HOUSTON – Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo called for a special meeting of the commissioners’ court Wednesday to authorize outside counsel to take legal action against state officials, including Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar, in response to the comptroller’s recent claims regarding Harris County’s budgeting decisions under Chapter 120 of the Texas Local Government Code.
According to the Associated Press, Hegar alleged leaders in Harris County reduced funding for the offices of its constables in the current fiscal year and would again reduce funding next year.
Harris County officials pushed back against the claims they were defunding law enforcement, saying they have actually increased funding for law enforcement, proposing a budget for the next fiscal year that would allocate $1.4 billion for justice and safety, which is 75% of the county’s budget and the most ever allocated by the county for public safety, according to AP. Hegar accused the county of ending a policy that would have let the constables’ offices automatically roll over unspent departmental funds from one fiscal year to the next, resulting in a loss of more than $3 million. He also accused the county of reducing funding for the constables by up to $12 million for the 2022-23 fiscal year.
READ: Harris County leaders accused of violating state defunding police law, report says
Hidalgo pushed back on the allegations, stating in a release that Harris County Commissioners’ Court has increased the annual budgets of all public safety agencies, including the eight constables’ offices and the sheriff’s office, which has primary responsibility for addressing violent crimes and responding to 911 calls, every year since taking office in 2019. This year, the release states that Harris County preliminarily approved a record $1.4 billion budget for justice and safety, a full two-thirds of the County General Fund budget. In addition, instead of letting Constables’ unspent funds sit unused, Commissioners Court instituted a policy that led to millions of dollars of public safety investments.
Harris County leaders claim that Hegar’s effort would prevent the county from adopting a budget that increases funding to Harris County law enforcement by $96.7 million, including new investments in the sheriff’s and constables’ offices, and a proposed $10 million increase to the district attorney’s office. If their efforts succeed, all of these investments would be cut.
Judge Hidalgo released the following statement:
“This is yet another example of Governor Abbott cruelly trying to hurt the residents of Harris County for political gain. In this latest stunt, he and his far-right allies threaten to defund Harris County itself–programs from public health to public safety to veterans’ services and more. They’re willing to harm our people–who are also their constituents–by manufacturing a cynical narrative that has no basis in law or fact. I’m proud to tout our $1.4 billion in funding for justice and safety, and I will continue to fight to keep Harris County fully funded, including through legal action.”
Chris Bryan, spokesman for the Comptroller’s Office, released the following statement:
“Our office has and will continue to encourage efforts to reach a local solution. We have been in constant contact with Harris County budget staff and representatives from the Constables. Both parties have conveyed that they have engaged in productive discussions and have been in agreement on how to resolve the complaint. While it is within the Commissioners Court’s right to hire a legal team to file a lawsuit against this office, this action is frivolous and unnecessary. We do not see how this action supports ongoing negotiations or gets Harris County any closer to resolving this issue quickly. Regardless, we will continue to work diligently with Harris County staff to clear a path to a budget that is in compliance with Texas law.”