Primary Department: Economic Equity and Opportunity
Primary Department Head/Elected Official: Tiko Reynolds-Hausman, Executive Director
Secondary Department: N/A
Secondary Department Head/Elected Official:
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Regular RCA
Type of Request: Position
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: N/A - Goal not applicable to request
Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable):
Justification for 0% Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable): N/A - Not a grant item
Request Summary (Agenda Caption):
title
Request for approval of eight (8) positions effective March 21, 2026, and non-labor operational budget in the amount of $1,532,054.09 to support implementation of Harris County’s Worksite Safety Policy.
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Background and Discussion:
On November 13, 2025, Commissioners Court approved the Harris County Construction Project Safety Policy, including a Worksite Safety Policy, with an implementation date of July 1, 2026.
The Worksite Safety Policy establishes uniform safety standards for County construction projects and ensures compliance with applicable federal and state requirements, including:
• Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations (29 CFR 1926 - Safety and Health Regulations for Construction);
• Texas state construction safety requirements;
• Section 107 of the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act; and
• Texas Labor Code Section 411.
The Department of Economic Equity and Opportunity (DEEO) will be responsible for implementing and administering the Worksite Safety Policy. DEEO will collect and review worksite safety information from County departments that oversee construction projects with contractors and will provide quarterly worksite safety reports to the Commissioners Court, as required by the policy.
To ensure effective implementation, monitoring, and reporting, additional staffing and operational resources are necessary. The projected annual cost for these resources is $1,532,054.09, which includes labor and non-labor operational expenses. Supplemental budget is being requested for the eight positions, and we are requesting these positions be exempt from the hiring freeze.
Expected Impact:
Resources within DEEO are required to implement and sustain the Worksite Safety Policy successfully and to meet the reporting requirements to the Commissioners Court.
The request includes:
• Eight (8) new positions, consisting of:
o Three (3) Program Analysts (Analyst IV); and
o Five (5) Program Monitors
The total annual labor cost associated with these staffing changes is $954,336.34
The non-labor operational costs, estimated at $577,717.75, include expenses necessary to support compliance and oversight activities, such as:
• Worksite safety and compliance software;
• Vehicle maintenance and fuel for required site visits;
• Personal protective equipment (PPE);
• Training and professional development;
• Outreach activities, including events, meetings, and printed materials; and
• Other related operational supplies.
These resources will enable DEEO to effectively oversee contractor compliance, conduct site monitoring, and provide transparent, consistent worksite safety reporting to the Commissioners Court.
Alternative Options:
Failure to approve would impact the Department of Economic Equity and Opportunity’s ability to successfully implement the Worksite Safety Policy.
County Strategic Plan Goal: 3. Make our economy more inclusive.
County Strategic Plan Objective: L: Foster more living-wage jobs that ensure worker safety, benefits, and stability across all educational levels.
Justice/Safety Initiative (Goal 1): Choose an item.
Infrastructure Initiative (Goal 2): Choose an item.
Economy Initiative (Goal 3): L2: Further expand and enforce contractor worker safety policy/standards.
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):
|
Date |
Agenda Item # |
Action Taken |
|
11/13/2025 |
4 |
For approval of a Harris County Construction Project Safety Policy, which includes (1) a revised Contractor Safety Record Policy and (2) a Worksite Safety Policy. |
|
10/16/2025 |
543 |
To direct the Office of County Administration, in partnership with Engineering Department, Toll Road, Flood Control District, Department of Economic Equity and Opportunity, Purchasing Agent, County Attorney’s Office, and Court Offices, to return to Commissioners Court on November 13, 2025, with a countywide Worksite Safety Policy establishing uniform standards for all County construction projects. At a minimum, this policy shall: incorporate feedback from labor and industry stakeholders; be modeled after evidence-based best practices from peer counties, labor and other organizations; be designed to reduce worksite injuries and improve worker protection; establish clear safety, monitoring, and inspection standards; and include training and enforcement mechanisms to ensure compliance. |
|
1/9/2025 |
299 |
To direct the Department of Equity and Economic Opportunity to form a working group with Purchasing, Engineering, County Attorney’s Office, Flood Control, the Toll Road Authority, and any other relevant departments and key stakeholders including labor and contractors to develop a set of policy revisions to the Contractor Safety Record Policy and return to Court with the proposed revisions by May 2025, and that the policy go through a biannual review. |
Location:
Address (if applicable):
Precinct(s): Countywide
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Fiscal and Personnel Summary |
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Current Fiscal Year Cost |
Annual Fiscal Cost |
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Labor |
Non-Labor |
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Recurring Expenses |
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Funding Sources |
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Existing Budget |
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1000 - General Fund |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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Total Existing Budget |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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Additional Budget Request (Requires Fiscal Review Request Form) |
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1000 - General Fund |
$477,168 |
$577,718 |
$1,054,886 |
$1,532,054.09 |
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Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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Total Additional Budget Request |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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Total Funding Sources |
$477,168 |
$577,718 |
$1,054,886 |
$1,532,054.09 |
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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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- |
- |
- |
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Additional Positions Request |
8 |
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- |
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Total Personnel |
8 |
- |
- |
- |
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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: 3/19/2026
Anticipated Implementation Date (if different from Court date): 3/23/2026
Emergency/Disaster Recovery Note: Not an emergency, disaster, or ARPA related item
Contact(s) name, title, department: Tiko Reynolds-Hausman, Executive Director, Economic Equity and Opportunity
Attachments (if applicable): 3441