Harris County commissioners to discuss Hurricane Harvey recovery projects, new AI policy

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas -- The Harris County Commissioners Court is slated to discuss updates to disaster recovery and flood mitigation projects, the county’s AI policy, and new positions for violence disruption and prevention programs during its Nov. 12 regular meeting.

Latest update

After delaying the presentation last month, commissioners are expected to discuss an extension for federally funded disaster recovery and flood mitigation projects. Community Development Block Grants, or CDBG, were awarded to projects after Hurricane Harvey hit the Greater Houston area in 2017. The Harris County Flood Control District, or HCFCD, manages the projects. 

In September, the Texas General Land Office granted a one-year spending deadline extension for the projects. This set the new deadlines for CDBG-DR projects in February 2028 and CDBG-MIT projects in March 2029. 

The HCFCD is working with the GLO to “maximize the benefits county entities can deliver utilizing the grant funds,” according to agenda documents. Commissioners may take action on “a path forward for the programs,” per the documents. 

Six CDBG-DR projects were previously at risk of missing the original spending deadline in February 2027, Community Impact reported. Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham previously warned Harris County that any funds not spent by the deadline would be reclaimed, leaving the county to make up for the funding gaps. 

HCFCD Executive Director Marcus Stuckett previously told Community Impact he intends for all projects to be completed, regardless of funding source.

Another detail

Commissioners are also expected to talk about—and potentially take action on— a new county AI policy. The county's Universal Services department initially developed a policy after the court’s Jan. 8 direction and has since worked to create a new one that “ensures alignment with enterprise architecture, cybersecurity, data privacy and responsible use principles,” according to agenda documents. 

Harris County’s existing AI policy was approved Nov. 12, 2024. The new policy will provide “necessary safeguards and key elements to ensure that AI usage aligns with county security and privacy objectives and standard practices and reduces pertinent security risks,” per agenda documents.

Universal Services recommends implementing the policy in May 2027 so all county departments have “adequate time” to receive the necessary training and guidance to “ensure implementation, operational effectiveness and compliance,” according to the documents. 

One more thing

The court will consider adding 24 jobs to support two violence prevention and interruption programs—Holistic Assistance Response Teams, or HART, and Relentless Interrupters Serving Everyone, or RISE. 

Both programs fall under the county’s Community Health and Violence Prevention Services Division, which was established to “prevent violence and improve the health, well-being and self-sufficiency” of county residents, according to agenda documents.

Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis championed both programs during the FY 2026-27 budget cycle, and the court allocated $1.45 million to HART and about $660,000 to RISE to continue operations. 

If approved, the programs would be expanded to include the following positions: 

• One communications specialist 
• One outreach worker for hospital violence interruption 
• One project manager 
• One senior data analyst
• Six outreach workers for violence interruption 
• Ten crisis intervention specialists
• Two supervisors for violence interruption 
• Two case managers 

The additional jobs will “support the expansion of both violence prevention programs to provide a broader reach that helps reduce violence on a larger scale,” according to agenda documents. 

Before you go

The court is also expected to adopt official canvassed results from the Nov. 3 general election. The election saw many Democrats win office across the county and state, as Community Impact reported. 

Harris County Commissioners Court meetings are held at 9 a.m. in Downtown Houston. The administration building is at 1001 Preston St., Houston. Meetings are also available via livestream.

This article comes from our ABC13 partners at Community Impact Newspapers