The Harris County Commissioners Court adopted results from the general election and set its sights on a revised legislative agenda during its regular meeting Nov. 12.
The overview
Commissioners adopted the official canvass of votes cast in the Nov. 3 general election, certifying results countywide. Harris County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth, who spoke during the meeting, said the adoption is a “traditional item” the court takes up to solidify the county’s election. The vote allows the office to move forward and “officially close out” the election, she said.
The election saw Democrats voted into office across the county. Harris County Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia and Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones were re-elected, and Dr. Letitia Plummer won her bid to succeed Lina Hidalgo as county judge.
Other county positions, including county attorney and district clerk, also went to Democratic candidates, Community Impact previously reported.
The county still has one race that is going to a runoff election. The Harris County Appraisal District has two positions—Places 2 and 3—in which no candidate received the required majority of the votes, Hudspeth said.
Early voting will be held Nov. 30 through Dec. 8, and Election Day will be Dec. 12, according to the Harris County Elections Department.
In other news
Commissioners also unanimously voted for the county’s Office of Intergovernmental and Global Affairs, or IGA, to reassess and update Harris County’s legislative platform and agenda for the upcoming state legislative session. The 90th legislature convenes in Austin on Jan. 12.
Briones said she would like IGA to explore a more aggressive agenda to advocate on behalf of the county.
“The bottom line up front is given the changes and the election results from last week, my ask, please, is that we update the legislative agenda to be more proactive and play more offense than simply defense,” Briones said.
The court directed IGA to return to the Dec. 17 court meeting with a reprioritized legislative agenda. Specifically, the court asked for an agenda that includes:
Eliminating unfunded mandates
Expanding county authority and financing tools
Repealing or amending restrictive laws
Briones also said she would like to see a proactive push for apprenticeships, workforce development and reforming subsidized early childhood education.
In April, Briones and Garcia announced a regional group, the Harris County Coalition on Early Childhood Education and Care, to take on issues about affordability and availability of education for children under age 5.
IGA Executive Director Tammy Narvaez said her office is generally focusing on the following priorities for the upcoming session:
Narvaez said IGA is working with the county’s Office of Management and Budget to “improve some of the financial constraints” the county has dealt with over the past few years.
IGA is also reviewing the more than 1,300 bills legislators have filed since the filing period opened Monday. Narvaez said her office is taking a more offensive approach regarding state funding and fiscal impacts for the county, instead of the typical defensive plan to protect the county’s existing resources.
Narvaez said she hopes to send updates to commissioners during the first week of December to review the information her office has gathered and evaluate next steps.
“This does create a different governing structure, but how the three different entities will work together—it’s still something that we are assessing and remains to be seen,” Narvaez said.
