTES. NOW THE JUDGE WANTS TO RECORD HER VOTE. BECAUSE I UNDERSTAND IT. 
          YEAH, BUT I IN THE PAST, WE DON'T VOTE AT ALL. 
          WHEN ONE OF YOU IS ABOUT TO COME BACK, I SAVE THAT SO THAT WE CAN ALL VOTE TOGETHER. 
          THAT IS THE COURTESY I AWARD TO YOU GUYS. I'M JUST CONFUSED RIGHT NOW. 
          OKAY, SO LET ME JUST GO. LET ME JUST GO ONE BY ONE. 
          AND CAN YOU PUT THE COLORS BACK BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW WHAT CHANGED AND WHAT DIDN'T. 
          ALL RIGHT. SO SO WHAT WAS THE ONE AFTER 20? AFTER THEY DISCUSSED 19 AND 20. 
          CAN YOU JUST TELL ME THE ONE THE ONE FOLLOWING? I HAVE IT WAS 66. OKAY, SO 166 THERE WAS A MOTION ALREADY TO APPROVE THE GUIDELINES AS PRESENTED. IS THERE A MOTION? SO IS THE MOTION TO BRING IT BACK UP. IS THAT WHAT WE'RE DOING? YES. OKAY. I THINK A MOTION WAS MADE TO BRING IT BACK UP. 
          I SECONDED BEFORE VOTING AS I DO SO I DON'T. YEAH,
LET'S VOTE FOR IT TWICE I GUESS. 
          SO THERE WAS. YES. YEAH. A MOTION TO RECONSIDER THE ITEM AND THEN A MOTION TO APPROVE. 
          ALL RIGHT. SO IS THERE A MOTION TO RECONSIDER? TO RECONSIDER? MR. GARCIA MADE IT, AND I'M SECOND. 
          ALL RIGHT. MOTION BY COMMISSIONER GARCIA, SECOND BY COMMISSIONER ELLIS. ALL IN FAVOR? AND
THERE WAS A MOTION. ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES UNANIMOUSLY. OKAY. IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE GUIDELINES AS
PRESENTED? I THINK THERE'S A QUESTION. YES. I'M SORRY. MY APOLOGIES,
BECAUSE THERE WERE SOME THAT THERE WERE MOTIONS READ. 
          SO FOR ITEM 166, I DO HAVE WE'RE JUST TALKING ABOUT 166 RIGHT NOW. 
          CORRECT. YES. AND COMMISSIONER BRIONES HAD READ A MOTION. 
          SO I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE VOTING AGAIN ON THE MOTION THAT WAS READ DURING
COURT. 
          SO, YES. WHAT ARE YOU ASKING FOR CLARITY ON ON WHAT THE WHAT THE ITEM IS THE ITEM ON 160. 
          BECAUSE WHAT I HAVE IS, IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE AS PRESENTED. 
          IS THAT NOT THE MOTION? NO, I'M NOT COMMISSIONER SO I CAN READ IT FOR EVERYONE'S EASE. 
          ITEM 166 THE MOTION TO DIRECT HARRIS COUNTY ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT TO IMPLEMENT THE
REVISED TIA GUIDELINES, EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY, ENSURE THEIR ENFORCEMENT IS BUILT INTO THE DEPARTMENT'S INTERNAL
PROCESSES AND CONSULT PRECINCT STAFF AS RELEVANT DURING IMPLEMENTATION, AND DIRECT HER TO REPORT BACK TO COURT ON IMPLEMENTATION AT THE AUGUST
7TH, 2025 COURT SECOND. ALL RIGHT. MOTION BY COMMISSIONER,
SECOND BY COMMISSIONER GARCIA. 
          ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. ANY OPPOSE? MOTION CARRIES UNANIMOUSLY. 
          ALL RIGHT, THEN. WHAT WAS THE NEXT ONE? 182 WAS ALSO A MOTION READ. 
          OKAY, SO 182 IS ON A POLICY RECOMMENDING BEST PRACTICES FOR FLOOD WASTE OWNED BY THE FLOOD
CONTROL DISTRICT AS IT PERTAINS TO UNHOUSED INDIVIDUALS. I HAD A MOTION ON THAT ONE,
JUDGE. 
          ALL RIGHT. COMMISSIONER GARCIA, WHAT WAS YOUR MOTION? MY MOTION WAS TO. DIRECT UNIVERSAL SERVICES TO UPDATE THE 311 SYSTEM TO ALIGN WITH THIS
NEW POLICY, SPECIFICALLY TO BEGIN TRACKING HOMELESS ENCAMPMENT COMPLAINTS SUBMITTED BY CONSTITUENTS IN
A CONSISTENT AND COORDINATED WAY AND WORK WITH THE HARRIS COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE, HARRIS COUNTY DEPUTY CONSTABLE'S OFFICES, FLOOD CONTROL,
HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, PUBLIC HEALTH AND OTHER PARTNERS LIKE THE COALITION FOR THE HOMELESS. 
          AND THEN I'D LIKE TO SEE SOMETHING COME BACK TO COMMISSIONERS COURT NO LATER THAN
SEPTEMBER. 
          COURT. OKAY. MOTION BY COMMISSIONER GARCIA, SECOND BY COMMISSIONER BRIONES. 
          ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES UNANIMOUSLY. 
          [03:55:02]
THANK YOU. GUYS. WHAT WAS THE NEXT ONE? THREE. 
          48. OKAY. 348. 237 237. OH, SORRY. YES. I WAS GOING IN THE ORDER. 
          IT WAS RIGHT. YES. 237. IS THERE A MOTION TO. 
          MAKE A MOTION. SECOND, THE MOTION TO TAKE THIS ONE. 
          YES. YOU HAVE MOTION TO RECONSIDER. RECONSIDER. MOTION BY COMMISSIONER. SECOND BY
COMMISSIONER ELLIS. 
          ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES UNANIMOUSLY. 
          SO IS THERE A MOTION ON THIS ITEM? MAKE A MOTION AS AS IN THE AGENDA. 
          OKAY. SECOND ITEM MOVES AS PRESENTED BY COMMISSIONER. 
          RAMSEY. SECOND BY COMMISSIONER ELLIS. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES UNANIMOUSLY. 
          WHAT'S THE NEXT ONE? 242. 244. IS THERE A MOTION TO RECONSIDER? 244. SO MOVED. MOTION BY COMMISSIONER. SECOND BY COMMISSIONER GARCIA. 
          ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES UNANIMOUSLY. 
          IS THERE A MOTION? WHAT'S THE MOTION ON THIS ITEM? MOVE TO ACCEPT IT AS PRESENTED. SECOND. MOTION BY COMMISSIONER GARCIA. 
          SECOND BY COMMISSIONER. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES UNANIMOUSLY. IS THERE A MOTION TO RECONSIDER? 257. OH 257 SO MOVED SECOND MOTION BY COMMISSIONER SERVIA. 
          SECOND BY COMMISSIONER BRIONES. ALL IN FAVOR? IS THIS 257? YES. THIS IS EVERYTHING BUT BCG. SO MOVE. OKAY,
SO THE MOTION TO RECONSIDER PASSES UNANIMOUSLY. 
          NOW THERE'S A MOTION FOR SECOND TO APPROVE EVERYTHING BUT BCG. 
          MOTION BY COMMISSIONER GARCIA, SECOND BY COMMISSIONER ELLIS. 
          ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES UNANIMOUSLY. 
          MOVE TO ACCEPT BOSTON CONSULTING GROUP REPORT. 
          MOTION BY COMMISSIONER GARCIA, SECOND BY COMMISSIONER ELLIS. 
          ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. ANY OPPOSED? NO. MOTION CARRIES 4 TO 1. 
          WHAT ABOUT ITEM 348? IS THERE A MOTION TO RECONSIDER? ITEM 348. COME ON. MOTION BY COMMISSIONER, SECOND BY COMMISSIONER GARCIA. 
          ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES UNANIMOUSLY. 
          I HAVE A MOTION ON THAT ITEM. MY MOTION WAS THAT COMMISSIONERS COURT APPROVED THE
IMMEDIATE USE OF THE EXISTING BLACKBAUD MASS NOTIFICATION SYSTEM PREVIOUSLY USED DURING THE COVID 19 RESPONSE AS A TEMPORARY SOLUTION FOR EMPLOYEE EMERGENCY INCIDENT
NOTIFICATIONS ACROSS HARRIS COUNTY DEPARTMENTS AND EMPLOYEES. 
          AS A PART OF THIS IMPLEMENTATION, THE COUNTY WILL REPLICATE THE PREVIOUSLY ESTABLISHED
COVID BLACKBOARD SITE FOR THIS EMERGENCY USE. 
          EMPLOYEE MOBILE NUMBERS WILL BE IMPORTED FROM STARS WITH BIMONTHLY UPDATES. 
          THE COURT REQUIRES ALL DEPARTMENTS TO PROMOTE EMPLOYEE PARTICIPATION BY PROVIDING MOBILE
NUMBERS AND STARS, AND REFRAINING FROM OPTING OUT OF EMERGENCY ALERTS. 
          FURTHER, I MOVE THAT WE DIRECT HARRIS COUNTY FIRE MARSHAL'S OFFICE TO COORDINATE WITH THE
HARRIS COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE, DISPATCH, CONSTABLE, DISPATCH CENTERS AND ANY OTHER NECESSARY STAKEHOLDERS FOR APPROPRIATE
ACTIVATION TRAINING. 
          EDUCATION MATERIALS SHALL BE DISTRIBUTED TO COUNTY DEPARTMENTS AND THE SYSTEM SHALL BE
LAUNCHED WITH ONGOING MONITORING. 
