Texas comptroller: Harris County now willing to work with state over police defunding

(The Center Square) – Comptroller Glenn Hegar said Tuesday that his office was notified by Gov. Greg Abbott’s office that Harris County officials were looking for a way to resolve the comptroller’s findings that the county was defunding its police.

In response, Harris County said Hegar’s latest statement “is false.”

In an updated statement to one he issued on Friday, Hegar said, Democratic Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo “is finally encountering resistance that she can’t silence.”

On Friday, he said Hidalgo was “resorting to threats and strong-arm tactics to shift blame for her failed policies and ongoing efforts to defund law enforcement,” attempting to “silence the citizens of Harris County whose safety she has jeopardized to further her political ambitions.”

On Feb. 10, Hegar issued a determination stating the county had defunded Constable Office Precinct 5’s budget by over $2.3 million. As a result, he ruled, “Harris County may not adopt an ad valorem tax rate that exceeds the county’s no-new-revenue tax rate” until his office issued a written determination or the county resolves its funding reduction.

In response, Hidalgo said the county didn’t defund the office, would fight Hegar in court and said he “needs to go back to accounting class.”

Daniel Ramos, executive director of the Harris County Office of Management and Budget, was still fighting Hegar’s determination on Friday, Hegar said, saying Ramos had made a “disingenuous” call to his office. “Instead of opening a line of communication,” Hegar said, Ramos’ call “was sadly just part of another effort to silence any criticism of Judge Hidalgo.”

The night before, Hegar said his office received a letter from the county “that once again resorted to baseless and childish threats of litigation.”

“Harris County taxpayers deserve better,” he added. “Rather than paying overpriced lawyers for frivolous lawsuits, Judge Hidalgo should use those precious taxpayer resources to fund law enforcement.”

Hidalgo had also tweeted on Feb. 16 that the Democratic-led commissioner’s court “approved a lawsuit against the state Comptroller” who was “seeking to freeze our revenue” and “disenfranchise” Harris County residents.

But by Tuesday, Feb. 28, Hegar said they’d “stopped attempting to litigate the math and instead will focus their efforts on finding a local resolution with the Harris County constables whose budgets were cut.”

He also said, “The dollar amounts analyzed have not changed, but Judge Hidalgo and the county commissioners now are seeking an opportunity to address those numbers, alter course and fully fund law enforcement.”

The changed approach, Hegar said, “is the responsible course of action, and I will take steps to support the county’s effort to find a resolution.” opportunity to rectify their actions,” he said.

In response to Hegar’s announcement, Harris County Attorney Christian D. Menefee issued a statement via email to The Center Square, stating, “Comptroller Hegar’s statement is false. The county’s position on his determination that the county defunded the Precinct 5 Constable’s Office has not changed. Comptroller Hegar misapplied the law, bungled the math, and is acting outside of his legal authority. We are continuing to evaluate legal options.”

Menefee also said, “Though we cannot be sure, we think Comptroller Hegar’s statement is about a letter the county received from Governor Abbott’s office today. The governor is required by law to provide the county notice of a defunding complaint and an opportunity to correct before referring the complaint to the comptroller’s office.”

The governor’s office did not respond to request for comment from The Center Square.

Menefee also said Harris County officials contacted the comptroller’s office and the governor’s office last week “to make clear that the governor had failed to provide the required notice about the Precinct 5 Constable’s complaint, and to inquire as to whether their offices had pending defunding complaints about other Harris County law enforcement agencies. After initially refusing to confirm that information in writing, today the governor’s office sent the county a letter stating it has no other pending defunding complaints against the county.”

“Had the governor and the comptroller provided the county the required notice about the Precinct 5 Constable’s Office, we would have taken the opportunity to correct their basic mathematical and legal errors,” Menefee added.

The commissioner’s court has scheduled a special meeting for Thursday, March 2, to address issues related to a different constable’s precinct and request approval of tax refund payments, among other issues.