Department: Management and Budget
Department Head/Elected Official: Daniel Ramos, Executive Director
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Regular RCA
Type of Request: Financial Authorization
Project ID (if applicable): N/A
Vendor/Entity Legal Name (if applicable): N/A
MWDBE Contracted Goal (if applicable): N/A
MWDBE Current Participation (if applicable): N/A
Justification for 0% MWDBE Participation Goal: N/A - Goal not applicable to request
Request Summary (Agenda Caption):
title
Request for approval to transfer the Harris County Engineering Department an additional $30 million from the Public Contingency Fund reserve to fund cleanup and monitoring efforts after the May 2024 Derecho and Hurricane Beryl.
end
Background and Discussion:
OMB recommends a transfer of $30 million to HCED from the Public Contingency Fund reserve to pay for debris cleanup, monitoring, and other approved uses and to maintain a reasonable balance available for the Harris County Engineering Department (HCED) to use immediately after a disaster.
The FY24 adopted budget provided HCED with $22.6 million to use for emergencies and other approved uses. HCED had already begun accessing the funds for cleanup in the wake of disasters in May 2024, and Commissioners Court provided an additional $20 million on the July 15, 2024 Commissioners Court in the wake of Hurricane Beryl. This additional funding was rolled over to HCED as a part of the FY25 adopted budget.
Between disaster recovery and other approved uses, HCED needs additional funding to complete recovery from 2024 disasters. HCED and OMB expect to need approximately $23 million through the end of FY25. HCED and OMB expect all but a small amount of the additional funding to be used on disaster cleanup and be 75-100% reimbursable by the federal and state governments.
OMB is recommending a transfer of $30 million to HCED from the Public Contingency Fund at the current time. This will cover expected expenses and leave HCED with over $5 million available to deploy after a potential future disaster in case it is needed before Commissioners Court can convene to provide additional funding.
HCED & OMB will monitor HCED and reserve balances and may return to Commissioners Court later this year to recommend further transfers to HCED. As Harris County receives federal and state reimbursements for this year’s disasters, the money will be placed back into reserves.
Expected Impact:
This transfer will allow Engineering to pay current and expected expenses related to debris clearing and monitoring. It will also leave Engineering with adequate balance to cover immediate disaster expenses until Commissioners Court can hold its next meeting.
Alternative Options:
Commissioners Court can transfer less funding, but this would leave Engineering with a lower balance of funding in case of a disaster, which increased risk of not being able to meet emergency needs. Commissioners Court could also transfer more funding to Engineering, though OMB is not recommending it at the current time. Depending on future events and actual spending, OMB may return later this fiscal year for additional Public Contingency Fund transfers to Engineering.
Alignment with Goal(s):
_ Justice and Safety
_ Economic Opportunity
_ Housing
_ Public Health
_ Transportation
X Flooding
_ Environment
X Governance and Customer Service
Prior Court Action (if any):
|
Date |
Agenda Item # |
Action Taken |
|
7/15/24 |
22 |
Request for discussion and possible action to authorize Commissioners Court to access the Public Contingency Fund as needed to fund emergency requests directly related to Hurricane Beryl that made landfall off the Texas coast on July 8, 2024. |
Location:
Address (if applicable): Multiple
Precinct(s): Countywide
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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 |
|
|
|
|
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Total Current Budget |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Additional Budget Request (Requires Fiscal Review Request Form) |
|
|
1020 - Public Improvement Contingency (PIC) Fund |
$ |
$30,000,000 |
$30,000,000 |
$ |
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Total Additional Budget Request |
$ |
$30,000,000 |
$30,000,000 |
$ |
|
Total Funding Request |
$ |
$30,000,000 |
$30,000,000 |
$ |
|
Personnel (Fill out section only if requesting new PCNs) |
|
|
Current Position Count for Service |
- |
- |
- |
- |
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Additional Positions Request |
- |
- |
- |
- |
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Total Personnel |
- |
- |
- |
- |
Anticipated Court Date: November 12, 2024
Anticipated Implementation Date (if different from Court date):
Emergency/Disaster Recovery Note: Not an emergency, disaster, or COVID-19 related item
Contact(s) name, title, department: William McGuinness, Director-Capital Projects & Infrastructure, OMB
Attachments (if applicable):