          FINALLY, I ASK THAT HARRIS COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE,
HARRIS COUNTY FIRE MARSHAL'S OFFICE, AND HARRIS COUNTY UNIVERSAL SERVICES CONTINUE TO ASSESS THE BLACKBOARD'S LONG TERM VIABILITY AND PURSUE PHASE TWO ENHANCEMENTS,
INCLUDING OTHER POTENTIAL INTEGRATION WITH THE HARRIS COUNTY PHONE SYSTEM, ACTIVE DIRECTORY AND OTHER TECHNOLOGIES, AND DIGITAL SIGNAGE TO ENSURE WE ARE MOVING
TOWARD A COMPREHENSIVE INDUSTRY. 
          MASS NOTIFICATION SYSTEM FOR EMPLOYEE SAFETY. 
          AND I'LL ADD MY FRIENDLY AMENDMENT ABOUT METAL DETECTORS IN THE PRESTON BUILDING. 
          THAT'S RIGHT. INCLUDING THE METAL DETECTORS. I'LL SECOND IT WITH THE FRIENDLY AMENDMENT. 
          MOTION BY COMMISSIONER GARCIA WITH THE FRIENDLY AMENDMENT BY COMMISSIONER ELLIS. SECOND BY
COMMISSIONER BRIONES. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES UNANIMOUSLY. 
          357. NO. ACTION. CORRECT. THAT'S CORRECT. AND NOW WE'RE MOVING TO 358,
COMMISSIONER RAMSEY. 
          THANK YOU, FOLKS. I REALLY APPRECIATE IT. THAT'S THE ONE ABOUT RULES OF PROCEDURE, CONDUCT AND DECORUM, COMMISSIONER. I THINK ABOUT TAKING THE RESOLUTIONS AT 3:00 PM. 
          SO I THINK EVERYBODY'S READ. THE DETAILS OF BACK UP. 
          I'LL NOT GO INTO ALL THE ALL THE THINGS THAT COULD BE OR COULD NOT BE. 
          I SECOND YOUR MOTION. I'LL SECOND WITH A LITTLE FRIENDLY AMENDMENT. 
          AND THAT WOULD BE COME BACK AND DO IT AT 3 P.M. 
          UP ON ADJOURNMENT AS AN EXAMPLE UP ON COMPLETION OF THE REGULAR ORDER OF BUSINESS,
IF WE FINISH EARLY YOU KNOW, I DON'T WANT PEOPLE TO COME AT THREE OR IF WE GO UNTIL 330 ON THE AGENDA,
I DON'T WANT TO STOP. 
          [04:00:08]
HOLD ALL THOSE DEPARTMENT HEADS THERE AND COME BACK. 
          SO I JUST WANT TO FINISH. IT'S JUST A FRIENDLY AMENDMENT,
A REGULAR ORDER OF BUSINESS. AND THEN WE THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER. I THINK THERE IS I THINK EVERYBODY AGREES WE CAN MOVE RESOLUTIONS TO THE PM. 
          THE QUESTION IS, SHOULD IT BE AT THREE? I HEARD MAYBE SOME THOUGHT MAYBE FOUR WOULD BE
BETTER THAN THREE. 
          OKAY. AND IF IT'S FOR ARE JUST SAY ARE COMPLETION OF THE REGULAR ORDER OF BUSINESS. 
          I'D HATE FOR US TO YOU KNOW, WE GOT A2A COUPLE HUNDRED ITEMS TO VOTE ON. 
          I THINK WE GENERALLY FOLLOW IT, BUT I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE WE DON'T MAKE PEOPLE. 
          I WOULDN'T WANT US TO FINISH AT ONE, AND THEN WE DON'T HAVE THREE PEOPLE THERE AT 3 OR 4
FOR THAT MATTER. 
          SO JUST GIVING US AN OPTION OF MOVING IT UP,
THAT'S WHAT I'M TRYING TO DO. 
          I'LL ACCEPT THAT SECOND. OKAY. OKAY. OH GO AHEAD. 
          ARE WE 3 OR 4? I WOULD FOR WHATEVER I LOVE THAT OR COMPLETION UPON REGULAR BUSINESS
BECAUSE I DO THINK IT ALLOWS THAT FLEXIBILITY. 
          IF WE FINISH EARLY, WHICH MAYBE ONE DAY WE CAN SAY THREE,
WHICH I WOULD SAY 4 P.M. 
          JUST BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WORKING FAMILIES, KIDS GETTING OUT OF SCHOOL THAT ALLOWS THEM TO
COME. 
          YEAH. AND FOR IN TRAFFIC THERE'S MORE PARKING AVAILABLE BY FOUR,
ETC.. 
          SO BUT YOU PREFER FOR THE ONLY THING THAT I WOULD ASK IS THAT WE INCLUDE SOME PROTOCOL TO
MAKE THESE PICTURES GO FAST. 
          BECAUSE WE HAVE CHIT CHATS AND THEN WE HAVE PEOPLE WAITING. 
          AND SO I JUST WOULD ASK THAT WE HAVE SOME PROCESS TO MAKE THESE PICTURES GO IN ORDER AND
AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. 
          AGREED. SO THE MOTION WOULD BE THE MOTION PROPOSED BY COMMISSIONER RAMSEY WITH THE
AMENDMENT THAT WE WOULD DESIGNATE 4 P.M. 
          FOR THE TAKING UP OF THE RESOLUTIONS 4 P.M. OR UPON ADJOURNMENT OF THE MEETING. 
          THAT'S IT FOR THE TAKING OF RESOLUTIONS. OKAY. 
          ALL RIGHT. SO MOTION BY COMMISSIONER RAMSEY,
SECOND BY COMMISSIONER GARCIA. 
          ALL IN FAVOR? MY APOLOGIES. WOULD Y'ALL BE ABLE TO REREAD THE MOTION,
PLEASE? FOR THE RECORD. PRECINCT THREE TO REVISE THE SECTION FOUR ON THE RULES OF PROCEDURE,
CONDUCT AND DECORUM AND MEETINGS OF THE COMMISSIONERS COURT OF HARRIS COUNTY,
TEXAS TO REORDER THE TYPICAL ORDER OF BUSINESS, TO HAVE THE COURT TAKE UP RESOLUTIONS AND SIGNING OF RESOLUTIONS AND PHOTOGRAPH AFTER
ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION TO DESIGNATE 3 P.M. 
          OR I MEAN 4 P.M. OR WHENEVER WE COMPLETE THE REGULAR BUSINESS UP FOR TAKING UP THESE
RESOLUTION PICTURES. 
          MOTION BY COMMISSIONER RAMSEY, SECOND BY COMMISSIONER GARCIA. 
          ALL IN FAVOR? AYE, AYE. ANY OPPOSED? QUICK QUESTION. 
          WOULD THIS TAKE EFFECT OUR NEXT MEETING? YES,
PLEASE. 
          PLEASE. YES, YES, I PROMISE I'LL BE THERE 22ND. 
          IT IS ALL RIGHT, I VOTE. YEAH. OH, SORRY. OKAY. 
          ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES UNANIMOUSLY. 
          AND YOU GUYS KNOW THAT WE WANT. WE WOULD LIKE FOR THIS TO TAKE EFFECT AT THE NEXT MEETING. 
          THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER RAMSEY. GREAT IDEA. ALL RIGHT,
381, THAT IS COMMISSIONER RAMSEY'S FLAG AS WELL. 
          REIMBURSEMENT. JUST A JUST A COMMENT, I KNOW WE HAD THE THREE DISASTERS. THE FLOOD, THE DERECHO BARREL, YOUR PROCESSING ALL THOSE COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH
THIS. 
          AGAIN, YOU ARE REIMBURSING, FOR EXAMPLE, THE PRECINCT OFFICES,
AND Y'ALL WILL CARRY THE NOTE TOTE, THE NOTE RELATED TO FEMA AND REIMBURSEMENT, IS THAT RIGHT? THAT'S CORRECT WITH THE EXCEPTION. SO THEY'RE IN THE POLICY. 
          WE WE REIMBURSED UP TO THE COUNTYWIDE RATE WE ARE GOING TO SUBMIT ON THE PRECINCTS ACTUAL
RATE IF IT WAS HIGHER. 
          AND SO IF WE ARE REIMBURSED AT THAT HIGHER LEVEL,
THAT WILL FLOW BACK TO THE PRECINCTS ONCE WE GET IT FROM FEMA. 
          OKAY. SO WE WILL YOU'LL PROCESS IT. I MEAN, THIS IS JUST A THIS IS A TRANSMITTAL. 
          SO YOU'LL PROCESS IT. YEP. AND IF IT EXCEEDS I THINK THERE WAS A CAP ON IT,
BUT I THINK THAT'S WORTHY OF BRINGING BACK TO COURT AND HALF COURT AT LEAST. CONSIDER IF IT ENDS UP BEING 5 MILLION RATHER THAN 4 MILLION. 
          HERE'S A CIRCUMSTANCES ASSOCIATED WITH IT. I JUST WANT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT OUR PROCESS
GOING FORWARD PARTICULARLY AS WE GET OUR PAPERWORK TOGETHER SO THAT WE CAN PROPERLY FILE WITH FEMA AND ALSO BEING REIMBURSED
INDIVIDUALLY BY PRECINCT. 
          I CAN PUT SOMETHING ON THE AGENDA MORE REGULARLY,
MAYBE SEMIANNUALLY OR QUARTERLY WITH A FEMA REIMBURSEMENT AND TRANSMIT ALL THE 
          [04:05:02]
REIMBURSEMENTS WE'VE GOTTEN TO DATE, WHAT WE'RE EXPECTING. SO WE'RE WE SHOULD HAVE THINGS
FLOWING INTO YOUR OFFICE RIGHT NOW. 
          IF YOU LOOK AT THERE AND SAY, GOSH, THESE THESE 3 OR 4 NEED TO COME TO COURT BECAUSE
POLICY, BECAUSE THE CAP OR OTHER REASONS WE CAN DO THAT. 
