Primary Department: Fire Marshal
Primary Department Head/Elected Official: Laurie L. Christensen, Fire Marshal
Secondary Department: Choose an item.
Secondary Department Head/Elected Official:
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Regular RCA
Type of Request: Policy
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 revise and update the Harris County Fire Marshal’s Office (FMO) Training and Hazardous Materials (HazMat) fee schedules to better align fees with the cost of services, support program sustainability, and ensure continued delivery of high-quality training and emergency response capabilities for these essential public safety functions.
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Background and Discussion:
The Harris County Fire Marshal’s Office (FMO) Training and Hazardous Materials (HazMat) programs provide essential public safety services that require specialized personnel, equipment, training, and ongoing operational support. These programs support emergency response readiness, regulatory compliance, regional preparedness, and the safe delivery of specialized services to County residents, partner agencies, and the regulated community.
The proposed fee updates are intended to better align fees with the actual cost of service delivery while maintaining a balanced and reasonable approach. Even with these adjustments, the updated fees are expected to recover only approximately 25-30% of the total cost to operate these programs. Because fee revenue represents only a partial cost recovery mechanism, County resources will continue to be necessary to sustain program operations.
Expected Impact:
Approval of the proposed fee schedule updates will improve alignment between fees and the actual cost of service delivery for the FMO Training and Hazardous Materials programs. Because actual revenue may vary based on billing, payment, and collection trends, the projected revenue should be viewed as a partial cost recovery measure rather than a full funding solution. The updates will help offset operational expenses, support continued delivery of essential public safety services, and improve long-term program sustainability; however, additional County resources will continue to be required to sustain program operations.
Alternative Options:
The Court could elect to maintain the current fee schedules; however, doing so would continue the existing gap between fee revenue and the actual cost of service delivery. This option would limit the Department’s ability to partially offset program costs and would continue to require County resources to sustain essential training and hazardous materials response operations.
County Strategic Plan Goal: 1. Make Harris County safer and more just.
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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:
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Anticipated Court Date: 7/9/2026
Anticipated Implementation Date (if different from Court date): 7/9/2026
Emergency/Disaster Recovery Note: Not an emergency, disaster, or ARPA related item
Contact(s) name, title, department: Bobby Cato, Deputy Chief - Finance, Operations & Technical Services Bureau
Attachments (if applicable):
Combined Fee Schedule