CITY & COUNTY
News from Harris County & Jersey Village
Harris County commissioners put $1.2B bond on November ballot HARRIS COUNTY Commissioners put a $1.2 billion bond on the Novem- ber ballot in a split 3-2 vote on Aug. 18. BY RACHEL CARLTON drainage and multimodal transporta- tion; $200 million for parks; and $100 million for public safety facilities—in separate bond referendums. property taxes, according to Daniel Ramos, executive director of the Harris County Office of Management and Budget. County Judge Lina Hidalgo said
responsibility to lead the efforts to improve our infrastructure today and for the future, [and] this bond is very important in order to be able to keep the level of service that people have come to expect from Harris County.” At the Aug. 2 meeting, the court voted 3-2 to adopt guidelines to direct funds to areas of greatest need. Under these guidelines, each precinct would receive a minimum of $220 million.
The vote cements the 3-2 split vote from the Aug. 2 meeting of Commissioners Court with Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey and Precinct 4 Commissioner Jack Cagle again opposed to the bond issue. Residents will vote on the three key areas—$900 million for roads,
The county bond will appear on the same ballot for voters who live in the city of Houston, which approved an ordinance Aug. 17 for a $478 million public improvement bond. Based on estimated 2022 tax values, the average homeowner would pay an additional $31 a year in
residents would not feel the effect of the bond on their taxes until the levy is imposed well into next year, likely toward the end of 2023. “We’re mindful that we’re dealing with inflation right now,” Hidalgo said. “I believe we have a
Harris County launches public safety investments website
jail population, data on defendants in criminal courts and approved bail bonds. Perrye Turner, deputy county administrator for justice and safety, said the website will be consis- tently updated to keep the public informed. “Safeharris.com is a living, breathing, ever-evolv- ing document,” Turner said. “An educated community is a safe community. It is also about transparency ... and keeping law enforcement and elected officials accountable.” According to County Judge Lina Hidalgo, the website gives the community a way to understand
different pieces of the public safety investments made by the county over time. “Everyone has a right to public safety [and] to feel safe in their homes,” Hidalgo said.
BY RACHEL CARLTON
HARRIS COUNTY Officials announced the launch of www.safeharris.com—a website to track county investments in public safety—at a news conference Aug. 17. The site filters investments into four categories: community, courts, law enforcement and youth safety. It includes links to dashboards tracking the
Visit www.safeharris.com for information on public safety investments being made in Harris County.
Community
Courts
Youth safety
Law enforcement
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