          SO YOU YOU'RE SETTING THAT UP? DANIEL. YEAH. AND WE CAN VISIT PRIVATELY IF THERE ARE WAY. 
          I'LL VISIT WITH ALL THE COURT. OFFICES TO SEE IF THERE CAN BE SOME IMPROVEMENTS,
BUT WE DID FOLLOW THE SAME GUIDELINES THAT WE WOULD IF WE IF WE WERE SUBMITTING TO FEMA, WHICH IS GO THROUGH THE ELIGIBILITY ENSURE THAT THE PROCUREMENT WAS MEETS THE STANDARD,
ETC.. 
          ALSO, I DO WANT TO ASSURE THE PRECINCTS THAT JUST AT SOME POINT WE HAD TO PUT A STAKE IN
THE GROUND AND DO THE TRANSMITTAL TO COMPLY WITH THE POLICY. 
          BUT IF THERE ARE ELIGIBLE EXPENSES THAT COME UP AFTER THE FACT,
WE WILL ACCEPT THOSE AND WE WILL RETRANSMIT. 
          I ALSO WANT TO PROVIDE AN UPDATE THAT WE WILL BE COMING AT THE NEXT COURT WITH THE
REIMBURSEMENTS TO COUNTY DEPARTMENTS, INCLUDING THE PRECINCTS ON THE LABOR SIDE. SO ALL THE OVERTIME THAT WAS USED DURING THE
THREE THE THREE FEDERALLY DECLARED DISASTERS, AS WELL AS THE OTHER. THE GOOD NEWS IS YOUR PICK IS RUNNING ROUGHLY 300 MILLION WITH THE
ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE GOING INTO THIS NEXT STORM. 
          THAT. THAT'S CORRECT. I FEEL VERY COMFORTABLE ABOUT WHERE WE ARE TODAY. GOOD JOB. THANK
YOU. ALL RIGHT. 
          SO WE ACCEPT THE TRANSMITTAL. OH, COMMISSIONER GARCIA. THANK YOU. 
          I WAS TOLD THAT JACOB HAD MISSED THE PUBLIC SPEAKERS OPPORTUNITY. 
          HE CAME BACK TO COURT, AND SO I WOULD RESPECTFULLY MOVE TO ALLOW JACOB TO HAVE A MINUTE. 
          IS THAT IS OUR SECOND MINUTE FOR HIS PUBLIC REMARKS. 
          SECOND, DO WE NEED A MOTION? CAN HE SPEAK? GO AHEAD. 
          GO AHEAD. JACOB. THANK YOU DEAR. AND NOW I WANT TO THANK OUR COMMISSIONER RAMSEY. I WANT TO THIS PRO-LIFE ORGANIZATION FUND-RAISER THE WEEKEND. 
          AND IT WAS THE THE HOUSTON COALITION FOR LIFE. 
          AND THIS AGGIE AUTHOR GAVE ME A WHILE. I BOUGHT A BOOK FROM FROM HER. 
          AND I'M GOING TO GIVE IT TO YOU BECAUSE SHE WRITES JUST LIKE AN AGGIE. 
          SOMETHING AN AGGIE CAN UNDERSTAND. AND THEN FOR COMMISSIONER BRIONES,
THANK YOU FOR COMING TO THAT THAT SHOW AT THAT SHOW, BUT THAT THAT TALK AT THE SAINT STEPHEN'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH BECAUSE IT WAS AWESOME. 
          YOU DID A GREAT JOB. IF I WASN'T, IF YOU WERE IN MY DISTRICT,
I'D VOTE FOR YOU. 
          NOT NOT NOT THAT. RONNIE ELLIS. SORRY. THANK YOU. 
          JACOB. BYE BYE. THANK YOU. YOU'RE NOT GOING TO GET ANOTHER MINUTE,
MAN. 
          ALL RIGHT THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER GARCIA. SO WE ACCEPT THAT TRANSMITTAL. 
          LET'S MOVE ON TO 489, COMMISSIONER RAMSEY, OR. 
          EXCUSE ME, COMMISSIONER ELLIS, ON PAY DISPARITIES. 
          JUST THINKING, YOU KNOW, WE ALL KNOW THAT OUR COUNTY IS ONLY AS STRONG AS OUR WORKFORCE. 
          AND I'M PROUD OF THE WORK THAT WE DID. UNANIMOUSLY IN DECEMBER,
WE INCREASED SALARIES FOR ALL EMPLOYEES EARNING BELOW 75 GRAND. 
          IN MARCH, WE SET A WAGE FLOOR FOR $20 AN HOUR. 
          NOBODY OUGHT TO BE STRUGGLING TO MAKE ENDS MEET,
BUT WE KNOW THAT MANY ARE. 
          AND YOU KNOW, WE MADE PROGRESS WITH CERTAIN AREAS ON LAW ENFORCEMENT,
BUT OUR PAY EQUITY STUDY IS NOT GOING TO COME BACK UNTIL OCTOBER THE 1ST. SO WHAT THIS MOTION DOES IS TRY TO GIVE US SOME GUIDELINES. 
          SEEMS LIKE THERE ARE MANY EXAMPLES ACROSS THE COUNTY WHERE PEOPLE ARE DOING SIMILAR WORK
BUT HAVE DIFFERENT TITLES, CLASSIFICATIONS AND COMPENSATIONS. AND THAT'S WHY WE'RE DOING THAT PAY EQUITY STUDY. 
          THIS MOTION ATTEMPTS TO GET US TO START THINKING ABOUT WHICH PAY DISPARITIES WE WILL
ADDRESS FIRST, WHILE WE AWAIT FINAL RESULTS FROM THE PAY EQUITY STUDY. 
          I SENT A MOTION AROUND. I'LL READ IT. IT SAYS DIRECT HUMAN RESOURCES AND TALENT,
HRT, WORKING WITH OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET OFFICE AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATION AND RELEVANT DEPARTMENTS TO DEVELOP PRELIMINARY RECOMMENDATIONS ON WHICH
EMPLOYEE POPULATIONS TO PRIORITIZE WHEN ADDRESSING PAY DISPARITIES AND INEQUITIES. HRT SHALL PROVIDE PRELIMINARY RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE COMMISSIONERS COURT ON
JULY THE 10TH, AND MAY UPDATE THE RECOMMENDED PRIORITIES AFTER THE PAY EQUITY STUDY IS COMPLETE. 
          AND SO I'M MAKING THAT MOTION. MOTION BY COMMISSIONER ELLIS. 
          IS THERE A SECOND? QUESTION. YES, COMMISSIONER GARCIA. 
          THEN BRIONES AND THEN RAMSEY. QUESTION. J I,
I KNOW THAT COMMISSIONER ELLIS HAS BEEN WORKING ON THIS FOR QUITE SOME TIME, BUT I THINK WE'VE ALREADY MADE,
LIKE, TWO MOTIONS ON THE PAST. 
          [04:10:04]
TWO MOTIONS RELATED TO THE SAME. FROM PREVIOUS COURTS. 
          I DON'T THINK WE'VE DONE THIS. J AM I MISTAKEN? I'D HAVE TO GO BACK AND LOOK. I JUST DON'T RECALL. 
          BUT I DON'T SEE HRT OR. WHAT HAVE WE PASSED MOTIONS TO DIRECT YOU TO DO? I COULD GO BACK AND LOOK AT ALL OF THEM,
BUT THE SPECIFIC ASK TO COME BACK WITH RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE COURT TO CONSIDER IN TERMS OF THE. ONCE THE STUDY IS COMPLETE, THE PAY EQUITY STUDY IS COMPLETE,
IDENTIFYING THE NEXT TRANCHE OF EMPLOYEES THAT THE COURT SHOULD CONSIDER FOR US FROM A PAY EQUITY PERSPECTIVE. THAT SPECIFIC ASK? THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THAT THIS IS COMING HAS COME TO COURT AND I CAN. 
          THAT DOES NOT SOUND RIGHT, BUT I'LL TAKE YOUR WORD FOR IT. 
          I WILL DOUBLE CHECK FOR YOU, COMMISSIONER. DIRECTED YOU TO DO SOMETHING RELATED TO PAYING
EMPLOYEES WHO HAD PAID DISPARITIES. 
          THAT'S WHAT YOU'VE BEEN WORKING ON. THAT IS CORRECT. 
          AND SO HOW DOES THAT DIFFER FROM THIS? WELL,
THE STUDY IS STILL UNDERWAY. 
          SO WE'RE I KNOW WHEN THE STUDY IS DONE. THAT IS CORRECT. 
          YOU'RE GOING TO COME BACK WITH RECOMMENDATIONS. SO HOW DOES THAT IS CORRECT. WE'RE JUST
HOW DOES THAT DIFFER FROM THIS MOTION. IT IT DOESN'T ACTUALLY IT'S JUST ASKING US TO COME BACK WITH A PRELIMINARY. WE NEED TO STOP. THAT'S MY POINT BECAUSE WE'RE NOT STREAMING OR
ARE WE STREAMING. 
          OH THERE WE GO. NEVERMIND. ALL RIGHT, ALL RIGHT. 
          YOU'RE CORRECT, COMMISSIONER, IT'S AN EARLY ASK FOR A RECOMMENDATION,
BUT WE WILL NOT. 
          IT WILL BE BASED OFF OF OTHER INTERNAL DATA THAT WE HAVE,
WHETHER IT'S TURNOVER ROLLS THAT ARE POTENTIALLY DIFFICULT TO FILL. 
          THAT'S, THAT IS THE THAT WOULD BE HOW WE WOULD APPROACH THIS AT THIS JUNCTURE,
KNOWING THAT THE STUDY WON'T BE THE ACTUAL STUDY WON'T BE COMPLETE UNTIL OCTOBER. 
          I MISSED SOME OF THAT. I THINK WE FROZE UP A LITTLE BIT. 
