No-Show GOP Commissioners Dodge Court Again Escalating Reality of a Defunded Public Health System
Judge Hidalgo and Democratic Majority remain at a stalemate in battle to pass historic County budget
HARRIS COUNTY, Texas – (Sep 27, 2022) – Today, Republican County Commissioners Jack Cagle and Tom Ramsey once again refused to appear at Commissioners Court, further impeding the County from implementing the new proposed budget and tax rate. If a quorum is not reached, the County faces a grave reality where vital departments, including law enforcement and the public hospital system, will be forced to operate with drastically reduced budgets.
In response to Cagle and Ramsey’s boycott, Judge Hidalgo and Commissioners Rodney Ellis and Adrian Garcia, broke for an executive session to discuss the legal options at hand. The course of action is ultimately aimed at compelling the absent commissioners to do their jobs and allow the court to proceed with securing a County budget.
“The refusal of my Republican colleagues to simply do their job has moved far and beyond political theatrics and is now threatening the health and safety of Harris County residents,” Judge Hidalgo said.
“We will lose over $100 million dollars in vital funding, which means less law enforcement on the streets, fewer frontline prosecutors, cancellations for cancer screenings, forcing 10,000 patients to lose access to healthcare – and that’s just the tip of the iceberg,” Judge Hidalgo added.
Judge Hidalgo has worked closely with Commissioners to put forth a budget that will propel Harris County into the future, yet without a consensus, the County faces consequential budget cuts that diminish all progress over the past four years:
- Harris County Sheriff’s Office, District Attorney’s Office, Harris County Constables: -$55 million
- Harris County Public Hospital System: -$125 million
- Harris County Public Libraries: -$1.4 million
- Flood Control Funding: -$23 million
- Veteran Services Department: -$325,000
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