News from Harris County, Fort Bend County & Katy CITY & COUNTY Harris County invests $25M in court case backlog fight
QUOTE OF NOTE
Katy City Council will meet Aug. 14 at 6:30 p.m. at 910 Ave. C, Katy. 281-391-4800. www.cityofkaty.com Harris County Commissioners Court will meet Aug. 8 at 1001 Preston Ave., Ste. 934, Houston. 713-755- 5000. www.harriscountytx.gov Fort Bend County Commissioners MEETINGS WE COVER FORT BEND COUNTY To partially fund its $495 million liability for retiree health care, on June 13 Fort Bend County commissioners approved a $19.94 million deposit into the $25.54 million other post-employment benefit, or OPEB, trust fund. The OPEB fund provides payment for doctor visits, emergency care and prescription costs for all county employees working toward retirement health care benefits as well as all retirees and their spouses. NUMBER TO KNOW was by the Texas Department of Transportation to Fort Bend County. The grants will be used for various initiatives, including potentially the county’s emergency network monitoring system. granted $807,455 HIGHLIGHTS FORT BEND COUNTY In a Commissioners Court meeting held June 27, officials focused on improving emergency response capabilities within the region. The main priority of the discussion revolved around a proposed memorandum of understanding, or MOU, aimed at fostering collaboration between various agencies during times of crisis. Key components of the proposed MOU include the establishment of a joint operations center and the formation of a unified command structure. “THIS IS GREAT NEWS FOR HARRIS COUNTY VOTERS. ACCOUNTABILITY OVER ELECTIONS HAS BEEN RESTORED BACK TO YOU.” TOM RAMSEY, HARRIS COUNTY PRECINCT 3 COMMISSIONER ON THE PASSAGE OF SENATE BILL 1750, WHICH ABOLISHES HARRIS COUNTY’S ELECTIONS ADMINISTRATION OFFICE
BY EMILY LINCKE
BACKLOG BREAKDOWN
HARRIS COUNTY To help Harris County departments work through backlogged cases, commissioners voted June 6 to allocate $25 million from federal American Rescue Plan Act funds toward the effort. The background: Harris County has been experiencing a court case backlog since courts were shut down in early 2020 due to COVID-19. Harris County previously invested $39 million toward reducing the backlog, and since January 2022, misdemeanor and felony cases in the county’s backlog have decreased by 44% and 41%, respectively, according to county documents.
Case preparation: $7.9M
Disposing cases: $11.2M
Harris County commissioners voted unanimously June 6 to allocate $25 million in federal funding to tackle the county’s court case backlog.
Total: $25M
Case flow process and management: $1.2M
Evidence management: $4.8M
SOURCE: HARRIS COUNTY COMMISSIONERS COURT/ COMMUNITY IMPACT
By the numbers: The funds will be used in different ways, according to a June 7 news release: • $11.2 million for disposing cases via emergency response dockets for district and county courts
• $7.9 million to aid case preparation • $4.8 million for better evidence management • $1.2 million for improving the case flow process Melissa Enaje contributed to this report. Fort Bend County monitors Legionnaires’ disease outbreak
Katy officials move forward with exhibit design at downtown Visitors Center
BY ASIA ARMOUR
KATY Renovations to Katy’s historic town square continue with an upcoming project to enhance the city’s Visitors Cen- ter, located at 5718 Second St. The overview: At a June 26 meeting, City Council members approved a $61,000 grant appli- cation for the Katy Convention & Tourism Bureau to fund the basic architecture and engineer- ing design of 1,200-1,500 square feet of space at the Visitors Center. The CTB approved the action June 21. According to the application, the design will encompass a storyline that showcases both Katy’s history and future. VLK Architects will execute this work in six phases: • Programming • Schematic design • Design development • Construction documents • Bidding and permitting • Construction administration Also of note: VLK Architects has also worked with Katy ISD to design the school district’s Ger- ald D. Young Agricultural Sci- ences Center, Legacy Stadium
BY ASIA ARMOUR
FORT BEND COUNTY Health and human services is actively investigating a recent outbreak of Legionella in Bon- terra at Cross Creek Ranch, a 55-years- and-older community in Fulshear. Current situation: Kaila Williams, health communications, equity and engagement director, said in an email the county health department was first notified of a potential case June 22. Per the investigation, there are four confirmed cases and three more prob- able cases of legionellosis as of July 6, presumptively linked to individuals who have utilized the facilities at the Bonterra Clubhouse. Zooming in: Symptoms of Legionnaires’ disease can include cough, muscle aches, fever, shortness of breath and headache, Williams wrote. The disease presents as pneumonia with a cough, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. Transmission occurs by breathing in small droplets of water in the air that are contaminated with the Legionella bacteria. For example, breathing in steam from a contaminated hot tub. According to DSHS, no human-to-human transmission occurs.
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and Bethke Elementary School. The exhibit will be composed of both physical and digital elements, such as display cases, media experiences and other graphic components, according to project documents The background: The Visitors Center and Katy Civic Center buildings were originally funded by a $3 million bond package approved by Katy voters in 2000. Katy’s Historic Town Square revitalization has been in the works for several years, facing delays due to the 2016 Tax Day Floods, Hurricane Harvey in 2017 and the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
Court will meet Aug. 8 at 1 p.m. at 401 Jackson St., Richmond. 281-342-3411. www.fortbendcountytx.gov
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KATY SOUTH - FULSHEAR EDITION • JULY 2023
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