          ARE YOU ALL STILL THERE? WE'RE HERE. YEAH. CAN YOU SUMMARIZE WHAT YOU SAID? ABSOLUTELY. I WAS I WAS SIMPLY SUMMARIZING THAT THE REQUEST WOULD BE TO TAKE A LOOK
INTERNALLY BASED UPON OTHER CRITERIA, INCLUDING TURNOVER POSITIONS THAT ARE DIFFICULT TO FEEL AND BE ABLE TO COME BACK WITH A
BROAD BECAUSE IT WOULD BE BROAD. 
          IT WOULD NOT BE BASED UPON DATA BEYOND WHAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE IN TERMS OF RECRUITMENT AND
HIRING AND TIME TO FILL, BUT IT WOULD BE ESSENTIALLY AN EARLY CONSOLIDATION OF EMPLOYEE POPULATIONS OR CERTAIN
ROLES WITHIN THE COUNTY FOR THE COURT TO CONSIDER. 
          BUT THE ACTUAL DATA, THE HARD DATA AROUND PAY EQUITY AGAIN,
WE WILL NOT HAVE THAT UNTIL THE STUDY IS COMPLETE IN OCTOBER. 
          IF I'M IF I MIGHT, COMMISSIONER, SAY THE REASON I'M DOING IT,
I MISS Y'ALL. 
          Y'ALL FROZE UP FOR A MINUTE ON MY END. OR MAYBE IN GENERAL,
BUT THE REASON I'M DOING IT IS. 
          COMMISSIONER, SORRY TO INTERRUPT. APPARENTLY THERE'S AN ISSUE WITH THE CAMERA AND WE CAN'T
SEE THE COURTROOM, SO WE NEED TO TAKE A BREAK. ALL RIGHT, SO IT'S 5 P.M., AND WE'LL TAKE A BREAK WHILE THEY FIX THE LIVE STREAM. 
          THANK YOU. IT LOOKS LIKE YOU COULD. IS IT WORKING? YES. OKAY. IT'S 509. COMMISSIONERS COURT IS BACK IN SESSION. 
          AND WE WE WERE DISCUSSING ITEM 489. I THINK DIRECTOR DOUGLAS WAS UPDATING COMMISSIONER ELLIS ON SOMETHING OR ANSWERING SOME QUESTIONS. 
          I WAS JUST I'LL, I'LL, I'LL I'LL PULL IT DOWN. 
          I'M GETTING MIXED MESSAGES ON WHETHER OR NOT IT CREATES A PROBLEM. 
          SO I JUST PREFER TO CONFER WITH SOME OF OUR LABOR ADVOCATES. 
          I JUST I JUST KNOW THAT MAYBE MR. RAMOS, HOW MUCH ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT PUTTING IN THE
BUDGET TO DEAL WITH THE PAY INEQUITIES? WE KNOW THAT ARE THERE. I KNOW WE CAN'T PAY FOR ALL OF THEM,
BUT IS THERE SOME DOLLAR AMOUNT THAT'S EARMARKED? MARCH. WE WE IN THE CURRENT LEVEL OF SERVICE WHICH WILL PRESENT TO COURT,
IS WE HAD PUT A PLACEHOLDER OF 50 MILLION. 
          YEAH. AND WHAT'S YOUR GUESS ON WHAT WHAT IT WOULD COST TO ELIMINATE ALL OF THEM. 
          WE PUT IN 50 BEFORE RIGHT TO IMPLEMENT THE FULL PAY STUDY. 
          WE'VE BEEN WORKING UNDER THE ASSUMPTION OF 120 MILLION,
GIVE OR TAKE. 
          I JUST WANT TO KEEP THIS ON THE FRONT BURNER. 
          YOU KNOW, AS I SAY IT, I ASKED FOR THIS STUDY BEFORE WE STARTED PAYING OTHER GROUPS,
AND I CAN ALREADY SEE HOW VARIOUS PARTNERS OF OURS HAVE THE TIME AND THE RESOURCES, AND THEY'RE ORGANIZED TO COME DOWN AND SPEAK ON BEHALF OF
THEMSELVES. 
          BUT THESE FOLKS ARE WORKING 2 OR 3 JOBS WHO ARE IN WHO ARE STUCK IN THESE INEQUITIES,
DON'T HAVE THE LATITUDE TO DO THAT. 
          BUT I'LL PULL IT DOWN FOR NOW. I KNOW IT'S LATE IN THE DAY,
AND I'LL CONFER WITH SOME OF THE LABOR GROUPS AND BRING IT BACK AT THE NEXT COURT, 
          [04:15:03]
SO I'LL PULL IT DOWN. THANK YOU. OH GO AHEAD COMMISSIONER. 
          AND THEN DIRECTOR DOUGLAS. SO, COMMISSIONER ELLIS,
THANK YOU FOR KEEPING THIS ISSUE FRONT AND CENTER. 
          I SHARE YOUR COMMITMENT AND PASSION AND IT MUST GET DONE. 
          AND THANK YOU FOR ALREADY KEEPING ANOTHER 50 MILLION SACRED. 
          AND I LOOK FORWARD TO FINDING WAYS TO GROW THAT DIRECTOR RAMOS. 
          BUT SO MY QUESTION IS OCTOBER 2025. WE WILL GET THE RESULTS CORRECT. 
          THAT IS CORRECT. OKAY. IS THERE ANY WAY TO MOVE THAT TIMELINE UP FURTHER AT THIS TIME? IT IS NOT, BUT WE ARE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH GALLAGHER. 
          WE WILL HIT THAT OCTOBER 2025 DEADLINE. PERFECT. 
          AND THEN MY OTHER QUESTION TO THE CONVERSATION WE HAD EARLIER THIS MORNING. 
          I KNOW MY TEAM AND I REACHED OUT TO YOU, BUT JUST FOR THE PUBLIC RECORD,
NOW THAT HPD, I KNOW THEY'RE COMPARING LAW ENFORCEMENT SALARIES TO JURISDICTIONS WITHIN HARRIS COUNTY AND SURROUNDING COUNTIES AND BEYOND. 
          I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THEY'RE NOW USING THE LATEST CURRENT DATA WITH THE LATEST RAISES
SO THAT WE'RE COMPARING THE CURRENT STATE OF PLAY. 
          WE HAVE MADE OUR CONSULTING FIRM, GALLAGHER,
AWARE OF THESE CHANGES. 
          OKAY. I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THE DATA WE GET IS THE MOST ACCURATE AND THAT WE CAN THEN
CONTINUE TO TAKE ACTION TO IMPROVE PAY EQUITY. 
          SO OCTOBER. OCTOBER. OKAY. THANK YOU. YOU'RE WELCOME. 
          JUST JUST ONE OTHER QUICK ONE. HOW MUCH DID THIS GALLAGHER STUDY COST US? COMMISSIONER. COMMISSIONER RAMSEY IS LISTED. OKAY. 
          GO AHEAD. THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION. WHAT? WHAT WAS IT? A MILLION, 1.2, 1.2 MILLION. AND THAT WAS. THAT WAS PAID OUT OF ARPA. 
          YEAH. IT WAS. COMMISSIONER, THANK YOU FOR PUTTING THIS ON THERE. 
          I THINK IT'S A GOOD REMINDER. I THINK THE OTHER POINT TO BE MADE IN THE BUDGET THIS YEAR
WAS $50 MILLION. 
          WE'VE ALREADY SPENT 40. THERE'S TEN LEFT. SO THE AMOUNT OF MONEY YOU GOT TO DO ANYTHING
BETWEEN NOW AND OCTOBER IS ABOUT $10 MILLION. SO IT MAY BE AN EXERCISE IN WELL THIS AS YOU DEFINE THEM. 
          COMMISSIONER, THIS GROUP IS CLEARLY GOT ISSUES OR WHATEVER,
BUT YOU'RE DOWN TO $10 MILLION. 
          AND IDENTIFYING WHERE THAT MONEY IS MOST APPROPRIATELY GOING TO IS GOOD. 
          THIS IS A GOOD REMINDER FOR US TO KEEP AN EYE ON IT. 
          I APPRECIATE IT, IF I MAY, I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE KEEP IT ON THE FRONT BURNER. 
          AND I KNOW WE TALKED ABOUT THE BATTLES GOING ON WITH THE TOLL ROAD. 
          IT'S INTERESTING. YOU KNOW, THERE MAY BE SOME FOLKS UP THERE WHO FIGURE IF YOU'RE GOING TO
TAKE TOLL ROAD MONEY AND GO BAIL OUT SOMEBODY'S GENERAL FUND, GO BAIL OUT SOME OF THESE INEQUITIES, I MIGHT JUST THROW THAT INTO THE EQUATION UP THERE
AS WELL. 
          YEAH. THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER ELLIS. AND I SUPPORT YOUR ITEM AS WELL. 
          SO WE'LL LOOK OUT FOR IT COMING BACK. OKAY. SO NEXT IS SO NO ACTION ON THAT ONE. 
          RIGHT. ALL CORRECT. NEXT IS 491 COMMISSIONER RAMSEY. 
          YEAH. THIS IS MORE OF AN UPDATE. WE KNOW THAT. 
          I THINK THE GOVERNOR'S CALLED FOR AN ELECTION. 
          DOES THAT CHANGE ANYTHING? I THINK THE LAST TIME WE BROUGHT THIS UP THIS WAS KIND OF
TABLED BECAUSE WE DIDN'T REALLY KNOW WHEN THE ELECTION WAS. 
          IS THE IS THE INTENT OF COURT TO LEAVE COUNTY ATTORNEY MENIFEE IN THE ROLE UNTIL NOVEMBER? IS THAT THE INTENT? IF IT IS, WE OUGHT TO SAY THAT. THAT'S AN OPEN QUESTION. 
