Primary Department: District Clerk
Primary Department Head/Elected Official: Marilyn Burgess
Secondary Department: Choose an item.
Secondary Department Head/Elected Official:
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Supplemental RCA
Type of Request: Financial Authorization
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):
title
Request by the District Clerk for approval of additional labor funding in the amount of $3,132 to implement new requirements mandated by Senate Bill 9, per 89th Session of Legislation. The funding needed for twelve months for Fiscal Year 2026 is estimated to be $120,060.
end
Background and Discussion:
Unfunded Senate Bill 9 mandate increases the work processes on weekends and holidays. The major impact of this mandate will affect the District Clerk’s Office Probable Cause Section. SB 9 requires additional tasks from Probable Cause Courts, Criminal District Courts, Magistrate Hearing Officers, District Attorney’s Office, Pretrial Services, Sheriff’s Office, and Public Defender’s Office.
Employees assigned to District Clerk’s Office Probable Cause 24/7 hour Section are paid at a secondary rate when working weekends and holidays. The additional funding is needed to cover the cost of adding one more employee per shift on weekends and holidays.
New Manual Tasks for Probable Cause Court:
• Enter bail orders and set bail
• Enter bond conditions
• Enter Magistrate Order of Emergency Protection (MOEP)
• Updating Texas OCA with MOEP information
• Notifying other counties when defendant has a pending case in another county
• Sending Consulate notifications
• Notify Department of Public Safety (DPS) of any handgun license suspensions
• To immediately make available an electronic copy of the public safety report to Criminal District Court Judges
Expected Impact:
Mandate increases the work processes on weekends and holidays.
Alternative Options:
There are no alternative options to comply with the requirements of SB 9.
County Strategic Plan Goal: 1. Make Harris County safer and more just.
County Strategic Plan Objective: A: Reduce violent crime across the County.
Justice/Safety Initiative (Goal 1): A4: Improve safety through targeted pursuit of violent crime suspects.
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:
Prior Court Action (if any):
|
Date |
Agenda Item # |
Action Taken |
|
|
|
|
Location:
Address (if applicable):
Precinct(s): Countywide
|
Fiscal and Personnel Summary |
|
Service Name |
|
|
|
|
Current Fiscal Year Cost |
Annual Fiscal Cost |
|
|
Labor |
Non-Labor |
Total |
Recurring Expenses |
|
Funding Sources |
|
|
Existing Budget |
|
|
|
|
|
1000 - General Fund |
$3,132.00 |
$ |
$ |
$120,060.00 |
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Total Existing Budget |
$3,132.00 |
$ |
$ |
$120,060.00 |
|
Additional Budget Request (Requires Fiscal Review Request Form) |
|
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Total Additional Budget Request |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Total Funding Sources |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
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 PCNs) |
|
|
Current Position Count for Service |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Additional Positions Request |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Total Personnel |
- |
- |
- |
- |
Anticipated Court Date: 8/26/2025
Anticipated Implementation Date (if different from Court date): 9/1/2025
Emergency/Disaster Recovery Note: Emergency item
Contact(s) name, title, department: Wes McCoy, Chief Deputy of Administration; Judith Snively, Chief Deputy of Courts; Christine Baldwin, Manager of Criminal Courts; Araceli Carrizales, Financial Services Administrator.
Attachments (if applicable): Copy of SB 9.