Primary Department: Institute of Forensic Sciences
Primary Department Head/Elected Official: Pramod Gumpeni, MD, Interim Executive Director and Chief Medical Examiner
Secondary Department: N/A
Secondary Department Head/Elected Official:
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Regular RCA
Type of Request: Financial Authorization
Project ID (if applicable):
Vendor/Entity Legal Name (if applicable):
MWBE Contracted Goal (if applicable):
MWBE Current Participation (if applicable):
Justification for 0% MWBE Participation Goal: Choose an item.
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 of the lease of parking spaces in Texas Medical Center lots for the period of October 1, 2026 - September 30, 2027 at an approximate total cost of $121,512.
end
Background and Discussion:
The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences (HCIFS) Forensic Genetics (DNA) laboratory and office space is currently located off-site from the main HCIFS building, pending a planned relocation to the main building in the next few years. The off-site facility is owned and managed by the Texas Medical Center (TMC) and TMC maintains employee parking for the facility. This request is for a yearly recurring cost to park 61 HCIFS employees at the facility.
Expected Impact:
The current rate for 61 spaces is $9,760 / month through December 2026. In January 2027, the rate will increase to an estimated $10,248 / month. To pay for parking through the fiscal year, the total cost will be $121,512. This is a continuing operational cost and there is an expectation that the costs will increase each calendar year until the Forensic Genetics lab is relocated to the main building.
Alternative Options:
As per the lease agreement with TMC, HCIFS is required to use TMC-provided parking. This is the only TMC parking structure available and offered to HCIFS employees. Therefore, there are no alternative options at this time.
County Strategic Plan Goal: N/A
County Strategic Plan Objective: N/A
Justice/Safety Initiative (Goal 1): N/A
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):
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Date |
Agenda Item # |
Action Taken |
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10/16/2025 |
222 |
Passed |
Location:
Address (if applicable):
Precinct(s): Choose an item.
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Fiscal and Personnel Summary |
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Service Name |
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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 |
$ |
$121,512 |
$ |
$125,157 |
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Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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Total Existing Budget |
$ |
$121,512 |
$ |
$125,157 |
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Additional Budget Request (Requires Fiscal Review Request Form) |
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Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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Total Additional Budget Request |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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Total Funding Sources |
$ |
$121,512 |
$ |
$125,157 |
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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 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 |
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: Julie Prine, JD, MFS, Chief of Staff/COO, Institute of Forensic Sciences
Attachments (if applicable): TMC parking rates