Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones added a $1.4 million investment in county worker programs and a minimum wage raise for Harris Center employees to the county’s proposed budget Sept. 8.
The gist
Briones announced her $1.4 million proposal during a press conference an hour before the Harris County Commissioners Court met to discuss amendments to the county’s proposed $3.09 billion budget and tax rates.
The money would establish a $20 minimum wage for more than 200 Harris Center frontline employees, who deliver mental health and behavioral crisis services, according to a press release. The center offers mental, behavioral and developmental health services as the largest provider in Texas, per its website.
The investment would also go toward:
Apprenticeship Advantage Program
Harris County Consultation Policy
Harris County Worksite Safety Policy
Briones said her request, which will be considered when the court meets to approve the budget on Sept. 17, is one that fights for working families.
“I hope that all of us here, locally, we can continue doubling down together because Harris County must continue being a place where everyone has a fair shot,” Briones said.
The details
The apprenticeship program, established in 2023 with federal pandemic relief funds, equips participants with on-the-job training and early job placement, per its website.
The 2026-27 proposed budget outlines investing $4 million to maintain the program’s “workforce training and career pathway assistance.” The program has marked a 100% job-placement rate in its trades program, according to a news release.
Money for the worksite safety program, which launched in July, would go toward paid rest breaks, scheduled and unannounced inspections and site-specific safety and heat illness prevention plans, according to the release. The county’s proposed budget also allocates $1.8 million to create 14 jobs to maintain the worksite safety policy.
Part of Briones’ proposed investment would go toward the county’s consultation policy, which the court passed in March. It allows labor unions to represent county employees in discussions about workplace regulations, grievances and salaries.
Brian Kelley, secretary-treasurer of the United Workers of Harris Center, said raising the minimum wage could benefit employees who have to donate plasma or deliver food to support their families.
“Taken together, these investments mean that people protecting our public health, building our hospitals and working in mental health facilities like the Harris Center can afford to live in this community that we all serve,” Kelley said.
The court appoints volunteer members to the Harris Center’s Board of Trustees, per its website.
Zooming in
The commissioners court met Sept. 8 to discuss amendments to the proposed budget, along with the proposed tax rates for the upcoming fiscal year. The discussion comes as the county faces a projected shortfall of about $180 million.
Commissioners advanced a 7.6% property tax increase during the meeting, which the court is expected to finalize during its Sept. 17 meeting. The court is also expected to finalize its budget then, which comes before the new fiscal year starts Oct. 1.
