Government
BY MELISSA ENAJE & KELLY SCHAFLER
Harris County approves $4M in eviction legal aid An additional $4 million in federal funding will be used for legal aid and eviction services for qualifying applicants in Harris County’s 16 evic- tion-handling courts after county commissioners approved an agreement at a Dec. 19 meeting. The big picture According to Harris County’s O ce of Adminis- tration, the new money brings a total of $8 million for two agencies that handle the legal needs for eviction cases in the county—Lone Star Legal Aid, a nonpro t law rm that provides free legal services, and Neighborhood Defender Services. The rst $4 million was approved in March 2023 using federal American Rescue Plan Act funding. The impact Harris County has been facing an eviction surge after rental assistance programs ended at
Fort Bend County to begin parks projects At the Jan. 9 Fort Bend County Commis- sioners Court meeting, commissioners unan- imously approved advancing $153 million in bond funding for parks projects. The gist This means the county can proceed on projects from the November bond by using the county’s general fund before issuing bonds, County Auditor Robert Sturdivant said. He said county sta can later request commissioners’ approval to issue the rst round of bond funding to replenish the general fund. “Is that fair to say that this might speed up the action?” County Judge KP George said. Sturdivant con rmed, saying it acts as a “checkbook” for the parks and recreation department to begin bond projects now.
“Even with our additional eviction dockets, the surge is creating a
bottleneck that impacts our ability to hear all civil cases in a timely manner.” LASHAWN WILLIAMS, PRESIDING JUDGE FOR HARRIS COUNTY CIVIL COURT AT LAW NO. 3
7,371 eviction appeals cases were reported by the Harris County Civil Courts at Law during the rst 11 months of 2023, more than double the prepandemic caseload of 3,568 recorded in 2018.
SOURCE: HARRIS COUNTY CIVIL COURTS COMMUNITY IMPACT
the start of 2022, according to a report by the consulting rm January Advisors. While there are 16 JP courts, only four county civil courts hear their appeals. With the additional funding, Harris County residents facing eviction will now be able to meet with an attorney or legal aid representa- tive at all 16 courts.
DA’s o ce to buy e-bikes for new safety programs The Fort Bend County district attorney’s o ce o cials hope the purchase of two electric bicycles will help further the county’s mission to improve pedestrian and cyclist safety. At the Jan. 9 Commissioners Court meeting, Fort Bend County commissioners approved the DA o ce’s request to purchase the e-bikes. district attorney for Fort Bend County. He said he believes the purchase will be used in two ways: • The bikes will be another resource used by DA’s o ce investigators to help monitor crosswalks around schools and other high-risk areas.
“We’ve had complaints from citizens saying, ‘My child was almost hit.’ We went out there and talked to parents, and the crossing guards are like, ‘Yeah, it’s dangerous. I almost quit being a crossing guard because I’ve almost been hit so many times.’ It’s just crazy; it’s out of control.” WESLEY WITTIG, SECOND ASSISTANT DISTRICT ATTORNEY FOR FORT BEND COUNTY
• They will support law enforcement by raising awareness for cyclists who are being endangered by irresponsible motorists.
This is a a new opportunity for the DA’s o ce to increase safety, said Wesley Wittig, second assistant
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