Primary Department: Treasurer
Primary Department Head/Elected Official: Dr. Carla L. Wyatt, Harris County Treasurer
Secondary Department: Choose an item.
Secondary Department Head/Elected Official:
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Regular RCA
Type of Request: Discussion Item
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):
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Request for approval to transfer a position from the Office of Management and Budget back to the Treasurer’s Office and reclassify the position as a Treasury Clerk III effective September 19, 2026.
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Background and Discussion: The County Treasurer's Office respectfully requests that Commissioner’s Court authorize the transfer of one existing full-time position currently assigned to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), classified as an Analyst III, back to the County Treasurer's Office and reclassify the position as a Treasury Clerk III.
The requested transfer is necessary to restore dedicated staffing for the administration of Harris County's unclaimed funds program and to ensure that the Treasurer's Office has sufficient personnel to fulfill its statutory responsibilities under Chapter 76 of the Texas Property Code.
The position requested for transfer is the same position that Commissioner’s Court directed OMB to work with the County Treasurer’s Office during the February 6, 2025 Commissioner’s Court to create the position to utilize the Escheatment Fund that was previously assigned to the County Treasurer's Office as a Treasury Clerk III and served as the department's Unclaimed Funds Administrator.
Commissioners Court authorized the transfer of one (1) existing full-time position from the County Treasurer's Office to OMB to support the County's Positive Pay function.
Following that action, the Treasury Clerk III position responsible for administering the County's unclaimed funds program, was transferred from the County Treasurer's Office and was reclassified as an Analyst III position.
The Treasury Clerk III position was not performing Positive Pay functions. Positive Pay responsibilities were not assigned to or performed by the Treasury Clerk III/Unclaimed Funds Administrator position. Consequently, the transfer resulted in the removal of a position responsible for a separate and important statutory function of the Treasurer's Office rather than a position performing the Positive Pay function for which the transfer was intended. The position's removal has materially reduced the Treasurer's Office's ability to maintain dedicated oversight of the County's unclaimed funds responsibilities.
The requested restoration of this position is particularly important because the administration of unclaimed property is governed by Chapter 76 of the Texas Property Code.
Chapter 76 expressly applies to counties holding certain property presumed abandoned and establishes specific responsibilities concerning the reporting, delivery, notice, safeguarding, claims process, record retention, and administration of unclaimed property.
Among other requirements:
• Texas Property Code §76.101 requires applicable property reports to be filed with the treasurer of the holder and provides that the reports are to be filed annually.
• Texas Property Code §76.201 assigns publication of required notice to the treasurer of the holder and provides that property owners may obtain information concerning reported property and present claims to the treasurer.
• Texas Property Code §76.301 requires property subject to the chapter to be delivered to the treasurer of the holder.
• Texas Property Code §76.601 requires the treasurer of the holder to maintain the unclaimed money fund and maintain appropriate records and accounting for delivered unclaimed property.
• Texas Property Code §76.701 authorizes the treasurer of the holder to adopt rules necessary to carry out Chapter 76.
• Texas Property Code §76.702 authorizes the treasurer to examine the books and records of the holder for purposes of enforcing the chapter and determining whether required reports have been made.
• Texas Property Code §76.703 expressly provides that the treasurer and attorney for the holder may employ additional personnel necessary to enforce Chapter 76, subject to the governing body's budgetary procedures.
These provisions demonstrate that the administration of unclaimed property is not merely an optional departmental activity. It is an established statutory responsibility involving specific duties of the Treasurer's Office and the County.
Expected Impact: Approval of this request will restore one (1) Treasury Clerk III position to the County Treasurer's Office and provide dedicated staffing for the administration of unclaimed funds.
The transfer will strengthen the County's ability to:
- Maintain compliance with applicable provisions of Texas Property Code Chapter 76;
- Administer unclaimed funds in a timely and consistent manner;
- Process constituent claims and inquiries;
- Maintain required records and owner information;
- Complete required public notification and related activities;
- Provide appropriate oversight and safeguarding of unclaimed funds;
- Reduce operational and compliance risks associated with insufficient staffing; and
- Maintain continuity of statutory services provided by the Harris County Treasurer's Office.
The removal of this dedicated position places these responsibilities on an already significantly understaffed Treasurer's Office and creates additional operational risk.
The Treasurer's Office currently operates with only twelve employees while carrying out numerous statutory, fiduciary, financial, treasury, investment, cash-management, accounting, reporting, and constituent-service responsibilities on behalf of Harris County.
The transfer of the Treasury Clerk III position further reduced an already limited workforce. The Treasurer's Office cannot continue to absorb the transfer of positions to other County departments without materially affecting its ability to perform the responsibilities assigned to it.
The Treasurer’s Office therefore respectfully requests that Commissioners Court recognize the unique staffing constraints facing the Treasurer's Office and refrain from transferring additional positions from the Treasurer's Office unless the transfer has first been evaluated against the statutory and operational responsibilities that must continue to be performed by the Office.
Further reductions in staffing would place additional pressure on the remaining employees and increase the risk of delays, inadequate segregation of duties, insufficient oversight, and difficulty meeting statutory and operational deadlines.
Alternative Options:
Alternative 1 - Leave the position with OMB:
This would continue the current staffing deficiency in the Treasurer's Office and leave the Unclaimed Funds Administrator function without the dedicated position that historically performed those responsibilities.
Alternative 2 - Create a new position in the Treasurer's Office:
While this could provide additional staffing, it would unnecessarily increase the County's authorized positions when an existing position previously assigned to the Treasurer's Office is available for restoration.
Alternative 3 - Transfer the existing Analyst III position back to the Treasurer's Office and reclassify it as Treasury Clerk III:
This alternative restores the existing position to the Treasurer’s Offie where the position's duties directly support statutory responsibilities and avoids the need to create an additional position.
The Treasurer's Office recommends Alternative 3.
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: N/A
Prior Court Action (if any):
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Date |
Agenda Item # |
Action Taken |
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03/19/2026 |
8 |
Directive to reassign Positive Pay functions to OMB and return to the court with necessary approvals. |
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County Attorney’s Office Legal Review (for Harris County Code Items only) |
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Anticipated Court Date: 9/17/2026
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: Markine Dorch, 1st Assistant Treasurer, Treasury Department
Attachments (if applicable):
3441 Form
March 19th Agenda
Approved Agenda Item 26-1891 From 03.19.2026 Court
Approved Agenda Item 25-1054 From 02.06.2025 Court
2026-05-16-Form 3441 Position Management Request Form- Treasury Clerk 10027529-Dept 517