Harris County Commissioners Lesley Briones and Adrian Garcia will outline new investments in public safety, health, and infrastructure during a press conference Thursday morning, as political tensions continue to swirl at the county’s highest level.
Harris County leaders say residents will not see cuts to core services in the upcoming fiscal year despite a budget deficit, thanks to months of cost-saving measures and strategic reallocations.
At a press conference Thursday, Harris County Commissioners Adrian Garcia and Lesley Briones detailed the proposed fiscal year 2026 budget, which they described as “smart” and “strategic.”
Garcia said essential services, including infrastructure maintenance, library hours, public health clinics, early childhood programs, and affordable housing efforts, will remain intact.
He pointed to moves such as shifting $860,000 in clinical service expenses to an existing state revenue fund and investing $195,000 in pollution control lab upgrades to avoid $400,000 in outside contracts.
“This is where experience and collaboration matter,” Garcia said. “We’ve been working for eight months, not a few weeks, to find efficiencies and get things done together.”
One major expansion in the plan is the countywide rollout of the Holistic Assistance Response Team (HART), which sends trained mental health professionals to certain 911 calls instead of law enforcement officers. The program, currently in two districts, will now serve areas like Cloverleaf, freeing deputies to focus on violent crimes.
Briones said public safety remains her top priority, noting that pay parity for sheriff’s deputies, constables, and all ranks is critical to retaining officers as the City of Houston raises law enforcement salaries.
She also emphasized that parks, community centers, and flood mitigation projects will continue without cuts, and mobile health clinics will keep providing services such as the 55,000 immunizations administered annually.
To close the deficit without raising taxes, Briones outlined savings from consolidating technology purchases, reducing unused landlines, and eliminating long-vacant positions.
“Some would like you to believe the sky is falling,” she said. “False. By rolling up our sleeves and doing the hard work, we are delivering core services more efficiently.”
Both commissioners credited county staff, especially budget director Daniel Ramos, for months of planning and input from public budget town halls.
“Harris County will continue to be strong, resilient, and make progress together,” Briones said.
The timing comes just days after the Commissioners Court voted to censure County Judge Lina Hidalgo for what three commissioners described as “disruptive and disrespectful” behavior during court meetings.
Briones and Garcia both voted for the censure but have said they do not support removing Hidalgo from office.
Hidalgo is holding her own press conference at 9:30 a.m.
KPRC 2 will livestream both conferences and provide updates throughout the day.