Primary Department: Commissioner, Precinct 1
Primary Department Head/Elected Official: Commissioner Rodney Ellis
Secondary Department: N/A
Secondary Department Head/Elected Official: N/A
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Regular RCA
Type of Request: Policy
Project ID (if applicable): N/A
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):
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Request for discussion and possible action to approve a policy related to wages and other standards for workers to be included in Harris County contracts.
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Background and Discussion:
On June 4, 2024, Commissioners Court directed the Office of County Administration (OCA) to develop a set of policies to provide consistency among workers delivering services and executing projects on behalf of Harris County, to improve the quality of Harris County services and projects, and to advance economic equity and mobility.
Expected Impact:
Increasing minimum wages and worker protections for workers performing labor for Harris County is expected to:
• Improve health, wellness, and safety of low-wage workers and their families by increasing earnings for workers on County-contracted projects;
• Reduce turnover and increase productivity as workers benefit from greater financial security and motivation to remain employed; and
• Align the County’s existing minimum wage for certain employees and workers on certain types of contracts, and thus avoid conflict and inconsistencies in current County pay structures.
Alternative Options:
No change to County policy
County Strategic Plan Goal: 3. Make our economy more inclusive.
County Strategic Plan Objective: L: Foster more living-wage jobs that ensure worker safety, benefits, and stability across all educational levels.
Justice/Safety Initiative (Goal 1): Choose an item.
Infrastructure Initiative (Goal 2): Choose an item.
Economy Initiative (Goal 3): L1: Design a set of policies for Harris County to set dynamic living wage rates and ensure essential worker protections and high-quality benefits for all Harris County contracts, employees, and economic agreements.
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):
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Date |
Agenda Item # |
Action Taken |
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1/9/2019 |
21.c.1 |
Authorization of Countywide employee salary compensation study and the budgetary impact resulting from compensating county employees a minimum starting salary of $15 an hour, excluding grant-funded and temporary county positions |
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2/12/2019 |
20.c.2 |
Approval to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour for all county employees, excluding grant-funded and temporary employees. |
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8/27/2019 |
8.d.1-8 |
Commissioners Court voted to: • Establish the creation of a working group comprised of each member of commissioner's court, the Purchasing Agent, the County Attorney’s office, and the Flood Control District to meet with department heads to recommend provisions for inclusion in all county contract and report back to commissioner's court in sixty days. • The working group will establish evaluation criteria for consideration of contractor safety record and health insurance coverage for all construction projects and develop a policy recommendation for each. • A $15 minimum prevailing wage rate is established for all building and multi-family contracts to be implemented by the purchasing agent. • The purchasing agent shall adopt a second chance hiring policy for all construction projects and encourage the applicability to all Harris County vendors. • Community Services Dept. will work towards a reporting system to track work hours, commit to providing workforce/apprenticeship opportunities, and establish policies that require OSHA training for all workers/supervisors working on CDBG funded projects. |
|
3/8/2022 |
22-1803 |
Approval of a $15/hour livable wage requirement for respondents to Harris County’s Request for Proposals for Hire Up Harris and Apprenticeship Programs workforce training programs to be funded by the American Rescue Plan Act, Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. |
|
4/25/2023 |
23-2284 |
Approval of order revising guidelines and criteria for granting tax abatement in a reinvestment zone created in Harris County. |
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6/4/2024 |
24-3385 |
Approval of order to direct the Office of County Administration (OCA) should develop a set of policies that: 1. Sets a minimum wage for all Harris County employees (including temporary and grant-funded employees); 2. Develops a policy to be included in the County’s procurement process that sets a wage floor for workers on contracts awarded by Harris County for general services performed on County property or on County projects; 3. Establishes an approach and standard for wage increases to ensure Harris County pays living wage rates in future fiscal years for all workers - whether permanent, temporary, or on contracted jobs - by adhering to at least the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Living Wage Calculation; 4. Ensures that Harris County receives documentation from contractors of the minimum hourly rate of all workers on contracted projects; 5. Addresses when the County should use temporary workers, part-time workers, and contracted workers, and ensures that staffing agencies cannot limit temporary workers’ ability to accept permanent employment at Harris County; 6. Applies Harris County’s Fair Chance Hiring policy to temporary and contracted workers to the extent feasible; and 7. Recommends an enforcement mechanism to ensure compliance with Harris County’s provisions related to wages and other worker protections. OCA is directed to work with the Purchasing Office, Department of Economic Equity and Opportunity, Human Resources and Risk Management, County Attorney’s Office, the Essential Worker’s Board, and any other departments or offices that the OCA deems necessary to develop this set of policies. |
Location:
Address (if applicable): N/A
Precinct(s): Countywide
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Anticipated Court Date: 3/27/2025
Anticipated Implementation Date (if different from Court date): Click or tap to enter a date.
Emergency/Disaster Recovery Note: Not an emergency, disaster, or COVID-19 related item
Contact(s) name, title, department: Erica Lee Carter, Policy Director, Commissioner Precinct One
Attachments (if applicable): Proposed policy to be submitted separately