Primary Department: Management and Budget
Primary Department Head/Elected Official: Daniel Ramos, Executive Director
Secondary Department: N/A
Secondary Department Head/Elected Official: N/A
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Supplemental 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 by the Office of Management and Budget for approval of the allocation of $80 million in mobility fund interest proceeds to precincts following the same three-part formula used for FY26 new revenue allocation.
end
Background and Discussion:
As funds have been transferred from the Harris County Toll Road to Harris County and as interest rates have been higher in the last few years than they had in the previous decade, unspent mobility cash has earned interest and investment income. Some of this investment income has been allocated to specific projects, and it is used on an annual basis to fund mobility-related work in the County Attorney’s Office and Purchasing, but a significant balance remains.
After reviewing all available information from PeopleSoft, financial and bank accounts, and auditing records and estimates, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) recommends transferring $80 million in fund balance to precincts. This will allow those funds to be used for our residents, while retaining a reasonable amount in fund balance to account for interest not yet earned, estimated budget that is not backed by actual cash, and fluctuations in budget estimates from year to year. This will ensure smooth planning and minimize the likelihood of having to take back any budget from precincts not backed by actual cash.
Since the majority of these funds have been earned recently, OMB recommends distributing these funds according to the three-part formula used for FY26 new revenue that accounts for historical investments by precinct, road condition, and road-miles. More specifically:
• Precinct 1 - $17,492,150
• Precinct 2 - $18,427,802
• Precinct 3 - $25,508,079
• Precinct 4 - $18,571,969
Going forward, OMB will keep Court offices apprised of the annual interest & investment income situation no less than annually and seek input on how Court would like those funds to be distributed.
Expected Impact:
OMB believes that this transfer will allow additional funds to benefit residents, while retaining operational stability.
Alternative Options:
Commissioners Court could not allocate these funds to precincts or could allocate less funds. This would allow Court to retain the funds in reserve and allocate them to another future project or initiative, but it could delay these funds being used. Alternately Court could allocate more funds to precincts, but this would greatly increase the risk of having to ask precincts to return funds to fund balance, whether due to the budget not being backed by cash or due to natural variations in year-end expenditures and audit estimates.
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):
|
Date |
Agenda Item # |
Action Taken |
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4/21/25 |
2 |
Request by the Commissioners of Precincts 2 and 4 for discussion and possible action related to the annual mobility transfers from HCTRA to the County to be used for transportation projects that meet the requirements of Section 284.0031 of the Texas Transportation Code. |
|
9/24/25 |
2 |
Request by the Office of Management and Budget to hold a public hearing for discussion and approval of the FY 2026 annual budget for Harris County and the Harris County Toll Road Authority. |
Location:
Address (if applicable): N/A
Precinct(s): Countywide
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County Attorney’s Office Legal Review (for Harris County Code Items only) |
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Anticipated Court Date: 12/11/2025
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: Bhumit Shah, Deputy Director, OMB
Attachments (if applicable):