Government
BY MELISSA ENAJE & JAMES T. NORMAN
Harris County approves $11.3M jail contract Harris County Commissioners Court approved an $11.3 million contract to outsource a number of county inmates to a private correctional facility in Mississippi at a November meeting. The details Harris County Administrator Diana Ramirez led a November presentation to address challenges within the jail, including the department’s monthly initiative to provide updates, analyses, data and staff-level actions at Commissioners
911 network’s $55.6M budget approved Harris County and Houston officials approved on Oct. 31 the Greater Harris County 911 Emergency Network’s $55.6 million budget for the 2023-24 fiscal year. The network processes emergency calls within Harris and Fort Bend counties. The breakdown The budget includes a 3%-5% salary increase for the GHC 911 staff as well as increased pay and health insurance costs. • $28.6 million in call center operation costs, including call center employees • $7.6 million for network services • $6.2 million for the 289 staff salaries • $4.8 million in contract services • $8.4 million in other general expenses
Harris County inmate population snapshot, November 2023 Inmate populations reached above 90% of jail capacity at these six Texas and Louisiana facilities.
Percentage of beds occupied Available space
700 N. San Jacinto St. Occupancy at Harris County jail facilities 711 N. San Jacinto St.
701 N. San Jacinto St.
92%
93%
91%
Occupancy at non-Houston facilities (contract jails)
Court meetings. By the numbers
Jefferson County (Beaumont, TX)
La Salle Correction Center (Louisiana)
Dalby Correctional Facility (Post, TX)
Harris County’s 9,300-plus inmate population is housed throughout detention centers in Texas and Louisiana, not including the number of inmates who will be transferred to Tallahatchie County Correctional Facility in Mississippi.
95%
99%
100%
SOURCE: HARRIS COUNTY OFFICE OF ADMINISTRATION/COMMUNITY IMPACT
City of Katy, mall amend agreement The city of Katy is amending a mainte- nance agreement with Katy Mills Mall that will see the city take ownership of the vari- ous irrigation systems in the area, according to city documents. The gist The agreement covers an area surround- ing the shopping center on the south side, according to maps from the city. Specifically, the amended agreement will see the water meters and other irrigation facilities transferred from the shopping center to the Katy Management District, according to city documents. A map of the area shows there are about eight meters surrounding the shopping center. The city’s maintenance agreement with Katy Mills Mall dates back to 1999, according to city documents. In 2021, there were amendments made to the agreement. The agreement approved Nov. 13 is a further amendment to it.
Harris County leads country in gas-powered lawn pollution An Oct. 30 report by research center Environ- ment Texas found gasoline-powered lawn and garden equipment is putting residents’ health at risk. Experts said volatile ozone compounds can bypass lung defenses, damage one’s immune system and even cause premature deaths. Harris County is leading the charge of producing the most pollution from lawn equipment nation- wide, according to the report. What the experts say “It’s a dangerous and deadly pollution,” Environ- ment Texas Executive Director Luke Metzger said. To lessen pollution, Metzger said landscaping businesses and homeowners could consider switching to cleaner, quieter electric lawn equip- ment. He also encouraged local governments to provide incentives for businesses and residents to purchase electric lawn equipment. Benefits of using the electric equipment include reducing noise pollution, emitting zero emissions into the air and saving money over
Gas-powered pollution In 2020, Harris County produced as much pollution from gas-powered lawn equipment as 3.8 million cars, leading other large counties.
4M
3M
2M
1M
0
Los Angeles County, California
Harris County
Cook County, Illinois
SOURCE: ENVIRONMENT TEXAS/COMMUNITY IMPACT
time due to lower fuel and maintenance costs, officials said. On the other hand Texas passed Senate Bill 1017 in 2023, prohib- iting cities and counties from banning the use of equipment based on its fuel source.
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KATY NORTH EDITION
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