          WELL, FROM MY STANDPOINT, JUDGE, IF I MIGHT. YEAH,
AS LONG AS HE IS DOING HIS JOB, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE THE GOVERNOR CHOSE TO CALL THAT ELECTION SO FAR OUT IN THE FUTURE. 
          YOU GOT ISSUES LIKE FROM THE 18TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT,
MOST OF WHICH IS IN MY COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRECINCT. 
          WE CAN'T EVEN GO AFTER ANY OF THOSE FEDERAL COMMUNITY PROJECTS. 
          BUT SO I DON'T WANT TO CREATE MORE UNCERTAINTY IN THIS OFFICE AS LONG AS IT'S RUNNING. 
          I KNOW OUR ATTORNEY GENERAL YOU KNOW, WHO I SERVED WITH IN THE SENATE SEEMS TO BE DOING A
GOOD JOB. 
          HE'S ANNOUNCED HE'S RUNNING FOR THE UNITED STATES SENATE. SO,
YOU KNOW, IF I SEE SOMETHING GOING ON WRONG IN THAT OFFICE, I, FOR ONE, WOULD BE ONE OF THE FIRST. PEOPLE SAY PUT SOMETHING ON THE AGENDA. 
          BUT BEST I CAN TELL, THE COUNTY ATTORNEY IS DOING A GREAT JOB IN THAT POSITION. 
          AND WHATEVER HE DOES IN HIS SPARE TIME IN TERMS OF WANTING TO MOVE TO ANOTHER OFFICE,
I DON'T HAVE A PROBLEM WITH IT. 
          ALL RIGHT. I'M NOT I WASN'T DIDN'T NECESSARILY HAVE A MOTION,
BUT JUST WANTED TO GET AN UPDATE IN THE SPIRIT OF TRANSPARENCY. 
          I'M SORRY. I WAS SECONDING COMMISSIONER ELLIS'S REMARKS. 
          IN THE SPIRIT OF TRANSPARENCY, I WAS GOING TO SAY I THOUGHT YOU WERE.. 
          THAT'S ALL. I DON'T HAVE AN ACTION. THANK YOU. 
          [04:20:02]
THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER RAMSEY. SO THERE'S NO ACTION ON 491. 
          MOVING ON TO 492, COMMISSIONER BRIONES. SO, 492 DEALS WITH THE WORLD CUP. 
          I HAVE A MOTION BECAUSE I KNOW SOME OF THE DEPARTMENTS HAVE ALREADY BEEN WORKING REALLY
HARD PREPARING FOR THE WORLD CUP, AND I THINK THEY WANTED SOME CLARITY THAT THE COURT IS EXPRESSLY ASKING THEM TO DO SO. 
          I'LL READ MY MOTION AND THEN. BUT THE BOTTOM LINE IS,
IS WE'RE THRILLED THAT HARRIS COUNTY HAS BEEN SELECTED TO HOST ONE OF 11 US CITIES APPROXIMATE $1.5 BILLION ECONOMIC IMPACT BY HOUSTON,
BY HOUSTON. 
          WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT STAYS WITH LOCAL BUSINESSES AND THAT WE'RE REALLY SUPPORTING THE
SAFETY, SECURITY AND ECONOMIC SUCCESS AND FOR EVERYONE VISITING. 
          AND I'M SO EXCITED. THERE'S ABOUT 6 MILLION INTERNATIONAL VISITORS THAT ARE ANTICIPATED TO
COME TO THE US. 
          SO I KNOW WE'RE WORKING ON THIS. EVERYTHING FROM TRAFFIC PLANNING TO SAFETY TO ECONOMIC
IMPACT, ETC. BUT THERE'S AND CHIEF CHRISTENSEN WHO WE SHE WAS HERE EARLIER AND SHE REALLY HAS BEEN
QUARTERBACKING THIS FOR THE COUNTY AS WELL AS WITH THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE, ETC.. BUT ANYWAY,
SO THIS IS JUST TO CREATE CLARITY BECAUSE I KNOW DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS HAVE BEEN WORKING REALLY HARD AND JUST WANTED CLARITY FROM THE COURT. 
          SO MY PROPOSED MOTION IS TO DIRECT THE INTERGOVERNMENTAL AND GLOBAL AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT,
IGA, TO LEAD COORDINATION WITH THE FIRE MARSHAL'S OFFICE,
THE OFFICE OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATION, THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE, THE COUNTY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE,
AND OTHER RELEVANT COUNTY DEPARTMENTS. 
          IN COLLABORATION WITH THE HARRIS COUNTY HOUSTON SPORTS AUTHORITY,
THE HARRIS COUNTY SPORTS AND CONVENTION CONVENTION CORPORATION, AND ALL APPROPRIATE PARTNERS ON DIRECT AND INDIRECT SERVICE MATTERS RELATED
TO SECURITY, EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS, AND RESOURCE ALLOCATION AHEAD OF AND DURING THE 2026 FIFA WORLD
CUP, INCLUDING DEVELOPMENT OF ANY NECESSARY INTERLOCAL AGREEMENTS WITH THE SPORTS AUTHORITY AND
OR SPORTS AUTHORITY FOUNDATION. 
          THAT IS MY MOTION. MOVE. SECOND. YES. COMMISSIONER ELLIS AND THEN COMMISSIONER. 
          COMMISSIONER AND THEN COMMISSIONER RAMSEY. YEAH. IS IT ME? I'M SORRY. GO AHEAD, COMMISSIONER ELLIS AND THEN COMMISSIONER RAMSEY. COMMISSIONER BROWNS.
I JUST WANTED TO ADD A LITTLE A FRIENDLY AMENDMENT. 
          SURE. YOU KNOW, I KNOW WE WANT TO BE TRANSPARENT. 
          AND I'M WHEN I AS I'VE TALKED TO OTHER ELECTED OFFICIALS AROUND THE COUNTRY,
IT JUST LOOKS LIKE THEY MIGHT HAVE A MORE FLESHED OUT PLAN ON WHAT THEY'RE DOING TO MAKE SURE THAT THE LOCAL SMALL MINORITY AND WOMEN OWNED
BUSINESSES ARE INVOLVED. 
          AND I WANT TO ASK OUR OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR THAT HANDLES THAT AREA IN CONJUNCTION WITH
THE CITY OFFICE, TO MAKE SURE THEY'RE HAVING A MEETING TO HONE IN JUST ON THAT ISSUE BECAUSE I KNOW IT IN
OTHER CITIES WHERE IT'S GOING, THERE'S A SPECIFIC EFFORT ON THAT. AND I WANT TO MAKE SURE WE'RE REAL TRANSPARENT. 
          EVERYBODY SAYS THEY'RE FOR IT, BUT I DON'T WANT US. 
          SO I JUST ADD AS A FRIENDLY AMENDMENT AND THEY COME BACK AND TELL US,
BUT MAKE SURE THEY MEET, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE A HISTORY OF DOING IT FROM THE COUNTY SIDE IN PARTICULAR. 
          ESTELLE, UNTIL YOUR SHOP WAS CREATED, COUNTY JUST HADN'T DONE IT. 
          THEY WERE JUST MAKING UP NUMBERS ON WHAT THEY WERE DOING. 
          SO I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT, THAT THAT COMPONENT IS IN THERE JUST AS A FRIENDLY
AMENDMENT. 
          I DON'T KNOW HOW TO PHRASE IT, THAT YOU CAN FIGURE OUT HOW TO PHRASE AN AD IN DEO AS WELL. 
          AND I KNOW THAT, FOR EXAMPLE, IN THE SPORTS AUTHORITY,
LINDA MORALES, WHO IS MY APPOINTEE, ONE OF OUR LABOR LEADERS, SHE HAS BEEN QUARTERBACKING THE BY HOUSTON,
BY HOUSTON. 
          BUT TO YOUR POINT, THERE'S SO MUCH WORK THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE IN TERMS OF SUPPORTING LOCAL
BUSINESS, MAYBE WORKER SAFETY, ETC. AND JUST THE PIPELINE OF WORKERS TO TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE
TRULY HAVING THE ECONOMIC BENEFIT HERE AT HOME FOR OUR WORKING FAMILIES. 
          SO I COULDN'T AGREE MORE. AND THEN ON THIS OTHER A MACRO POINT,
WE NEED TO BE SURE, WHICH I KNOW WE'RE ALL REITERATING. 
          THIS IS A CITY OF HOUSTON HARRIS COUNTY PARTNERSHIP AS WE PREPARE AND IT NEEDS TO BE A
FULL PARTNERSHIP, EVERYTHING FROM THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE TO ALL LEVELS OF PLANNING,
BECAUSE THIS WILL BE AN ALL HANDS ON DECK AND WE WILL SUCCEED AS A REGION IN PARTNERSHIP, IN UNITY. SO ACCEPTING THAT FRIENDLY AMENDMENT MOTION. 
          SECOND MOTION. YEAH. COMMISSIONER RAMSEY, I DON'T THINK YOU. 
          YEAH. QUICKLY. THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER, FOR PUTTING THIS ON HERE. 
          THIS IS MORE OR LESS WE'RE GOING TO GET UPDATES. 
          IT'S A HUGE ISSUE. I JUST KNOW IT WHEN IT'S COMING. 
          I DON'T KNOW ANY DETAILS. MAYBE I DON'T NEED TO KNOW ANY DETAILS,
BUT KNOWING THE LEVEL OF OF EFFORT IS GOING TO TAKE TO PUT ON AN EVENT LIKE THIS. IT'S GOING TO INVOLVE A LOT OF COUNTY OFFICES,
MUCH LIKE COMMISSIONER BRIONES HAS LAID OUT HERE. I AGREE WITH COMMISSIONER ELLIS'S CONCERN ABOUT LOCAL
BUSINESSES BEING INVOLVED. 
          [04:25:06]
SOMETIMES EVERYBODY GETS IN A HURRY, AND WE'VE GOT 20 PEOPLE WORKING ON IT AND ALL LIVE IN
NEW YORK CITY. 
