The County Connection: Get Vaccinated, Get $100

Running a small business is a huge challenge, even in the best of times. And despite the dangers presented to small business workers during over the past 17 months, many stayed open and continued to serve Harris County residents. Unfortunately, small businesses are now struggling — their revenue in our county is down 38 percent since last January according to a study from Harvard University. Now is the time to support our small businesses the way they have supported us.

 

This month Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and Commissioner’s Court designated $30 million in American Rescue Plan federal funds to create the Harris County Small Business Recovery Fund. The Fund will provide $5,000 to $25,000 grants to up to 2,000 micro and small businesses. Through these grants, small businesses will be able to pay workers, pay suppliers, pay their rent or mortgages, and more.

 

The County will launch the Harris County Small Business Recovery Fund website on August 20th including information on how to apply in English, Spanish, and in Vietnamese. There will be an open application period starting on Monday, September 20 and ending Monday, October 4. Applicants will be selected on a randomized basis, with priority given to businesses and business owners in vulnerable areas, minority and women-owned businesses, and other designated priority categories. Additional updates will be provided in the coming weeks.

Currently, around 100,000 criminal court cases are pending in Harris County, including more than 20,000 cases that are more than a year old. Backlogs have risen throughout the nation due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but ours is exacerbated by the fact that it had grown already after damages to our courthouses during Hurricane Harvey. Resolving this alarming backlog in our justice system is crucial to effectively combat rising crime rates in Harris County. In July, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and Commissioners Court approved $2.5 million to fund three visiting judges and necessary support staff who will work to prioritize adjudication of the most serious criminal cases still pending in county Criminal District Courts.

 

The addition of three visiting judges will build on previous actions already taken by Harris County, including over $17 million dollars for additional law enforcement and associate judges and an expansion of jury operations. Previous actions Harris County has taken to address violent crime include supporting additional overtime funding for detectives in the Harris County Sheriff Office’s Violent Crimes, Adult Special Crimes, and Child Abuse Units to work cases with the most violent crimes through targeted investigations that focus on repeat offenders and organized criminal activity in known hotspots, improved information sharing, expedited investigations, and supporting the state legislature to add an additional criminal district court in Harris County.

The importance of a wifi signal has never been more evident than in the past year and a half — working from home and attending virtual classes is stressful enough without having to worry about the cost and quality of your connection. For everyone to have a fair shot at success, everyone must have access to the internet. In July, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and Commissioner’s Court approved $3.2 million in CARES funding to continue providing broadband support to an estimated 20,000 families through the 2021-2022 school year at community centers, parks, libraries, and on community buses, and expand service to between between 5,000 and 9,000 users.

 

In December 2020, Harris County established a new Broadband Office tasked with developing a long-term broadband strategy and overseeing efforts to improve access, affordability, and innovation related to digital connectivity long term. Earlier that year, the County pledged a total of $42 million to the County’s Digital Access Program for the purchase of devices and hotspots for Harris County children attending school virtually during the COVID-19 epidemic.

An important piece in fighting climate change and subsequent extreme weather is ensuring that as a community we are doing everything we can to lower our carbon footprint, every day. Now Harris County has an office to establish, promote, and oversee green policies in all of the County’s work. In July, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and Commissioners Court approved the creation of an Office of Sustainability (OS) within the Office of County Administration. The OS will “combat the underlying causes and disproportionate impact of climate change on marginalized communities by making community-driven improvements to air, water, and soil quality, committing to the use of clean energy, improving flood resilience with natural infrastructure practices, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and providing every resident access to quality green space.”

 

The Office of Sustainability will be responsible for a number of tasks, including:

 

Look out for more updates on this critical new office!

Lawmakers have resorted to some desperate measures over the past month to keep the Texas legislature from voting and potentially passing new Texas Voter Bills. So what is in these bills and how would they affect you? Watch Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo break down how these bills threaten voting rights.

As part of the County Judge’s Office initiative to make local government more transparent and accessible, we invite you to get involved by viewing Commissioners Court meetings. You can check here to see the meeting schedule, and watch the official close captioned livestream here or on the Judge’s homepage here.

Harris County never stops preparing for the next big storm. And while the 2018 Harris County Flood Control District Bond Program is in full swing, we continue to seek input from community members as we implement projects in watersheds across the County. If you have a comment about a particular project, we invite you to attend the corresponding virtual meeting and be part of the planning process. Learn more about upcoming 2018 Bond Program Community Engagement Meetings here.

Do you have unwanted household hazardous items? Properly dispose of them by making an appointment with the Household Hazardous Waste Collections facility at 6900 Hahl Road in Houston. Appointments are available each Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and during the second and fourth Saturday of each month. Learn what items are accepted and make an appointment here.