Press Releases

10/29/2024

10/29/2024

(Harris County, October 29, 2024) – After more than eight months of development, on Tuesday Harris County Commissioners Court approved the County’s first strategic plan. The plan, which is for the five-year period ending at the conclusion of Fiscal Year 2029, was developed with input from County departments, community stakeholder organizations, and residents.

09/24/2024

09/24/2024

(Harris County – September 24, 2024) – A new multiyear study conducted by the Institute on Race, Power and Political Economy (the Institute) at The New School identified Harris County as a national leader in investing federal funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021 to advance equity. Harris County scored in the top 20 of 170 U.S. cities and counties evaluated by the Institute’s Budget Equity Project, which examined how local governments across the U.S. are investing flexible recovery funds from ARPA to support racial and economic equity in their communities.

09/05/2024

09/05/2024

(Harris County, TX) – September 4, 2024 — What does a climate-just future look like for Harris County? Join the Office of County Administration’s Sustainability team and Coalition for Environment, Equity, and Resilience (CEER) at our upcoming community meetings to help answer and shape the plan together.

08/15/2024

08/15/2024

(Harris County, TX) – August 15, 2024—The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has submitted its proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year. Aligned to the newly adopted Harris County strategic plan framework, this budget supports defined goals, objectives, and initiatives to guide Harris County toward sustainable, equitable growth.

08/01/2024

08/01/2024

(Harris County – August 7, 2024) – Harris County is excited to announce that the 2024 Harris County ARPA Recovery Plan is now available at harriscountyarpa.org! This annual report highlights Harris County’s investment achievements to date, outlining the county’s ongoing commitment to building a dynamic, vibrant, and resilient community through strategic investments funded by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).

04/30/2024

04/30/2024

(Harris County, April 24, 2024) - On Tuesday, the Harris County Commissioners Court unanimously approved its first-ever Strategic Framework. The framework—which includes a purpose statement, a vision statement, guiding principles, goals, community indicators, and objectives—sets the direction that Commissioners Court envisions for Harris County and gives County departments clear context to work to achieve the County’s highest priorities over the next five years.

04/22/2024

04/22/2024

(Harris County, TX) – April 22, 2024 — Today, Harris County and the Texas Solar for All Coalition (Coalition) were awarded a $249.7 million grant from the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund.

02/29/2024

02/29/2024

(Harris County – March 1, 2024) - This week Harris County Commissioners Court appointed Holly María Flynn Vilaseca to the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County  (METRO) Board of Directors.

02/28/2024

02/28/2024

(Harris County, TX) – February 28, 2024 — Following approval from the Commissioners Court, Harris County is poised to enhance accessibility and inclusivity with the allocation of a $515,000 grant from the Houston Endowment to establish a Language Access Program (LAP) led by the Office of County Administration’s Research and Analysis Division (RAD).

01/31/2024

01/31/2024

(Harris County, TX) – January 30, 2024 — Reporting on a year of progress, Harris County unveils the significant achievements of its Climate Action Plan for Internal Operations (CAP) implementation for the inaugural year, marking strides toward sustainable and environmentally responsible practices.

01/17/2024

01/17/2024

(Harris County, January 17, 2024) - Harris County is pleased to announce the appointment of Leah Barton as the Deputy County Administrator, a key leadership position responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the Office of County Administration (OCA).

11/03/2023

11/03/2023

(Harris County, November 3, 2023) - On Tuesday, Harris County Commissioners Court unanimously approved the launch of a countywide strategic planning process that aims to provide a vision for Harris County's future that aligns budgeting with priorities, supports further transparency in County operations and works with the public, and connects County employees' work to the County’s strategic direction. This plan will represent a collective commitment of Commissioners Court and County departments, with valuable input from the community as well.