          SO ANYTHING WE CAN DO TO GET SOME UPDATES, I IF WE HAD TO NAME ONE PERSON THAT'S IN CHARGE
OF THIS, WHO IS THE ONE PERSON THAT. YEAH, THAT THAT'S THE QUARTERBACK. 
          THAT'S WHO'S GOING TO MAKE IT HAPPEN. WHO'S THE PERSON LEADING THE CHARGE ON MAKING SURE
THIS GETS DONE AND, AND IN A, IN A MANNER THAT, THAT WE WOULD EXPECT,
BE IT THE CITY OR THE COUNTY. 
          IS THERE SUCH A PERSON? DIRECTOR. MY MOST ANTICIPATED IGA LEADING COORDINATION,
BUT DIRECTOR ADVICE COULD YOU PLEASE SPEAK TO YOUR WILLINGNESS TO DO SO? THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER AND JUDGE. 
          YES, I'VE BEEN IN COMMUNICATION WITH RYAN CONSTANTLY AND DAILY,
AND I'M I'M MORE THAN HAPPY TO TAKE THE LEAD. 
          AND I WORK, YOU KNOW, WITH CHIEF CHRISTIANSEN AND THE OTHER DEPARTMENT HEADS COORDINATING
AND LIAISING ON ALL THE DIFFERENT FRONTS, BECAUSE IT IS A MASSIVE EFFORT. AND IT IS THERE'S DIFFERENT ASPECTS TO IT. 
          THE SECURITY AND PUBLIC SAFETY ASPECT IS, IS PRETTY SIGNIFICANT. 
          AND I KNOW THAT CHIEF CHRISTIANSEN IS IN THE ROOM RIGHT NOW AND SHE'S BEEN LEADING ON
THAT. 
          BUT IN TERMS OF BEING THE MAIN POINT OF COMMUNICATION WITH THE HOUSTON SPORTS AUTHORITY
AND THE CITY OF HOUSTON, I'M MORE THAN HAPPY TO TAKE THE LEAD. AND WE'VE BEEN DOING THAT ORGANICALLY. 
          YOU KNOW, WORKING WITH OUR CITY OF HOUSTON GR COUNTERPARTS AND AGAIN WITH RYAN AT THE
HARRIS COUNTY HOUSTON SPORTS AUTHORITY. 
          THAT'S ENCOURAGING, KNOWING YOU'LL BE IN CHARGE. I FEEL A LITTLE A LITTLE BIT UNEASY WITH
THE WITH PUTTING IGA IN CHARGE OF SECURITY. 
          IT'S JUST NOT IT DOESN'T SEEM LIKE STANDARD PROTOCOL. 
          SO I'D LIKE TO KNOW FOR I DON'T KNOW. I THINK THIS IS WHAT MARK SLOAN CAME ON FOR EARLIER. 
          I DON'T KNOW, MARK, IF YOU'RE STILL AVAILABLE OR I THINK SOMEBODY SAID CHIEF,
CHIEF CHRISTENSEN CAN TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT LIKE, YOU KNOW, WHO'S GOING TO ULTIMATELY BE INCIDENT COMMANDER ON ALL THIS. 
          AND SO, YOU GUYS KNOW, WHENEVER WE HAVE LIKE A SPORTING EVENT OR A BIG,
BIG EVENT OF THAT SORT, WE ACTIVATE AT THE OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT. 
          AND THAT'S WHERE THE VARIOUS AGENCIES ARE. AND SO IT'S NOT IT IGA MAY HAVE A SEAT IN
THERE, BUT YOU GUYS, I'M SORRY, TAMMY, I DIDN'T KNOW THAT YOU HAD EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
EXPERIENCE. 
          IT SEEMS LIKE I WOULD NOT FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH THAT. 
          IF SOMETHING HAPPENS IN ME TELLING THE COMMUNITY THAT WE PUT OUR LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS
DIRECTOR IN CHARGE OF SECURITY. 
          NO. YES. GOOD AFTERNOON, COMMISSIONERS AND JUDGES. 
          LORI CHRISTIAN, SENIOR, HARRIS COUNTY FIRE MARSHAL. JUST JUST TO REITERATE,
I KNOW SOME OF YOU MAY HAVE GOTTEN THE MEMO FROM ME. 
          SO MY EXECUTIVE CHIEF, RODNEY REED, IS CO-CHAIR OF THE SECURITY COMMITTEE WITH THE CITY OF
HOUSTON, HFD AND HPD, AND THEN HFD. WE ALSO HAVE ONE OF MY DIRECTORS IS A CO-CHAIR ON THE HFD. 
          SO WE'RE HIGHLY ENGAGED WITH CITY OF HOUSTON. 
          ON THIS ACTIVITY. IT'S ACTUALLY THE HECK THAT WILL BE COORDINATING THE EFFORTS FOR THAT
PARTICULAR AREA DUE TO THE FACT THAT IT'S WITHIN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. 
          WE HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH MARK SLOAN AND THE TEAM. 
          WE'RE ALSO WORKING WITH OUR FIRE DEPARTMENTS,
OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT, ALTHOUGH OEM MAY HAVE A DEPENDING ON WHAT YOU ALL DECIDE TO DO, STAND UP. THE ACTUAL OPERATION IS GOING TO BE DOWN IN THIS RING OF THE CITY. 
          AND SO ACTUALLY, THE WAY THE SECURITY IS SET UP,
BECAUSE WE ALREADY HAVE THESE COORDINATED EFFORTS STARTED, THERE'S NOT NECESSARILY A COUNTY PERSON THAT IS HEADING THIS UP. 
          THIS IS A COOPERATION. AND THE IGA IS INVOLVED BECAUSE IT'S EASIER FOR US TO GO THROUGH. 
          SHE'S ABLE TO TALK TO THE ELECTED OFFICIALS AND THE VARIOUS PARTNERS WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY. 
          WHEN WE GO THROUGH IGA, THEN WE'RE ALL A COORDINATED EFFORT AND WE'LL BE WORKING WITH OUR
RELEVANT DEPARTMENTS, AND IT'S GOING TO INVOLVE UNIVERSAL SERVICES TO ENGINEERING. 
          I MEAN, WE'RE TALKING EVERYBODY WILL BE ENGAGED BECAUSE WE KNOW THIS IS THE LARGEST EVENT
THAT HAS EVER COME TO THE UNITED STATES. 
          I'M VERY FORTUNATE TO SIT ON THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF POLICE CHIEFS HOMELAND
SECURITY COMMITTEE, AND I WAS ACTUALLY WITH THE LEAD DIRECTOR. THAT'S OVER THE WORLD CUP OPERATIONS FOR
SECURITY. 
          I WAS WITH HIM A COUPLE WEEKENDS AGO, AND WE HAD REALLY GOOD DISCUSSION. I JUST HAPPENED
TO BE AT ONE OF MY MID-YEAR MEETINGS. 
          SO I WILL TELL YOU, JUDGE, WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN WITH IGA BEING IN THIS POSITION. 
          SHE'S ABLE TO FACILITATE THE INFORMATION. AND REALLY,
THAT'S WHAT THAT IS. 
          THAT'S A FACILITATION OF INFORMATION TO MAKE SURE EVERYBODY IS GETTING WHAT THEY NEED. 
          CHIEF, AS THE AS OFFICIAL DIRECTOR OF HOMELAND SECURITY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT,
I AM NOT COMFORTABLE WITH THAT. 
          [04:30:01]
SO I'D LIKE TO HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH YOU ABOUT THIS,
AND MAYBE WE CAN BRING IT BACK. 
          I'D LIKE TO HEAR FROM MARK. I'VE NOT BEEN PART OF THIS CONVERSATION. 
          OKAY. AND, MARK. BUT, CHIEF, LET ME JUST FINISH HERE. 
          ULTIMATELY, I'M THE ONE THAT HAS TO STAND IN FRONT OF THE CAMERAS,
AND I CAN'T SAY. 
          WELL, THEY TOLD ME THAT IT WAS BETTER FOR IGA,
THEREFORE THIS HAPPENED. 
          I UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, THE THE THE INCIDENT COMMAND. 
          THE LOCATION DOESN'T NEED TO BE AT TRANSTAR. IT CAN BE,
AS I KNOW, AND YOU KNOW, IT'S SOMEWHERE. 
          AND WE JUST HELP COORDINATION FROM ELSEWHERE. 
          BUT, YOU KNOW, HAVING IGA LEAD ON SOMETHING LIKE THIS IS IS NEW TO ME AND I'M NOT
COMFORTABLE WITH IT. 
          I'D LIKE TO HEAR FROM MARK. I DON'T KNOW TO WHAT EXTENT HE'S PARTY TO THIS. 
          MARK, I LIKE I SAID, THIS IS THIS IS NEWS. SO SO GO AHEAD. 
          MARK. GOOD AFTERNOON. GOOD EVENING, JUDGE AND COMMISSIONERS COURT. 
          I AM NOT UP TO SPEED ON ALL OF THE INTRICACIES OF OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE LEAD. 
          I UNDERSTAND THAT THAT CONVERSATION IS WAS ONGOING. 
          THERE ARE NUMEROUS SUBCOMMITTEES AND COORDINATION WITH THE CITY OF HOUSTON. 
          AS CHIEF CHRISTIANSEN HAS MENTIONED FROM TRANSPORTATION EMERGENCY RESPONSE THE
COORDINATION AT NRG TO THE FAN FEST BUT THERE'S AN OUTER RING OF OF THINGS THAT ARE BEING DISCUSSED IN ORDER TO MAKE SURE THAT THE
COUNTY STILL FUNCTIONS WHILE THIS HUGE EVENT GOES ON. 
