Meetings

• Commissioners Court meets every other Tuesday of the month.
• Harris County Administration Building, 1001 Preston Street, Houston, 713-755-5000, www.hctx.net

Terms and compensation

• Commissioners serve four-year terms with no limits and are paid $149,568 per year.

Big decisions made in 2011

• Handled drought, burn ban — A devastating drought resulted in a strict countywide burn ban, keeping people from usual summer activities such as grilling and lighting fireworks around the Fourth of July.
• Redistricted precincts — To balance county growth across district lines, Precinct 4's population shrunk to 1.02 million people from 1.12 million. Precinct 3 has remained the largest, with 1.04 million residents, down from 1.15 million before the realignment.

Top issues for 2012

• Deal with drought aftermath — The millions of trees that were estimated to be lost due to drought conditions and forest fire damage as well as the lack of crop production is expected to cost taxpayers millions in the coming years.
• Have roads ready for new residents — A new transportation issue may arise due to Exxon Mobil headquarters coming in just south of The Woodlands. It is estimated to employee as many as 36,000 people, many new to the area.