Primary Department: District Clerk
Primary Department Head/Elected Official: Marilyn Burgess, District Clerk
Secondary Department: District Courts
Secondary Department Head/Elected Official: Richard Woods, Court Administrator
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Regular RCA
Type of Request: Financial Authorization
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):
title
Request for approval of 13 positions effective April 5, 2025, and for the additional budget of $724,891.20 in FY2025 for the positions and necessary equipment.
end
Background and Discussion:
The District Clerk’s Office is requesting approval for 12 additional full-time Assistant Court Clerks for the Civil District Courts Division and one full-time Outreach Community Liaison. The funding for the remaining 12 pay periods in Fiscal Year 2025 is $724,891.20, which includes one-time non-labor cost of $223,980.00 for equipment. The estimated total for recurring labor for 12-months is $1,085,307.60.
The Civil Division has 24 statutory courts and is the only Court Division in Harris County without at least one dedicated Assistant Court Clerk. The positions of dedicated Assistant Clerks were taken away from the Civil Courts during the 2008 financial crises when Harris County experienced Countywide hiring freezes and budget cuts in order to maintain office operations. Currently two civil courts share an assistant clerk. This is an imperfect system because the assistant clerk has to work for two judges with different procedures, two lead clerks with different procedures, and are at many times called to cover other courts if another assistant or lead clerk is out due to illness or on vacation. This leads to orders not being filed correctly or made available for the judge’s signature resulting in judges not signing agreed orders, nonsuits, or dismissals timely.
District clerk office is also requesting approval for a community outreach liaison. The funding is essential now due to the ongoing challenges associated with low jury duty participation rates, which contribute to delays in court proceedings and an increased backlog of cases. By investing in a Community Outreach Liaison dedicated to raising awareness about jury duty, the District Clerk’s Office aims to enhance public understanding of the jury system, improve attendance rates, and ensure that courts can proceed without unnecessary delays. Immediate funding will allow the program to launch targeted campaigns, establish partnerships with community organizations, and implement educational initiatives to support timely case resolutions, ultimately promoting justice and reducing case backlogs.
The Civil Division is the only Court Division in Harris County without at least one dedicated Assistant Court Clerk per court. The research shows that compared to 2009, new case filings in 2024 across the civil division have increased by 40.2%; stated differently, there were 16,021 more cases filed in 2024 than in 2009. In comparing to 2009, the number of hearings held by the civil division have increased by 33.71%; stated differently, the civil division held 24,683 more hearings in 2024 than in 2009. The National Center for State Courts (NCSC) workload analysis for our current state district civil courts is that we have a workload 1.62 more than a district court should have and that we need 35 additional judicial officers. This research further supports the request for a dedicated civil district court clerk per court as previously stated.
The District Clerk’s Office reviewed best practices from jurisdictions with higher jury duty participation rates. Key findings indicate that proactive community engagement and educational outreach significantly increase attendance. For example, jurisdictions with dedicated outreach teams reported higher response rates after implementing campaigns that addressed common misconceptions and emphasized the civic importance of jury duty. The program design was informed by both quantitative and qualitative data, including participation rates from past jury studies and feedback from prospective jurors. These insights helped identify barriers to participation and shaped outreach strategies to align with community needs.
Expected Impact:
The expansion of the court personnel will help improve the efficiency in the Civil District Courts by orders being filed correctly and getting agreed orders, nonsuits, or dismissals available for the judge’s signature in a timelier manner.
The outreach program aims to address disparities in jury participation among underrepresented groups, ensuring that juries better reflect the diverse demographics of Harris County. By increasing participation across all demographics, the program will help create more diverse and representative juries, promoting fairness and equity in legal proceedings while supporting the timely resolution of cases.
Alternative Options:
The alternative option is to not have at least one dedicated Assistant Court Clerk in the Civil District Courts, which increases the chances for unnecessary delays in the daily court processes.
County Strategic Plan Goal: 1. Make Harris County safer and more just.
County Strategic Plan Objective: E: Increase efficiency across the legal system.
Justice/Safety Initiative (Goal 1): E3: Decrease time to disposition by implementing case workflow improvements in line with recommendations from the National Center for State Courts.
Infrastructure Initiative (Goal 2): N/A
Economy Initiative (Goal 3): N/A
Health Initiative (Goal 4): N/A
Climate/Resilience Initiative (Goal 5): N/A
Housing Initiative (Goal 6): N/A
Additional notes related to the Strategic Plan:
Prior Court Action (if any): N/A
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Date |
Agenda Item # |
Action Taken |
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Location:
Address (if applicable): 201 Caroline St., Suite 420 Houston, Texas 77002
Precinct(s): Precinct 1
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Fiscal and Personnel Summary |
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Service Name |
Civil Courts and Jury Management |
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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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1000 - General Fund |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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Total Existing Budget |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Additional Budget Request (Requires Fiscal Review Request Form) |
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|
1000 - General Fund |
$500,911.20 |
$223,980.00 |
$724,891.20 |
$1,085,307.60 |
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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Total Additional Budget Request |
$500,911.20 |
$223,980.00 |
$724,891.20 |
$1,085,307.60 |
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Total Funding Sources |
$500,911.20 |
$223,980.00 |
$724,891.20 |
$1,085,307.60 |
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Grants - Proposed Budget (For Grants Items only) |
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Labor |
Non-Labor |
Total |
No. of Grant Years |
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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 PCNs) |
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Current Position Count for Service |
13 |
- |
13 |
13 |
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Additional Positions Request |
13 |
- |
13 |
13 |
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Total Personnel |
26 |
- |
26 |
26 |
Anticipated Court Date: 3/27/2025
Anticipated Implementation Date (if different from Court date): 4/5/2025
Emergency/Disaster Recovery Note: Not an emergency, disaster, or COVID-19 related item
Contact(s) name, title, department: Wes McCoy, Chief Deputy of Administration; Judith Snively, Chief Deputy of Courts; Araceli Carrizales, Financial Services Administrator.
Attachments (if applicable): HRRM Forms 3441 - Position Management Request Forms, Job Descriptions, various supporting documentation from Civil District Court Judges including: Charts, Graphs, Civil Court Hearing Data, Age of Cases Disposed by Year and OCA Harris District Court Analysis CY 2024.