          AT NRG PARK. WE'RE PART OF THE CONVERSATION. WE WANT TO BE ENGAGED IN THIS CONVERSATION
FROM EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND HOMELAND SECURITY AT THE DIRECTION OF THE COURT AND WHATEVER IT DOES, TAKE AND WORK WITH THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE,
THE CONSTABLES AND THE FIRST RESPONDERS AS NECESSARY, INCLUDING IGA, WITH THEIR INTERGOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS EXPERIENCE. 
          SO I WOULD ASK IF POSSIBLE, COLLEAGUES, I THINK THIS WAS PRECINCT FOUR MOTION IF WE COULD
BRING THIS BACK NEXT COURT AND SO THAT WE CAN HAVE THIS CONVERSATION AND AND BECAUSE WE COULD JUST SWITCH LIKE I SAID,
WE WE COULD VOTE ON THIS, BUT I WOULD I WOULD JUST KEEP SAYING I DON'T THINK IT'S APPROPRIATE FOR OUR POLITICAL PEOPLE TO, TO DRIVE THIS. 
          THEY CAN BE INVOLVED. RIGHT? WE CAN STILL WORK THROUGH THEM TO COORDINATE. WHEN WE HAVE AN
EMERGENCY. 
          WE WORK THROUGH THEM. THAT DOESN'T MAKE THEM THE COORDINATORS. 
          WHY AREN'T THEY THE COORDINATORS FOR EVERYTHING ELSE THEN? SO I'D LIKE TO SIT AND HAVE
THAT CONVERSATION. 
          SO THAT WOULD BE MY REQUEST IF WE COULD JUST BRING IT BACK. AND IN THE MEANTIME I WILL I
WILL SIT WITH YOU GUYS AND THEN JUST A REMINDER ABOUT MY STATUTORY RESPONSIBILITY. 
          CHIEF CHRISTENSEN. TAMMY AND EVERYBODY WHO'S PART OF THIS. 
          IT'S NOT APPROPRIATE TO MOVE FORWARD WITHOUT ME. 
          OKAY. THANK YOU. ARE YOU GUYS OKAY WITH THAT,
COMMISSIONER BRIONES? WITH IT COMING BACK NEXT COURT? SURE. AND I WANT TO THANK EVERYONE WHO HAS DEVOTED
COUNTLESS HOURS TO WORKING HARD ON THIS. 
          AND I LOOK FORWARD TO THIS BEING A TEAM EFFORT,
AND WE WILL EXECUTE WITH EXCELLENCE. 
          SO THANK YOU, CHIEF CHRISTENSEN. THANK YOU TAMMY. 
          THANK YOU MARK. THANK YOU EVERYONE. DO WE NEED FROM THE COUNTY ATTORNEY'S? I KNOW THERE WAS A MOTION AND A SECOND. DO WE NEED TO DO ANYTHING OR. 
          NO. NO, THERE WAS NOTHING. OKAY. OKAY. THANK YOU GUYS. 
          SO MAY 22ND. I DO HAVE SOME COMMENTS ON THIS. 
          YES, COMMISSIONER GARCIA. THANK YOU. THE CHARACTERIZATION THAT TAMMY WOULD BE IN CHARGE OF
SECURITY IS NOT ACCURATE. 
          IT'S JUST A COMMUNICATION SYSTEM. AND THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE THE SPORTS AUTHORITY ALREADY
HAS A INCIDENT COMMANDER IN PLACE WHICH WOULD BE PART OF THE INCIDENT COMMAND YOU KNOW,
CENTER. 
          AND SO I JUST WANT TO BE CLEAR THAT NO ONE IS ASKING TAMMY TO STRAP ON A BADGE AND GUN AND
AND BE IN CHARGE OF THINGS. 
          BUT WE DO NEED HER TO BE CRITICALLY INVOLVED. 
          AND SO IF THIS MOTION COMES BACK AT THE NEXT COURT,
I'LL SUPPORT IT. 
          AS IT STANDS. YEAH. AND I'M NOT SAYING THAT SHE'S STRAPPING A GUN,
A BADGE. 
          SHE'D PROBABLY NEED TO GO TO SCHOOL FOR THAT. BUT IT SAYS MOTION TO DIRECT
INTERGOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS TO WORK WITH DEPARTMENTS DOESN'T EVEN LIST THE OFFICE OF EMERGENCY. IF YOU READ, IT SAYS. AND THEN IT SAYS,
THERE YOU GO. 
          SO THAT'S LEADING AGAIN. AND IT SAYS DIRECT AND INDIRECT SERVICE MATTERS RELATED TO
SECURITY, EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS AND RESOURCE ALLOCATION. 
          IT MAY WELL BE THAT THAT THAT I COME BACK AND I SAY,
YOU KNOW, GUYS, WE WE PUSH THIS BACK TWO WEEKS. 
          THAT'S TOO BAD. BUT I HAVE TO DO MY DUE DILIGENCE AND MAKE SURE THAT THIS MAKES SENSE. 
          AND THAT'S JUST IN MY JOB TITLE. I'M SORRY. IT'S NOT IN YOURS,
IT'S IN MINE. 
          IT'S IN MY STATUTORY RESPONSIBILITY. SO I CAN'T I CAN'T STAND UP THERE IN THE FUTURE AND
SAY TWO OF MY COLLEAGUES PROMISED THIS WAS OKAY, BECAUSE THAT'S IN MY ROLE, AND THAT'S NOT AN EXCUSE I CAN GIVE TO THE COMMUNITY. 
          BUT I'M NOT SAYING THIS IS WRONG. I JUST NEED TO HEAR IT FROM THE RIGHT PEOPLE. 
          ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. THANKS AGAIN. AND I ECHO WHAT COMMISSIONER BRYAN HAS SAID ABOUT
EVERYBODY WORKING REALLY HARD ON THIS ALREADY. 
          [04:35:01]
SO GOING BACK TO THE ITEMS THAT ARE LEFT JUST REAL QUICK,
JUDGE. 
          NO ACTION. NO ACTION RIGHT NOW. YEAH. WE'LL MOVE. 
          WELL, THERE'S JUST THE TRAVEL ITEM. SO I DON'T KNOW IF COMMISSIONER ELLIS YOU READ IT,
OR WE SHOULD JUST BRING IT BACK TO THE NEXT COURT. 
          JUST COURT. JUST BRING IT BACK ON THE NEXT COURT. 
          YOU KNOW, I'M SITTING IN A HOTEL ROOM, SO BE HONEST WITH YOU. 
          I HAVE READ IT. OKAY, SO THAT IS ITEM 21, WHICH IS ON INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL,
AND WE'RE GOING TO BRING THAT ONE TO THE NEXT COURT. AND I DO HAVE A MOTION UNDER THE CURRENT UNDER THE CURRENT RULES. AND, YOU KNOW, I COULD PAY FOR THIS OUT OF CAMPAIGN FUNDS. 
          I DON'T WANT TO BECAUSE I DON'T THINK THAT PRACTICE IS APPROPRIATE FROM US,
BECAUSE THAT MEANS THAT THE PUBLIC DOESN'T KNOW WHERE WE'RE GOING AND REPRESENTING THE COUNTY WE GO AS OUR OFFICIAL PERSONAS, BUT THE BUT THE PUBLIC NEVER HEARS ABOUT IT BECAUSE
WE'RE USING CAMPAIGN MONEY. 
          I JUST DON'T THINK THAT'S APPROPRIATE. SO I WOULD LIKE TO TO REQUEST APPROVAL FOR
INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL FOR THE HARRIS COUNTY JUDGE AND ESSENTIAL STAFF MEMBERS FROM THE COUNTY JUDGE'S
OFFICE FROM JUNE 8TH THROUGH 15TH, 2025 FOR A TRADE MISSION RELEVANT TO COUNTY BUSINESS. 
          ALL EXPENSES SHALL BE COVERED USING THE COUNTY JUDGE'S OFFICE. 
          FISCAL YEAR 2025 BUDGET. SO I'M NOT ASKING FOR ADDITIONAL FUNDS. 
          SO THAT'S MY MOTION. IS THERE A SECOND? I'LL SECOND. 
          OKAY. ALL IN FAVOR? OH, YES. YES. COMMISSIONER RAMSEY,
WHERE'S THE MISSION TO AND HOW MUCH IS IT GOING TO COST? SO WE COULD GO TO EXECUTIVE SESSION ON THAT IF YOU'D LIKE. COMMISSIONER RAMSEY,
FOR SAFETY REASONS. 
          I'M SURE WE CAN MAKE IT REALLY BRIEF. WE JUST VOTE. 
          IF Y'ALL WON'T VOTE, I NEED TO KNOW WHERE THEY'RE GOING AND HOW MUCH,
BUT. 
          OKAY, SO IT'S 532. AND WE'RE BAKING FOR EXECUTIVE SESSION TO DISCUSS SECURITY ISSUES. 
          SO. I DON'T NEED TO GO TO EXECUTIVE SESSION. AND IF I MAY SAY BRIEF COMMENTS,
AS I STATED EARLIER WHEN WE WERE DISCUSSING THE POLICY, TO ME, WHEN YOU'RE USING PUBLIC FUNDS,
WE HAVE TO BE COMPLETELY TRANSPARENT AND ACCOUNTABLE IN TERMS OF ALL THE RELEVANT INFORMATION. LOCATION. DATES. NUMBER OF PERSONNEL. 
          COST. WE NEED TO BE TRANSPARENT OF IT'S PUBLIC FUNDS. 
          AND SO WITH THIS LIMITED I MEAN WE WE HAVE A TOWN HALL,
A WEEKLY. 
          EVERYONE KNOWS THAT. AND IT'S JUST DOWN THE STREET. 
          RIGHT. SO I THINK I'D BE INTERESTED. BUT IN THE INTEREST OF TIME,
I'VE MADE MYSELF REALLY CLEAR IN TERMS OF THE LEVEL OF TRANSPARENCY, I, I NEED TO FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH IT, WITH PUBLIC DOLLARS. 
