Harris County commissioners will meet Nov. 13 with more than 300 agenda items on the docket.
At the November meeting, commissioners are expected to vote on the county’s worksite safety policy that aims to standardize safety protocols countywide in order to reduce injuries and strengthen worker protections on authorized construction sites. While commissioners unanimously approved the motion during the Oct. 16 court meeting, the updated construction safety policy will include revisions to contractor safety and worksite safety policies.
The experts
Linda Morales is the organizing coordinator at the Texas Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation. She told Community Impact that leading up to the Nov. 13 Commissioners Court session, several meetings focused on worker safety will take place between labor representatives and county stakeholders, including officials from the county administration, engineering department, toll road authority and flood control.
“We want to make sure that at the end of the day, workers can go home,” Morales said. “We want to make sure that [workers] can report issues and that it can be fixed before someone gets hurt.”
What you need to know
Two agenda items on the docket are related to how the Harris County engineer department handles its permitting department. The engineering department will discuss utilizing artificial intelligence to increase efficiency with its permitting process. The commercial permitting process in Harris County is meant to ensure public welfare and safety, according to county officials.
Digging deeper
The agenda items come as some new Cy-Fair business owners have told Community Impact their experiences when it came to navigating their permitting processes. Local business owners say the road to opening a business is often paved with unexpected delays in the Cy-Fair area.
“The emotional toll that takes place when opening a business ...you have to be ready to adapt to what needs to be done," Matthew Greatens, co-owner of Connie’s Frozen Custard in Cy-Fair, said.
Harris County Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey will also seek discussion and possible action to implement metrics on the permits division of the Harris County Engineer Department, which handles the process.
Also on the agenda
Harris County Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis has several items slated for discussion regarding the impacts of the federal government shutdown and the county’s possible response when it comes to addressing hunger and financial hardship.
The county’s veterans services department will update commissioners regarding their efforts toward suicide prevention among Harris County veterans.
Also of note
Harris County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth will request to officially canvass all votes cast in the Nov. 4 general and special elections.
Several resolutions will be taken up by commissioners at the November court meeting, including one from Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo to designate Dec. 1 as World AIDS Day in Harris County and another by Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones to recognize November as Family Literacy Month.
What residents should know
Harris County Commissioners Court meetings are now being held at 9 a.m. in Downtown Houston instead of 10 a.m. after approval from commissioners in October. The administration building is located at 1001 Preston St., Houston. Meetings are also available to livestream here.
Jovanna Aguilar contributed to this report.
