Primary Department: County Courts
Primary Department Head/Elected Official: Ed Wells, Court Manager
Managing Department: County Engineer
Managing Department Head/Elected Official: Milton Rahman, PhD, P.E., PMP, CFM, ENV-SP, County Engineer
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Regular RCA
Type of Request: Investment Memo
Investment Memo Type: Final Investment Memo
Project Name: Criminal Justice Center 7th Floor Renovation
Project ID (if applicable): TBD
Vendor Legal Name (if applicable): N/A
MWBE Contracted Goal (if applicable): N/A
MWBE Current Achievement (if applicable): N/A
Justification for 0% MWDBE 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
Incremental Authorization Requested: $300,000
Total Estimated Project Cost: $300,000
Request Summary:
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Request for approval of a Final Investment Memo for the Criminal Justice Center 7th Floor Renovation project for an amount of $300,000, and commercial paper funding in the amount of $300,000.
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Project Description:
This project renovates the 7th floor of the Harris County Criminal Justice Center to address staff expansion and operational changes since the building’s original construction over 24 years ago. The work includes creating new offices of varying sizes, as well as modifying and reconfiguring existing offices. A new breakroom with plumbing will be added, and existing storage space will be expanded and secured with modern access control. In addition to these changes, the Office of the County Engineer - Project Management Office (PMO) has worked to ensure HVAC, fire sprinklers, lighting, and other life safety elements are included in the project and will be adjusted to support the revised layout. All work will meet current ADA standards and building codes, resulting in functional office space and secure storage to support the Office of Court Management’s operations.
Anticipated Project Expenditures and Timeline:
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Project Scope Breakdown |
Estimated Cost |
Estimated Completion |
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Renovation & Office Construction (Contingency Included) |
$300,000 |
FY26- |
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Total |
$300,000 |
- |
Justification & Alternatives:
The 7th floor of the Harris County Criminal Justice Center, occupied by the County Courts - Office of Court Management, has not been significantly updated since the building opened 24 years ago. Over that time, staff expansion, increased demand for technology and equipment storage, and heightened requirements for security and privacy (CJIS and otherwise) have outgrown the existing layout. A partial floor renovation is necessary to reconfigure the space, add offices, and modernize infrastructure. The project is intentionally scoped to address these pressing needs in a fiscally responsible manner while minimizing disruption to operations.
If the project is delayed or not approved, the department will continue to use the space as-is, requiring staff to share office space where necessary and rely on insufficient storage and workspace arrangements.
Anticipated Impact on Other Funds (If Applicable):
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Fund Code |
Description |
Estimated Cost |
Funding Method (Existing or Future Budget Request Required) |
Estimated Date of Needs |
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$- |
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Total |
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$- |
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- |
County Strategic Plan Goal: N/A
County Strategic Plan Objective: N/A
Justice/Safety Initiative (Goal 1): N/A
Infrastructure Initiative (Goal 2): N/A
Economy Initiative (Goal 3): N/A
Health Initiative (Goal 4): N/A
Climate/Resilience Initiative (Goal 5): N/A
Housing Initiative (Goal 6): N/A
Previous Court Action:
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Address: 1201 Franklin St, Houston, TX 77002
Precinct(s): Precinct 1
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Fiscal and Personnel Summary |
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Current Fiscal Year Cost |
Annual Fiscal Cost |
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Non-Labor |
Total |
Recurring Expenses |
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Funding Sources |
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Existing Budget |
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$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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$ |
$ |
$ |
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$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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Total Current Budget |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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Additional Budget Request |
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Commercial Paper |
$ |
$300,000 |
$300,000 |
$ |
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$ |
$ |
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Total Additional Budget Request |
$ |
$300,000 |
$300,000 |
$ |
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Total Funding Request |
$ |
$300,000 |
$300,000 |
$ |
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Personnel (Fill out section only if requesting new PCNs) |
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Current Position Count for Service |
- |
- |
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- |
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Additional Positions Request |
- |
- |
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Total Personnel |
- |
- |
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Anticipated Court Date: 10/16/2025
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
Legal funding compliance confirmed by: Paige Abernathy, Special Assistant County Attorney, 9/9/2025
Department Approval by: Ed Wells, Court Manager - 9/24/2025
OMB CIP Team Approval by: William McGuinness, Director-Capital Projects & Infrastructure, 9/23/2025
Commercial Paper Request (For OMB use only):
Receiving Department: County Courts
Project PeopleSoft ID: TBD
CP Series Description: Commercial Paper Series D-2 can be used for (1) construction of public works, (2) the purchase of automobiles, equipment and machinery, including computers, materials and supplies for the operation of the County’s precincts and departments (3) Professional services, including services provided by engineers, architects, attorneys, auditors, financial advisors, and fiscal agents, in connection with the contractual obligations described in (1) and (2).
Commercial Paper is being requested for the Criminal Justice Center 7th Floor Renovation project and is expected to be repaid within the next three fiscal years either through bonds, budgetary means or pay-as-you-go sources.
Note: Commercial Paper is issued in increments of $5,000 and the excess is not available to be spent by the department.
OMB Financial Management contact: Amy Perez, Deputy Executive Director, Office of Management and Budget