          OKAY. COMMISSIONER RAMSEY. I'M NOT HEARING APPETITE TO GO TO EXECUTIVE SESSION,
SO WE'RE WRITING IT DOWN ON A NOTE. 
          SO JUST GIVE US A SECOND. BUT IN THE MEANTIME,
YOU KNOW, MAYBE WE NEED TO WRITE DOWN ALL THE VARIOUS TRIPS. 
          MEMBERS OF COURT HAVE TAKEN INTERNATIONALLY AND DOMESTICALLY. 
          JUST SO PEOPLE KNOW WHERE THEY'VE BEEN GOING. 
          I HADN'T TRAVELED ANYWHERE INTERNATIONALLY. IF I DID,
I'D COME HERE AND TELL YOU WHERE I WAS GOING AND HOW MUCH I WAS GOING TO SPEND. 
          AND THAT'S WHAT I'M ABOUT TO TELL YOU, COMMISSIONER. WE'RE WRITING IT DOWN,
AND I'M GIVING IT TO YOU. 
          AND THAT'S JUST IT. BUT TO ME, IT'S BEING ACCOUNTABLE TO THE PUBLIC. 
          RIGHT? SO IF THIS INFORMATION IS LAID OUT THE WAY I'VE ARTICULATED THAT,
TO ME, IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY. 
          POSSIBLY. BUT OTHERWISE. RIGHT. AND WE'RE WE'RE BEING ACCOUNTABLE ON THE WAY BACK. 
          BUT IT'S NOT IT'S NOT SAFE TO DO IT ON THE WAY OUT BECAUSE OF THE VITRIOL IN POLITICS. 
          IT'S NOT SAFE FOR ME TO BROADCAST WHERE I'M GOING TO BE ON THIS. 
          GOTCHA. YEAH. CAN YOU HOLD ON ONE SECOND? YES. 
          OKAY. YEAH. APPARENTLY SWITCHED OVER TO SHOW THAT WE'RE IN EXECUTIVE SESSION,
AND THAT'S NOT ACCURATE. 
          SO SHOULD I WAIT? SHOULD I BREAK? AUDIO IS THERE. 
          WE WOULD NEED THE. WE NEED THE VIDEO. YEAH WE NEED VIDEO. 
          WELL AND THEN THAT'LL GIVE ME TIME TO TALK TO COMMISSIONER RAMSEY AND MAYBE TO HAVE MY
SECURITY FOLKS EXPLAIN TO COMMISSIONER BRIONES THE SAFETY ISSUES. 
          CAN WE JUST TAKE A I GUESS WHAT? YEAH. ALL RIGHT,
LET'S JUST. 
          DO I NEED TO SAY HOW LONG? NO, I JUST CAN I JUST SAY BREAK UNTIL THE THING IS BACK? OKAY. OKAY. OKAY. SO IT'S THREE. IT'S 535. WE'RE BREAKING UNTIL TEN MINUTES. 
          OKAY. WE'RE BREAKING UNTIL 545 TO FIX THIS. STREAMING. 
          [04:40:10]
THANK YOU. COLLEAGUES, I KNOW EVERYONE'S TIRED. IT'S 549. 
          COMMISSIONERS COURT IS BACK IN SESSION. I KNOW MY COLLEAGUES WERE BRIEFED. 
          I'LL JUST ADD THE MY, MY SECURITY DETAILS ARE NOT COMFORTABLE WITH ME SHARING THE LOCATION
PUBLICLY, BUT I CAN GIVE MORE DETAILS AS TO THE TRADE MISSION. 
          SO IT'S LED BY THE GREATER HOUSTON PARTNERSHIP AND RICE UNIVERSITY. 
          AND I'LL BE LEADING A VARIETY OF BUSINESSES. SO I MAKE A MOTION,
THE SAME MOTION I MADE BEFORE WITH THAT ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND WOULD APPRECIATE YOUR SUPPORT. 
          BUT, YOU KNOW, I THINK I'VE ALREADY HEARD THE REASONS WHY NOT IF YOU CHOOSE NOT TO SUPPORT
IT. 
          SO THE MOTION WOULD BE TO AUTHORIZE INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL FOR THE HARRIS COUNTY JUDGE AND
ESSENTIAL STAFF MEMBERS FOR THE COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE FROM JUNE 8TH THROUGH 15TH, 2025 FOR A TRADE MISSION RELEVANT TO COUNTY BUSINESS LED BY THE JUDGE,
RICE UNIVERSITY, AND OTHER GREATER USE OF PARTNERSHIP. 
          ALL EXPENSES SHALL BE COVERED USING THE COUNTY JUDGE'S OFFICE. 
          FISCAL YEAR 2025 BUDGET. OH. IS RODNEY BACK? DID RODNEY, IS HE COMING BACK, YOU GUYS? OKAY. 
          HEY, ARE YOU JUMPING BACK ON? YEAH. WE'RE BACK. 
          OKAY. 
          HIGH COMMISSIONER ELLIS, I JUST WE JUST GOT BACK. 
          I WAS SHARING WITH OUR COLLEAGUES THAT THE SECURITY DETAIL IS STILL NOT COMFORTABLE WITH
ME SHARING THE LOCATION, BUT THEY BRIEFED US TO THE DETAILS OF THE TRADE MISSION. 
          SO MY MOTION IS TO AUTHORIZE INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL FOR THE HARRIS COUNTY JUDGE AND
ESSENTIAL STAFF MEMBERS FROM THE COUNTY JUDGE'S OFFICE FROM JUNE 8TH THROUGH 15TH, 2025 FOR TRADE MISSION RELEVANT TO COUNTY BUSINESS LED BY THE JUDGE,
THE GREATER HOUSTON PARTNERSHIP AND RICE UNIVERSITY WILL BE LEADING SEVERAL BUSINESSES. 
          ALL EXPENSES SHALL BE COVERED USING THE COUNTY JUDGE'S OFFICE. FISCAL YEAR 2025 BUDGET. 
          AND I KNOW WE'RE ALL TIRED, AND WE DON'T NEED TO RELITIGATE REASONS WHY WE DO OR DO NOT
SUPPORT IT. 
          JUST WANT TO KNOW. WELL, I DO WANT TO MAKE ONE POINT,
IF I MIGHT. 
          YES, PLEASE. I WENT ON A TRADE MISSION WITH MAYOR TURNER TO PARIS. 
          I THINK HE WAS PAID BY HOUSTON FIRST. I DON'T KNOW,
BUT I PAID FOR MINE OUT OF MY CAMPAIGN. 
          AND I JUST WANT TO STRESS, FOR THE RECORD, I HAD TO REPORT WHERE I WENT,
WHERE I STAYED, IF I GOT A TAXI, WHERE I WENT, WHERE I ATE DINNER. I JUST WANT TO MAKE THAT POINT,
BECAUSE YOU SAID THAT EARLIER, AND I'VE TRAVELED IN THE PAST WITH GOVERNOR ANN RICHARDS TO MEXICO. 
          I WENT TO NELSON MANDELA'S FUNERAL REPRESENTING THE STATE ON MY CAMPAIGN. 
          AND IT WAS I REPORTED I WAS GOING TO HIS FUNERAL,
WHERE I STAYED, WHERE I ATE. 
          I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT'S CLEAR. THERE'S NOTHING HIDDEN THERE. WHEN YOU DO THAT,
PROBABLY DISCLOSING MORE THAN IT'S GOING TO BE DISCLOSED ON THIS ONE. 
          JUST JUST SO YOU. YEAH. NO, AND THAT'S NOT MY INSINUATION THAT IT'S HIDDEN. 
          IT'S SIMPLY THAT THAT THAT'S ON A CAMPAIGN REPORT. 
          AND WHAT I'M SAYING IS WE'RE THERE ON AN OFFICIAL CAPACITY AND IT SHOULD BE A PART OF
OFFICIAL BUSINESS, NOT PART OF CAMPAIGN BUSINESS. BUT, YOU KNOW,
IT ALSO REQUIRES YOU TO HAVE CERTAIN CAMPAIGN MONEY TO APPEAR AT PLACES IN YOUR OFFICIAL CAPACITY. TO BE CLEAR, MY PRESENCE WAS REQUESTED AT THIS,
NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND. 
          SO I, YOU KNOW, I JUST I SHARED MY PERSPECTIVE ALREADY,
BUT COMMISSIONER GARCIA. 
          YEAH. I'VE GONE ON MANY TRIPS WITH THE GREATER HOUSTON PARTNERSHIP THAT THE GREATER
HOUSTON PARTNERSHIP PAID FOR. 
          [04:45:04]
SO WHY ARE THEY NOT COVERING THESE COSTS? YEAH. 
          OKAY, WELL, I'M JUST GOING TO MAKE THE MOTION. 
          I'M IMAGINING THAT WE DON'T HAVE THE VOTES, BUT LET ME JUST MAKE IT JUST IN CASE. 
          AND, COMMISSIONER GARCIA WE DID RUN DOWN YOUR QUESTION. 
          OKAY, SO SO I MADE MY MOTION. IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND? ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. ANY OPPOSED? NO, NO,
I'M. 
          TAKE IT. COMMISSIONER GARCIA'S A NO. SO I'M FOR TRANSPARENCY,
LETTING FOLKS KNOW THAT I'M LEADING THIS TRADE MISSION WITH MY CAMPAIGN DOLLARS, WHICH I THANKFULLY HAVE A LOT OF. AND AND I APPRECIATE COMMISSIONER ELLIS'S SUPPORT,
AND ALL RIGHT, SO WE'VE HAD A GREAT COURT. THANK YOU GUYS. COUNTY STAFF,
COUNTY ATTORNEY CLARK. 
          GOOD. ALL RIGHT. IT'S 555. COMMISSIONERS COURT IS NOW ADJOURNED. 
          THANK YOU, THANK YOU.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.