No layoffs, but no raises for Harris County employees under smaller budget
County Commissioners Jack Cagle, left, Tom Ramsey, Judge Lina Hidalgo, Rodney Ellis and Adrian Garcia during Harris County Commissioners Court Tuesday, July 20, 2021 in Houston.Harris County employees will forgo planned raises and cost of living adjustments if the 2023 budget adopted at Commissioners Court this week goes into effect, according to an email sent by County Administrator David Berry to department heads.
While adopting the no new revenue rate is not a budget cut, relying on the same budget as last year effectively forces departments to make cuts to balance out increases in costs, county officials say, citing inflationary pressures that have enveloped the nation this year. Layoffs are not being proposed, but Berry said"some departments may see hiring freezes, and all departments will need to think carefully about which positions to fill."Cagle’s office cited inflation as a reason behind his decision to skip the meeting: “With Harris County residents struggling under the weight of the worst inflation in almost two generations, Harris County Commissioner R.
However, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said in a tweet Tuesday that the no new revenue rate would cost his agency more than $40 million: “It appears with no quorum for vote on tax rate, the HCSO budget is now slated to be $42 million less. This significant reduction will derail our proactive efforts to fight crime, increase response times, and further strain jail operations.
On one point, all four commissioners are in agreement — the combined $85 million their offices have available in rollover funds from the previous year should not be used to make up the lost funding in the new budget. “To say that ‘reserve funds’ are a solution to our current budget crisis is both inaccurate and a distraction from the folks who are causing this mess,” Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis said in a statement issued by his office. “Yes, we have reserve funds, but every dime has already been allocated towards critical infrastructure projects — parks, multimodal transit, and replacing or repairing outdated facilities.
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