This story was updated at 2 p.m. Friday with a post meeting statement issued by Commisioner Briones who represents Katy.
HOUSTON, TX (Covering Katy News) – A proposal to increase taxes for education programs missed a critical deadline Thursday after County commissioners from both parties accused Democratic County Judge Lina Hidalgo of disrupting proper meeting procedures in her push to advance the measure.
Hidalgo's initiative would have allowed Harris County residents to decide whether to support higher taxes to maintain funding for child care and education training programs that were previously sustained by temporary federal ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds that are no longer available.
No formal vote occurred during Thursday's commissi“I was disappointed to witness Judge Hidalgo's disruptive behavior at Commissioners Court today; it distracted from the serious issues before us. As colleagues, we may disagree, but fundamental respect and decorum are non-negotiable. The democratic process is built on civil debate, and as elected leaders we must hold ourselves to the highest standards. The people of Harris County deserve better.”briones
oners court session. For the tax proposal to appear on November's ballot, at least three of the five court members needed to approve it. When Hidalgo recognized insufficient support among her colleagues, she called a 10-minute recess instead of allowing members of commissioners court to vote on her plan.
"There's absolutely no reason why we can't simply ask the voters what they would like to see," Hidalgo said before calling the brief break that ultimately allowed the ballot initiative to expire. "The program has been evaluated. The offices have been working on this for four years. I have been talking about a bond election since 2019."
The courtroom was filled with children during the meeting. At various points, Hidalgo leveraged the children's presence by inviting them to move closer to the front to witness whether commissioners would approve potential funding for the education initiatives.
Multiple commissioners called for restored order throughout the proceedings. Democratic Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones, who represents the Katy area of Harris County, criticized Hidalgo's approach as violating decorum standards after being interrupted multiple times by the county judge. Even the county attorney had to interject numerous times in an effort to restore order and stop the interruptions by Hidalgo.
"Part of education is respect," Briones said as audience members chanted "let the voters decide." She characterized the proposal as inadequately developed and lacking proper stakeholder input.
Democratic Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia later issued a statement describing it as "beyond frustrating to witness Judge Hidalgo's disruptive behavior."
The county currently faces approximately $270 million in budget shortfalls. Hidalgo's proposal would have asked voters to continue the Early Raising Educational Access for Children in Harris County, County Connections, and Accessible Child Care Training Supports programs.
According to Hidalgo, her plan would have increased the property tax rate again, this time by one cent.
Republican Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey opposed the proposal, explaining that when these programs launched using temporary ARPA funds, there was mutual understanding they would conclude when the federal money expired. He noted that commissioners have not completed their budget review process.
"What I consider discretionary spending is over $500 million," Ramsey said. "We have not even begun to vet the $500 million and whether or not we could find dollars there to support programs like this or other programs. So I don't even think we have enough data to think."
Later in the discussion, Ramsey said outbursts during the meeting were "totally against what we should be doing according to decorum."
Following the discussion and recess, Hidalgo returned.
"Let's just move onto the next item, that's all I have to say," she told commissioners. "And if you want to vote no in front of the kids, that's [fine]."
The Harris County Commissioners Court voted 3-1 to formally censure Hidalgo after her outbursts during this week's commissioners court meeting. Commissioners Briones, Ramsey, and Garcia supported the censure motion, while Commissioner Rodney Ellis was the sole vote against it. While the censure has no immediate consequences, it will be officially documented in county records, according to a county official who spoke with the Houston Chronicle.
Following the meeting commissioner Briones issued this statement: “I was disappointed to witness Judge Hidalgo's disruptive behavior at Commissioners Court today; it distracted from the serious issues before us. As colleagues, we may disagree, but fundamental respect and decorum are non-negotiable. The democratic process is built on civil debate, and as elected leaders we must hold ourselves to the highest standards. The people of Harris County deserve better.”
Commissioner Tom Ramsey responded with a video of the meeting titled "Another Unprofessional Moment," referencing judge Hidalgo's history of outbursts at commissioners court meetings which has included cursing, typically at commissioners from her own party as Ramsey is the only Republican on the 5-member court.