Primary Department: Public Health Services
Primary Department Head/Elected Official: Leah Barton - Executive Director
Secondary Department: Choose an item.
Secondary Department Head/Elected Official:
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Regular RCA
Type of Request: Position
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):
Justification for 0% Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable): Choose an item.
Request Summary (Agenda Caption):
title
Request for approval and hiring freeze exemption of five part-time temporary positions and deactivation of one existing position effective March 21, 2026, to support the Mosquito & Vector Control Division.
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Background and Discussion:
Harris County Public Health (HCPH) is requesting the creation of 5 positions to support Mosquito & Vector Control (MVC) Division’s capacity to conduct mosquito spraying operations during periods when vector-borne disease is detected, without committing to year-round full-time staffing.
HCPH is also requesting that these positions once created be exempted from the current hiring freeze. The hiring of these 5 seasonal ULV Driver positions is critical to serving Harris County residents by ensuring the safe, timely, and effective application of mosquito control products in direct response to surveillance data. These positions will be trained and will operate under the supervision of a State of Texas-licensed noncommercial political pesticide applicator for the purpose of applying adulticides. The roles enhance operational readiness during periods of increased mosquito activity and enable rapid response based on disease risk.
Funding for these positions will be absorbed within the existing General Fund allocation and will result in a decrease of $10,627.43 to the General Fund budget as one existing position (PN: 10005750) will be deleted effective March 21, 2026 to offset the cost of this change.
Expected Impact:
Increased staffing capacity will allow for additional safe, timely, and effective application of mosquito control products in direct response to surveillance data. Expanding the workforce will also improve departmental morale by providing additional support for night shift operations during peak activity periods (May 2, 2026 - October 30, 2026). The addition of 5 part-time temporary employees, each working three days per week for a total of 24 hours, will provide 120 combined labor hours per week, significantly exceeding the coverage of a single-full-time position limited to 40 hours.
Alternative Options:
N/A
County Strategic Plan Goal: 4. Improve physical and mental health outcomes across all communities.
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):
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Fiscal and Personnel Summary |
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Existing Budget |
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1000 - General Fund |
$103,110 |
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$103,110 |
$206,219 |
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Total Existing Budget |
$103,110 |
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$103,110 |
$206,219 |
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Additional Budget Request (Requires Fiscal Review Request Form) |
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Total Additional Budget Request |
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Total Funding Sources |
$103, 110 |
$ |
$103,110 |
$206,219 |
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Grants - Proposed Budget (For Grants Items only) |
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Local Match Source - Existing Budget: Choose an item. |
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Local Match Source - Additional Budget Request: Choose an item. |
$ |
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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 |
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County Attorney’s Office Legal Review (for Harris County Code Items only) |
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CAO Reviewer Name and Title |
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CAO Review Completion Date |
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Anticipated Court Date: 3/19/2026
Anticipated Implementation Date (if different from Court date): 3/21/2026
Emergency/Disaster Recovery Note: Not an emergency, disaster, or ARPA related item
Contact(s) name, title, department: James Dinkins, Chief People Officer, Harris County Public Health
Attachments (if applicable): 3441