Primary Department: Universal Services
Primary Department Head/Elected Official: Sindhu Menon - Executive Director and CIO
Managing Department: Universal Services
Managing Department Head/Elected Official: Sindhu Menon - Executive Director and CIO
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Regular RCA
Type of Request: Investment Memo
Investment Memo Type: Preliminary Investment Memo
Project Name: Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Project ID (if applicable): NI057
Vendor Legal Name (if applicable): N/A
MWBE Contracted Goal (if applicable): N/A
MWBE Current Achievement (if applicable): N/A
Justification for 0% MWDBE 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
Incremental Authorization Requested: $1,650,000
Total Estimated Project Cost: $3,300,000
Request Summary:
title
Request for approval of a Preliminary Investment Memo for the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Program, for an initial amount of $1,650,000, and request for approval of initial commercial paper funding in the amount of $845,000.
end
Project Description:
This program launches Phase I of Harris County’s comprehensive technology intelligence modernization framework, delivering advanced technology solutions that create permanent, County-owned assets to improve efficiency, accessibility, scalability, and transparency. The initial phase includes three flagship projects: PermitIQ, LinguaLink, and CORA, which will result in county-owned assets and products.
Phase I will operate under HCUS’s AI Program within the Office of Innovation, maintaining responsible deployment, scalability, and compliance with ethical standards. Future phases will expand the program to include other Harris County initiatives from departments as they best align with Harris County's strategic plan.
Project Scope:
Phase I of Harris County’s technology modernization program will introduce advanced, County-owned solutions to improve efficiency, accessibility, and transparency across operations. This initial phase includes three key projects:
PermitIQ, an AI-driven e-permitting system that simplifies compliance and speeds up application workflows for Office of the County Engineer with the flexibility to scale across other departments.
LinguaLink, a real-time language access and translation platform that supports multilingual communication for Public Health and social services
CORA (Court Observation & Reporting Assistant), supports the County Clerk’s Office by transcribing court proceedings, providing an internal AI chat interface, and automating report generation. All solutions will be directly owned and responsibly deployed under HCUS’s AI Program, with vendors ensuring knowledge transfer and upskilling for sustainability. Future phases will expand these capabilities to other County initiatives aligned with strategic priorities.
Resources:
Phase I of Harris County’s AI initiative focuses on delivering three flagship projects that will provide immediate, practical value to county operations. The requested contractor support is essential to build, configure, and implement the PermitIQ system, while the tools and vendor implementation services included in this request are required to develop the LinguaLink and CORA solutions.
All tools created through this effort will be owned by Harris County and are not software licenses. Once developed, these solutions will be maintained and expanded by the Office of Innovation, supported by the contracted specialists included in this phase.
This request represents the first step in a broader, multi-year effort. As new AI use cases are identified under the direction of Commissioners Court, future capital improvement requests will be submitted for those specific, tangible tools.
Anticipated Project Expenditures and Timeline:
|
Project Scope Breakdown |
Estimated Cost |
Estimated Completion |
|
US AI Developer (1) |
$200,000 |
09/27 |
|
US Business Analyst (1) |
$200,000 |
09/27 |
|
US Senior Data Analyst (1) |
$200,000 |
09/27 |
|
US Project Manager (1) |
$200,000 |
09/27 |
|
US Cloud Solutions Analyst (1) |
$150,000 |
09/27 |
|
US Cybersecurity Specialist (1) |
$200,000 |
09/27 |
|
Tools and Products |
$500,000 |
06/27 |
|
Total |
$1,650,000 |
- |
Justification & Alternatives:
PermitIQ
Justification:
PermitIQ is planned to be the AI-powered e-permitting solution that automates and creates efficiency in the ePermit application. This solution is expected to reduce manual processing, accelerate workflows, and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements. The resulting asset becomes a permanent component of our permitting infrastructure.
Alternative:
Without implementing PermitIQ, permitting processes will remain manual and fragmented, increasing delays and operational challenges.
LinguaLink
Justification:
LinguaLink implementation provides a multilingual communication platform that supports real-time translation and cultural integration, ensuring compliance with language access mandates and improving public-facing services. LinguaLink’s real-time communication and language-learning capabilities help Public Health and social services meet compliance with language access mandates, fostering inclusivity and operational effectiveness across departments.
Alternative:
If LinguaLink is not executed, language access will remain inconsistent and reliant on temporary solutions, increasing compliance risks and limiting equitable engagement with diverse communities.
CORA
Justification:
CORA is an AI-driven court solution that transcribes Court proceedings and enables an internal AI chat agent. This execution improves transparency, accessibility, and institutional knowledge while ensuring compliance with language access requirements. The resulting asset integrates directly into court workflows, reducing manual transcription and enabling rapid information retrieval for staff.
