Primary Department: Management and Budget
Primary Department Head/Elected Official: Daniel Ramos, Executive Director
Secondary Department: County Administration
Secondary Department Head/Elected Official: Erica Lee Carter, County Administrator
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Supplemental RCA
Type of Request: Commercial Paper
Project ID (if applicable): SFA_ASSET_DEV
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 commercial paper funding for the Office of County Administration, Harris County Community Solar Program - Solar for All project, in the additional amount of $8,425,000 for a total CP funding of $24,030,000.
end
Background and Discussion:
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 Harris County Community Solar Program - Solar for All project and is expected to be repaid within the next three fiscal years either through bonds, budgetary means or pay-as-you-go sources. This is for approval for allocation of commercial paper for a previously approved project within the previously authorized amount.
HB 1869 compliance confirmed by: Paige Abernathy, Assistant County Attorney, March 8th, 2026.
Expected Impact:
The Harris County Community Solar Program (Solar Program) under Solar for All will develop a portfolio of
community solar and battery energy storage projects whose electricity will be used by one or more Retail
Electricity Providers (REP) to serve community members of a County-organized aggregation of qualifying households. With program target capacity met, Harris County can deliver approximately 20% in energy savings for up to10,000 qualifying households, representing an estimated $468 in annual savings per household or $4.68 million in total annual community savings.
Alternative Options:
The County considered several alternatives to the proposed full-scale implementation. For example, reducing
the scope of the program would lower the upfront capital requirement but would result in higher per-kilowatt
costs due to lost economies of scale and would fail to meet Solar for All program targets. A third-party
ownership model through a power purchase agreement or lease would eliminate the County's upfront capital
requirement but would forfeit the value of federal tax credits to a private developer, result in significantly
higher long-term costs, and reduce the County's control over asset management and community benefits.
After careful analysis, the recommended approach of full implementation with County ownership maximizes
federal incentive capture, achieves economies of scale, serves the full target population of 9,500 - 10,000
households, and provides the strongest long-term financial returns.
County Strategic Plan Goal: N/A
County Strategic Plan Objective: N/A
Justice/Safety Initiative (Goal 1): Choose an item.
Infrastructure Initiative (Goal 2): Choose an item.
Economy Initiative (Goal 3): Choose an item.
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 |
|
03/19/2026 |
409 |
FIM request for a total authorization of $88,290,000, and request for commercial paper funding in the amount of $5,605,000. |
|
06/11/2026 |
435 |
Request for approval of commercial paper funding in the amount of $10,000,000. |
Location:
Address (if applicable):
Precinct(s): Choose an item.
|
Fiscal and Personnel Summary |
|
Service Name |
Solar for All |
|
|
|
Current Fiscal Year Cost |
Annual Fiscal Cost |
|
|
Labor |
Non-Labor |
Total |
Recurring Expenses |
|
Funding Sources |
|
|
Existing Budget |
|
|
|
|
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Total Existing Budget |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Additional Budget Request (Requires Fiscal Review Request Form) |
|
|
Commercial Paper |
$ |
$8,425,000 |
$8,425,000 |
$ |
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Total Additional Budget Request |
$ |
$8,425,000 |
$8,425,000 |
$ |
|
Total Funding Sources |
$ |
$8,425,000 |
$8,425,000 |
$ |
|
Grants - Proposed Budget (For Grants Items only) |
|
|
Labor |
Non-Labor |
Total |
No. of Grant Years |
|
Local Match Source - Existing Budget: Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
|
Local Match Source - Additional Budget Request: Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
|
Grant Funds Applied for/Awarded (Total) |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
|
Personnel (Fill out section only if requesting new Position Control Numbers (PCN)s) |
|
|
Current Position Count for Service |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Additional Positions Request |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Total Personnel |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
County Attorney’s Office Legal Review (for Harris County Code Items only) |
|
CAO Reviewer Name and Title |
|
CAO Review Completion Date |
Click or tap to enter a date. |
Anticipated Court Date: 7/9/2026
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: Fahad Gulzar, Deputy Executive Director, Office of Management and Budget
Attachments (if applicable): N/A