Department: County Administration
Department Head/Elected Official: Leah Barton, Deputy County Administrator
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Regular RCA
Type of Request: Position
Project ID (if applicable): ARPA_DATAFELLOW
Vendor/Entity Legal Name (if applicable):
MWDBE Contracted Goal (if applicable):
MWDBE Current Participation (if applicable):
Justification for 0% MWDBE Participation Goal: N/A - Goal not applicable to request
Request Summary (Agenda Caption):
title
Request by the Office of County Administration for approval to extend five positions to October 4, 2024 in support of the Data Fellows program.
end
Background and Discussion:
The Harris County Office of County Administration launched the Harris County Data Fellows Program in August 2023 to empower County government agencies to improve their services to citizens through data-driven decision-making. Talented data analysts collaborate with County leaders to tackle key data challenges through operational guidance, performance tracking, county-wide support, and automation. Data Fellows seek data-driven performance in County government and are dedicated to improving services rendered to the citizens of Harris County.
Over the last year, the Data Fellows Program has proven to be successful in empowering the agencies in which they reside to improve their services through data-driven decision making. The fellows have been able to enact positive change through implementing automation, creating dashboards and AI models, and improving existing spreadsheet models that have allowed their respective agencies to operate more efficiently and effectively.
This program has allowed the fellows to utilize their skills as data scientists, creating opportunities for them to work with data manipulation, visualization and analysis. Because of their work, the departments have been able to tackle their high-priority data projects.
Expected Impact:
Additional budget will not be needed to extend the positions due to program cost savings. Extending the five positions would allow the Data Fellows to continue in the program through the end of Fiscal Year 2024. The goal is to place program participants in full time positions within Harris County in the beginning of Fiscal Year 2025.The extension of this program will allow departments to move forward with the administrative process.
Alternative Options:
Not extending the positions would end the program prior to the end of the fiscal year, and participants may have to end their employment with Harris County before they can transition to a full-time position. The Data Fellows may find external opportunities and the County would lose out on their investment and the fellows’ talent.
Alignment with Goal(s):
_ Justice and Safety
_ Economic Opportunity
_ Housing
_ Public Health
_ Transportation
_ Flooding
_ Environment
X Governance and Customer Service
Prior Court Action (if any):
|
Date |
Agenda Item # |
Action Taken |
|
05/16/2024 |
10 |
Funding approved |
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 |
|
|
|
|
|
2651 - American Rescue Plan 2021 |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Total Current Budget |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Additional Budget Request (Requires Fiscal Review Request Form) |
|
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Total Additional Budget Request |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Total Funding Request |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Personnel (Fill out section only if requesting new PCNs) |
|
|
Current Position Count for Service |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Additional Positions Request |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Total Personnel |
- |
- |
- |
- |
Anticipated Court Date: 7/15/24
Anticipated Implementation Date (if different from Court date):
Emergency/Disaster Recovery Note: COVID-19 related item
Contact(s) name, title, department: Hannah Shulman, Senior Project Manager, Technical Assistance and Performance, Office of County Administration
Attachments (if applicable):
1. 3441s Position Management Request Form
2. 3441s spreadsheet