The Harris County Commissioners Court is slated to discuss updates to Hurricane Harvey recovery projects and receive a report on the use of Flock cameras countywide.
In a nutshell
Marcus Stuckett, the Harris County Flood Control District executive director, is expected to provide an update on the county’s disaster recovery and flood mitigation projects, per agenda documents. The HCFCD oversees the projects, which are designed to reduce flooding risks for areas impacted by Hurricane Harvey.
Discussion on the projects comes about two weeks after Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham announced a one-year extension for qualifying projects. The extension could apply to six projects that were at risk of missing the February 2027 deadline as of May 1.
“The Flood Control District has been working with the Texas General Land Office on potential approaches to maximize the benefits county entities can deliver utilizing the grant funds,” the agenda states.
If money is not spent by the deadline, Buckingham previously said the GLO would move to reclaim it.
Also on the agenda
Several county departments are expected to give a report on the county’s use of automated license plate readers, or ALPRs, according to agenda documents. Harris County currently has a contract with Flock Safety, a national company whose cameras record license plates and temporarily compile data, per the company's website.
The report is expected to include:
- Amount of money spent on the ALPRs
- Number and location of ALPRs
- Summary of ALPR technology and its use
- Which agencies have access to ALPR data
- What other jurisdictions are doing to safeguard the ALPR data
The county’s use of Flock cameras has come under scrutiny during public comment at recent commissioners court meetings, with residents voicing privacy and safety concerns. Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones announced Oct. 8 that Flock cameras have been decommissioned on her precinct’s property, with staff covering and disconnecting the cameras.
In an Instagram post Oct. 8, Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey emphasized his support for the “proven technology that has helped law enforcement officers protect the people of Harris County.”
“New technology will always bring new challenges, but I trust our officers to use the tools available to them responsibly and effectively to keep our communities safe,” the post states.
Commissioners renewed a contract between Flock and the Harris County Sheriff’s Office during their May 28 meeting. The court could take action after the report is given Thursday, per agenda documents.
In other news
Briones has called for discussion and possible action on data center development and operations countywide, according to agenda documents.
Harris County has 55 operating, under-construction or planned data centers, per the documents.
“Large data centers can generate significant tax revenue, but they require substantial land, electricity, water and supporting infrastructure while creating relatively few permanent jobs,” the documents state. “Residents near existing and proposed sites have raised concerns about water and energy use, grid reliability, utility costs, noise, environmental impacts, property values and public safety.”
The documents state that the County Attorney’s Office, Office of the County Engineer, Pollution Control Services and Fire Marshal’s Office have the ability to evaluate data centers based on:
- Development review
- Environmental enforcement
- Fire and life safety requirements
- Infrastructure coordination
- Tax abatement guidelines
One more thing
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.
