PREVIEW: Harris County to discuss budget, 5-year financial plan, ARPA projects status report

Harris County commissioners have more than 290 agenda items for the May 22 meeting.

Items worth mentioning

Harris County Administration officials will request a discussion on the status update regarding the $915 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding that was distributed to the county by the U.S. Treasury in 2021. An additional $68.1 million has been allocated toward COVID-19 pandemic recovery programs, for a total of $983.1 million in project investments, which includes funding from ARPA and the county’s FLEX funding portfolio, according to county documents. County department officials are expected to spend the federal funds by the end of 2026.

Federal funding was committed to various projects among five categories by the end of 2024, with the largest amount toward jobs and education:

• Health: $150.2 million
• Housing: $286.5 million
• Jobs and education: $322.7 million
• Justice and safety: $154.8 million
• County operations: $69 million

What else

Harris County Budget Director Daniel Ramos will request to discuss the second quarter budget projections. The fiscal year 2024-25 $2.67 billion budget was adopted at a court meeting last September. Ramos is expected to share updates to the county’s five-year financial plan that was outlined by the budget office last year to come up with ways the county can generate revenue and avoid a deficit, while also saving presenting savings opportunities.

What residents should know

Harris County Commissioners Court meetings are held at 10 a.m. in Downtown Houston, 1001 Preston St., Houston. Meetings are also available to livestream here.