Tag Archives: Dick Raycraft

Raycraft to retire

Dick Raycraft, who’s been a fixture in county government forever, is calling it a career. Dick Raycraft, a trusted adviser to generations of Harris County leaders who has wielded so much influence over county policy he earned the nickname “the … Continue reading

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Emmett goes after Raycraft

This will be fun to watch. Harris County Judge Ed Emmett, spurred by revelations about former finance chief Edwin Harrison’s business practices and personal conduct, is calling for Harrison’s boss — longtime budget director Dick Raycraft — to produce a … Continue reading

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Cancelling constables

Like Grits, I see this as an opportunity, not a loss. Budget cuts have led two Harris County constables to cancel their security contracts with several area school districts, leaving the districts scrambling for a fix to cover the end … Continue reading

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Cancelling constables

The county’s financial picture is pretty grim, too

This, too, is ugly. County budget officials are looking for more than $130 million in spending cuts for the fiscal year that begins on March 1. Budget officials and county government department chiefs have three months to come up with … Continue reading

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The county’s budget woes

Don’t look now, but Harris County is running really low on cash. The $154 million reserve fund Harris County started its fiscal year with is expected to be nearly gone by March as it gets spent to cover shortfalls in … Continue reading

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Elections administrator proposal will get a study

Like it or not, Commissioners Court is going to consider the possibility of creating an appointed elections administrator position. The Court orders studies as preludes to formally adopting a public policy change. Dick Raycraft, director of management services, was charged … Continue reading

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

The cheapest jail cell is the one you don’t use

Sorry, Newton County. Commissioners Steve Radack and Jerry Eversole held up renewal of a contract with Newton County on Tuesday, and suggested that Harris County needs to do more to get the cheapest possible jail beds. “If the dollars are … Continue reading

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on The cheapest jail cell is the one you don’t use

Here comes the county budget

Considering how gloom-and-doomy the reports have been, this is downright sunny. Commissioners Court today will consider a $1.4 billion budget that cuts spending by about 3.2 percent from the fiscal year that ended on Feb. 28. The spending blueprint does … Continue reading

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The county budget blues

The news keeps being bad. Not unexpected, but bad. During hearings last month, department heads said worst-case scenarios could mean layoffs, less mosquito spraying, tax office closures and fewer resources to serve a still-growing county population. County Auditor Barbara Schott’s … Continue reading

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

There’s a fix for that

As we know, Harris County has a budget shortfall of its own to deal with. So the fact that the Sheriff’s Office is spending more than it was allotted is drawing some scrutiny. The Harris County Sheriff’s Office is projected … Continue reading

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Tax cuts have consequences

We’re all familiar with the financial constraints that the city of Houston is operating under. Harris County is experiencing similar problems. “As best we can tell appraisals are going to be flat, if not down a little, so that means … Continue reading

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments