The changes will grant the county's public health department to conduct Bellaire's food inspection and permitting process.
How we got here
Harris County Public Health officials were approached by Bellaire officials over the summer to take over the food services.
- Until the new agreement, Bellaire used a third-party company and is seeking to reduce costs, according to court agenda documents.
Bellaire's Development Services Director Travis Tanner said in an email that he doesn't expect for food establishments to be impacted at all. He said that city officials will monitor the effectiveness of the new agreement and determine if additional changes should be made in the future.
"Our intent is for the food permit and inspection services to be more streamlined while still following the same rules and regulations. Harris County has a department and staff dedicated to providing this service, and food establishments will still operate under the same Texas Food Establishment Rules," Tanner said.
With the changes, he said that no fiscal impact will be incurred by the city.
"The intent for change is for greater efficiency and more of 'one-stop shop' approach, with the county handling the entire process," Tanner said.
Also of note
HCPH currently oversees food inspections and permitting for food establishments throughout the county, according to court agenda documents. Some of the 25 municipalities that HCPH oversees includes:
- Tomball
- Katy
- Humble
- Jersey Village
