Primary Department: County Administration
Primary Department Head/Elected Official: Erica Lee Carter, County Administrator
Secondary Department: Human Resources and Talent
Secondary Department Head/Elected Official: Andrea Coughlin Rowley, Chief People Officer
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Regular RCA
Type of Request: Policy
Project ID (if applicable):
Vendor/Entity Legal Name (if applicable):
MWBE Contracted Goal (if applicable):
MWBE Current Participation (if applicable):
Justification for 0% MWBE Participation Goal: N/A - Goal not applicable to request
Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable):
Justification for 0% Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable): N/A - Not a grant item
Request Summary (Agenda Caption):
title
Request for discussion and possible action related to the implementation of the Harris County Consultation Policy.
end
Background and Discussion:
On March 19, 2026, Commissioners Court adopted a resolution establishing the County’s Consultation Policy Framework. Since the resolution’s adoption, the Office of County Administration (OCA) has worked collaboratively with Human Resources and Talent (HRT) and the County Attorney’s Office (CAO) on an implementation plan ahead of the October 1, 2026, effective date.
This Request for Court Action includes proposed modifications to the Consultation Policy and requests for funding to ensure OCA, HRT, and CAO have sufficient resources to implement this policy effectively.
Expected Impact:
Commissioners Court will have more information about implementation efforts to date and planned next steps. Associated recommendations for Court’s consideration are intended to support successful implementation of the Consultation Policy.
Additional resources needed:
|
Dept |
Item |
Recurring |
FY26 |
Notes |
|
HRT* |
3 Investigators |
$474,769 |
$51,625.28 |
Conducts employee relations reviews and prepares findings to support consistent resolution of workplace concerns |
|
|
1 Project Manager |
$201,135 |
$22,155.98 |
Serves as primary HR liaison for the Consultation Agent Framework, including consistent policy implementation and related employee relations processes |
|
OCA |
1 Project/Program Manager II |
$183,928 |
$0 |
Implementation lead, agenda coordinator and meeting facilitator, Court liaison, OCA's Management Agent ex-officio member designee |
|
CAO** |
Additional Attorney |
$332,560 |
$0 |
Service Enhancement Request submitted for budget process |
Notes:
• * HRT’s resource request has been submitted under a separate Request for Court Action.
• ** CAO’s resource request was submitted as a Service Enhancement Request in the FY27 budget process.
Alternative Options:
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: This topic relates to the “Empowering employees” Guiding Principle in the Strategic Plan.
Prior Court Action (if any):
|
Date |
Agenda Item # |
Action Taken |
|
03/19/2026 |
382 |
To approve the resolution supporting the creation of a consultation policy with implementation effective October 1, 2026: authorizing a process for certain County employees to select a qualified labor union to serve as a Consultation Agent; establishing a consultation process by which a consultation team composed of a Consultation Agent, certain employees, and certain management representatives will meet at least monthly to discuss and recommend any changes to the County’s Personnel Policies and Procedures; amending the County’s grievance policy to notify the Consultation Agent when eligible employees file a grievance and entitling eligible employees to receive representation from the Consultation Agent in grievance or disciplinary matters. |
Location:
Address (if applicable):
Precinct(s): Countywide
|
Fiscal and Personnel Summary |
|
Service Name |
Additional Personnel for Consultation Policy Implementation & Management |
|
|
|
Current Fiscal Year Cost |
Annual Fiscal Cost |
|
|
Labor |
Non-Labor |
Total |
Recurring Expenses |
|
Funding Sources |
|
|
Existing Budget |
|
|
|
|
|
1000 - General Fund |
$15,327 |
$0 |
$15,327 |
$0 |
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Total Existing Budget |
$ |
$ |
$15,327 |
$ |
|
Additional Budget Request (Requires Fiscal Review Request Form) |
|
|
1000 - General Fund |
$0 |
$0 |
$0 |
$183,928 |
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Total Additional Budget Request |
$0 |
$ |
$0 |
$183,928 |
|
Total Funding Sources |
$15,327 |
$ |
$15,327 |
$183,928 |
|
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 |
0 |
- |
- |
- |
|
Additional Positions Request |
5 |
- |
- |
- |
|
Total Personnel |
5 |
- |
- |
- |
|
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: 8/6/2026
Anticipated Implementation Date (if different from Court date): N/A
Emergency/Disaster Recovery Note: Not an emergency, disaster, or ARPA related item
Contact(s) name, title, department: Erica Lee Carter, County Administrator; Andrea Coughlin Rowley, Chief People Officer - Human Resources & Talent
Attachments (if applicable): Proposed updated Consultation Policy (tracked changes version); Fiscal Review Request Form