Alternative:
Without CORA, court transcription and information retrieval will remain manual and time-consuming, limiting transparency and operational efficiency.
Anticipated Impact on Other Funds (If Applicable):
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Fund Code |
Description |
Estimated Cost |
Funding Method (Existing or Future Budget Request Required) |
Estimated Date of Needs |
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County Strategic Plan Goal: 3. Make our economy more inclusive.
County Strategic Plan Objective: M: Ensure that Harris County remains the best place in the region to start and grow a business, with a focus on equitable economic growth.
Justice/Safety Initiative (Goal 1): N/A
Infrastructure Initiative (Goal 2): N/A
Economy Initiative (Goal 3): M1: Develop a County economic development strategy that advances effective and equitable economic growth.
Health Initiative (Goal 4): N/A
Climate/Resilience Initiative (Goal 5): N/A
Housing Initiative (Goal 6): N/A
Decision Analysis Matrix Score (rubric on last page): 14
Previous Court Action:
|
Date |
Agenda Item # |
Action Taken |
|
9/9/2025 |
8 |
To direct the Office of County Engineer to report back to Commissioners Court by November 13, 2025, with a plan for using artificial intelligence and other software improvements to make the permitting process faster, more accurate, and easier for the public to use. |
|
11/13/2025 |
12 |
Request for discussion and action of a plan to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other software improvements to make the permitting process faster, more accurate, and easier for the public to use. |
|
12/11/2025 |
154 |
To direct Universal Services to establish governance on the standards, analysis, deployment, management, and training of all AI software and tools across departments within the County’s network to ensure security compliance with all federal and state laws, and County’s policies. |
|
1/8/2026 |
344 |
To direct Universal Services to be in compliance with House Bill 149 by developing a countywide AI Program that includes a detailed resource plan and AI strategy based on requests from all departments; and to direct Universal Services to work with OCA and OMB to return to Commissioners Court on February 26, 2026 with the fiscal note for the effort. In response to the motions approved on 12/11/2025 related to the Technology Procurement (TPR) and Artificial Intelligence governance, direct Harris County Universal Services to work in coordination with all County departments, to lead and facilitate interdepartmental collaboration to identify, evaluate, and implement AI solutions that may materially impact County operations, services, residents, or regulatory functions. The scope includes any solution, service, application, system, or platform that utilizes AI technologies, whether or not it is directly solicited or supported by a County department. Further, no County department shall independently procure, pilot, or deploy AI systems or tools that may have enterprise-wide, operational, legal, cybersecurity, or public-facing impacts without coordination with Universal Services and completion of required County review and governance processes. Universal Services shall serve as the coordinating authority to develop a comprehensive AI policy that ensures alignment with enterprise architecture, cybersecurity, data privacy, and responsible use principles, and shall report back to Commissioners Court by March 19, 2026. |
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03/19/2026 |
|
Fiscal Review Request Form - AI Program |
Address: N/A
Precinct(s): Countywide
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Fiscal and Personnel Summary |
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Funding Sources |
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Existing Budget |
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Total Current Budget |
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Additional Budget Request |
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Commercial Paper |
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Total Additional Budget Request |
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Total Funding Request |
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$845,000 |
$845,000 |
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Personnel (Fill out section only if requesting new PCNs) |
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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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Anticipated Court Date: 3/19/2026
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
Legal funding compliance confirmed by: Paige Abernathy, Special Assistant County Attorney, 3/8/2026
Department Approval by: Heather Merkel, Budget Director, Universal Service 3/9/2026
OMB CIP Team Approval by: William McGuinness, Director-Capital Projects & Infrastructure, 3/9/2026
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Commercial Paper Request (For OMB use only):
Receiving Department: Universal Services
Project PeopleSoft ID: NI057
CP Series Description: Commercial Paper Series D-2 can be used for (1) construction of public works, (2) the purchase of automobiles, equipment and machinery, including computers, materials and supplies for the operation of the County’s precincts and departments (3) Professional services, including services provided by engineers, architects, attorneys, auditors, financial advisors, and fiscal agents, in connection with the contractual obligations described in (1) and (2).
Commercial Paper is being requested for the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Program project and is expected to be repaid within the next three fiscal years either through bonds, budgetary means or pay-as-you-go sources.
Note: Commercial Paper is issued in increments of $5,000 and the excess is not available to be spent by the department.
OMB Financial Management contact: Fahad Gulzar, Acting Deputy Executive Director, Office of Management and Budget