10/26/2023

10/26/2023

(Harris County, October 26, 2023) – Harris County is pleased to announce a strategic organizational change aimed at optimizing the delivery of research and analysis services for the Harris County Commissioners Court. In an effort to enhance efficiency, promote collaboration, and better serve our community, two key departments, the Harris County Commissioner’s Court Analyst’s Office and the Office of Justice & Safety are merging to form a single, comprehensive division under the Office of County Administration. The new Division will be renamed, the Research and Analysis Division (RAD).

10/19/2023

10/19/2023

Harris County, October 19, 2023) - Early childhood plays a crucial role in the development of young minds, setting the foundation for future success. Harris County Commissioners Court has awarded five organizations a combined total of $18.8 million to improve child care quality over the next three years via the Early Learning Quality Networks (ELQN) initiative.

10/06/2023

10/06/2023

(Harris County – October 6, 2023) - Harris County is pleased to announce the appointment of four distinguished individuals to crucial Executive Director positions within the county government. 

01/11/2023

01/11/2023

(Harris County, TX) – January 11, 2023 — Yesterday, Commissioners Court approved the County’s first-ever Climate Action Plan (CAP) for internal operations.

07/27/2021

07/27/2021

This episode of One For All features a special guest, Harris County's first ever County Administrator- Dave Berry.

At the end of June, Harris County Commissioners Court approved the creation of a County Administrator to help improve efficiency among the county's different departments.

In county corner, we go over some of the more than 20 departments that the County Administrator will help organize.

05/12/2021

05/12/2021

HARRIS COUNTY– (May 12, 2021) – the Harris County Justice Administration Department (JAD) is now seeking proposals from qualifying organizations to serve as the intermediary for the Youth Justice Community Reinvestment Funds.

04/28/2021

04/28/2021

HARRIS COUNTY (April 28, 2021) – Harris County is the recipient of a $500,000 grant by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to continue building on efforts in collaboration with local leaders and the community to rethink the local criminal justice system, safely reduce Harris County’s jail population, and eliminate racial inequities.

03/09/2021

03/09/2021

The Harris County Judge’s Office, Harris County Juvenile Probation, The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD, the Harris County Justice Administration Department, and other community stakeholders have recently completed a Critical Intervention Mapping of the Harris County juvenile justice system. The Critical Intervention Map serves as a framework for juvenile justice and mental health systems to use when developing strategies to improve mental health services for youth involved in the juvenile justice system.

03/03/2021

03/03/2021

Harris County, Texas’ most populous county, changed its bail practices for misdemeanor defendants between 2017 and 2019 following a lawsuit challenging cash bail. This memo provides an overview of the implementation of the ODonnell Consent Decree, general trends in violent crime across the country, in the city of Houston, and Harris County. The report also describes the Justice Administration Department’s approach to addressing violence and supporting crime survivors.

02/10/2021

02/10/2021

The Harris County Commissioners Court approved on Tuesday a groundbreaking multi-million dollar Youth Justice Community Reinvestment Fund.

12/17/2020

12/17/2020

HARRIS COUNTY– (October 13, 2020) – The Harris County Commissioners Court  took a giant step toward criminal justice reform today in naming a director for the county’s first-ever Managed Assigned Counsel (MAC) program.

12/17/2020

12/17/2020

The Justice Administration Department (JAD) is now seeking proposals from qualifying organizations to conduct a racial and ethnic disparity study on the Harris County criminal justice system.

12/13/2020

12/13/2020

The Justice Administration Department (JAD) is now seeking proposals from qualifying organizations for microgrants. The grants are meant to expand the capacity of organizations currently providing support to justice-involved individuals, youth, and survivors of crime by awarding them microgrants.

10/16/2020

10/16/2020

The Harris County Commissioners Court voted unanimously this week to name, Kenneth Hardin as director for the county’s first-ever Managed Assigned Counsel (MAC) program. Isiah Carey welcomed Hardin on his FOX 26 HOUSTON program, The Isiah Factor to discuss his new role, MAC, criminal justice reform.