Commissioners limit own spending power
In a rare act, members vote for stricter rules on their expenditure of infrastructure funds
The members of Harris County Commissioners Court committed a rare act in politics this week by voting to limit their own power.
The court on Tuesday voted 4-1 to enact strict rules for how infrastructure funds may be spent, ending the longstanding practice of allowing commissioners to build roads and bridges at their discretion.
County Judge Lina Hidalgo said precincts need to move away from an ad hoc system of building and maintaining infrastructure and instead incorporate a comprehensive strategy.
“Building a world-class and equitable transportation infrastructure requires us to allocate limited dollars in the smartest way possible, and according to a plan,” Hidalgo said.
Some of the rules adopt a similar “worst-first” model the county applied to flood control projects this past August, which prioritizes work that will help the greatest number of people. Another requires environmental considerations to be taken into account.
“Traditionally, the money was cut up and could be used for any lawful purpose,” County Engineer
John Blount said. “Now, except for Metro (funding), every other piece is restricted.”
Blount described the rules as a fundamental change in how Harris County manages infrastructure spending.
Each precinct will receive $46.2 million in restricted transportation dollars for the 2020-21 fiscal year, which are divided into seven categories. One requires a $10 million portion to be used as matching funds for Harris County Flood Control District projects, while another $10 million chunk is reserved for projects in areas where residents have poor access to transportation.
The largest portion, $17.9 million, only can be spent on infrastructure that scores below a “B” on an A through F scale that, for example, measures a road’s condition and level of congestion.
Blount, whose office drafted the rules at the behest of the court, stressed that the policy change was not driven by commis
sioners misspending road money in the past. Rather, he said the new method for distributing the money will enable the county auditor to ensure transportation funds are spent as intended.
Precinct 4 Commissioner Jack Cagle was the lone “no” vote. He said the new regulations would limit the ability of commissioners to do what they know is best for their precincts.
“When we put all these restrictions on how we put in roads, in essence what we’re saying is we’re not going to take the greatest need first,” Cagle said. “We’re going to play with the numbers and put them in these little boxes and handicap our ability to be able to serve the people we need to serve.”
Jack Morman, the Republican commissioner of Precinct 2 from 2011 to 2018, said the county has spent transportation funds wisely in the past. He saw little need for new restrictions.
“I think handcuffing your road and bridge department on what you can or cannot do, and where you can and cannot spend, is not wise at all,” Morman said. “Trust me, you hear from your constituents where the need is.”
Historically, commissioners have had tremendous influence over how road and bridge contracts are awarded in their precincts. While most government contracts are put out to competitive bid through the county purchaser, state law gives commissioners significant discretion over the selection of firms for engineering work.
Engineers and other vendors are significant contributors to commissioners’ campaigns. A 2019 Houston Chronicle analysis found a majority of political donations commissioners received in 2018 — in one case, 88 percent — came from vendors who had done business with the county in the previous two years. Commissioners routinely deny there is any relationship between donations made by engineers and the work they receive.
Cagle said he also believes Precinct 4 is being short-changed. The western Harris County precinct used to receive 30 percent of transportation funds since it has the most lane miles and a larger percentage of residents living in the unincorporated area.
Since Democrats took control of Commissioners Court in 2019, court members have tasked the county engineer to study whether the funds should be divided differently in the future. In the interim, each precinct receives an equal 25 percent, regardless of how many road miles or residents are in its unincorporated area.
The new Democratic majority on the court also has floated the idea of consolidating the precinct parks departments into one central hub, which Commissioner Rodney Ellis said could be more efficient.
Commissioners Court on a party line vote last year required the $2.5 billion flood protection bond to prioritize projects that help the greatest number of people. The Republican commissioners, Cagle and Precinct 3’s Steve Radack, objected to the “social vulnerability index” formula proposed by the Harris County Flood Control District, which was developed by the federal Centers for Disease Control.