Primary Department: Management and Budget
Primary Department Head/Elected Official: Daniel Ramos, Executive Director
Secondary Department: County Engineer
Secondary Department Head/Elected Official: Milton Rahman, PhD, P.E., PMP, CFM, ENV-SP
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Regular RCA
Type of Request: Commercial Paper
Project ID (if applicable): CRTS_EXP
Vendor/Entity Legal Name (if applicable): N/A
MWBE Contracted Goal (if applicable): N/A
MWBE Current Participation (if applicable): N/A
Justification for 0% MWBE Participation Goal: N/A - Goal not applicable to request
Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable): N/A
Justification for 0% Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable): N/A - Not a grant item
Request Summary (Agenda Caption):
title
Request for approval of commercial paper funding for the Harris County Courts Expansion project in the amount of $1,000,000 for a total CP funding of $27,500,000.
end
Background and Discussion:
Commercial Paper Series D-2 can be used for (1) construction of public works, (2) the purchase of automobiles, equipment and machinery, including computers, materials and supplies for the operation of the County’s precincts and departments (3) Professional services, including services provided by engineers, architects, attorneys, auditors, financial advisors, and fiscal agents, in connection with the contractual obligations described in (1) and (2).
Commercial Paper is being requested for the Harris County Courts Expansion project and is expected to be repaid within the next three fiscal years either through bonds, budgetary means or pay-as-you-go sources. This is for approval for allocation of commercial paper for a previously approved project within the previously authorized amount.
HB 1869 compliance confirmed by: Sandra Andersson Staine, Senior Assistant County Attorney, 4/30/2026
Expected Impact:
This project seeks to accommodate new and relocated state-mandated courts to ensure long-term compliance with state law. It will create six courtrooms in existing downtown facilities to accommodate the six new House Bill 16 courts. This includes the renovation of space for the active Courts and related support spaces from the Family Law Center to 1019 Congress and other downtown facilities. Requests for accommodation related to vacant or inactive spaces are to be routed through space planning’s current process. Any staff that do not have a direct physical function in a courtroom or direct security activity within a court building will be assessed to relocate their workspace to other Non-Court buildings, any technological needs to facilitate communications or supervision across multiple facilities will be coordinated between tenant and Universal Services
Alternative Options:
No alternatives were approved by Commissioners Court on 1/29/2026 for Relocations or 10/31/2023 for demolition of Family Law Center.
County Strategic Plan Goal: N/A
County Strategic Plan Objective: N/A
Justice/Safety Initiative (Goal 1): Choose an item.
Infrastructure Initiative (Goal 2): Choose an item.
Economy Initiative (Goal 3): Choose an item.
Health Initiative (Goal 4): Choose an item.
Climate/Resilience Initiative (Goal 5): Choose an item.
Housing Initiative (Goal 6): Choose an item.
Additional notes related to the Strategic Plan:
Prior Court Action (if any):
|
Date |
Agenda Item # |
Action Taken |
|
02/26/2026 |
26-1171 |
Approved: Request for approval of a Final Investment Memo for the Harris County Courts Expansion project for an amount of $24,000,000, and request for approval of commercial paper funding in the amount of $24,000,000. |
|
05/14/2026 |
26-2638 |
FIM for an incremental authorization of $30,830,000 and request for approval of additional commercial paper funding in the amount of $2,500,000 for a total allocation of $26,500,000 |
Location:
Address (if applicable):
Precinct(s): Choose an item.
|
Fiscal and Personnel Summary |
|
Service Name |
Harris County Courts Expansion |
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Current Fiscal Year Cost |
Annual Fiscal Cost |
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|
Labor |
Non-Labor |
Total |
Recurring Expenses |
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Funding Sources |
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Existing Budget |
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|
|
|
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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Total Existing Budget |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Additional Budget Request (Requires Fiscal Review Request Form) |
|
|
Commercial Paper |
$ |
$1,000,000 |
$1,000,000 |
$ |
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Total Additional Budget Request |
$ |
$1,000,000 |
$1,000,000 |
$ |
|
Total Funding Sources |
$ |
$1,000,000 |
$1,000,000 |
$ |
|
Grants - Proposed Budget (For Grants Items only) |
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|
Labor |
Non-Labor |
Total |
No. of Grant Years |
|
Local Match Source - Existing Budget: Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
|
Local Match Source - Additional Budget Request: Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
|
Grant Funds Applied for/Awarded (Total) |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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Personnel (Fill out section only if requesting new Position Control Numbers (PCN)s) |
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Current Position Count for Service |
- |
- |
- |
- |
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Additional Positions Request |
- |
- |
- |
- |
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Total Personnel |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
County Attorney’s Office Legal Review (for Harris County Code Items only) |
|
CAO Reviewer Name and Title |
|
CAO Review Completion Date |
Click or tap to enter a date. |
Anticipated Court Date: 8/6/2026
Anticipated Implementation Date (if different from Court date): Click or tap to enter a date.
Emergency/Disaster Recovery Note: Not an emergency, disaster, or ARPA related item
Contact(s) name, title, department: Fahad Gulzar, Deputy Executive Director, Office of Management and Budget
Attachments (if applicable): N/A