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Harris County, TX, August 22, 2025, Over the last year, three members of Commissioners Court consistently voted against the budget director’s recommendations, which created a $200M+ deficit that could have been avoided. Judge Hidalgo and Commissioner Rodney Ellis opposed those fiscally irresponsible votes, and also proposed multiple times going to the voters to ask if they wanted to see cuts, but they did not receive support from their colleagues to allow voters to render a judgement. The county has already implemented tens of millions of dollars in savings. 

Judge Hidalgo released the following statement today about the Harris County deficit:

“The Harris County budget needs to be balanced in two weeks at the September 9 meeting of Commissioners Court, and residents along with the rest of us on Commissioners Court need time to review the cuts proposed by our colleagues who unilaterally created the deficit. Right now, I am committed to lifting the curtain for the public as to what cuts to county services are being proposed to close the massive $200M deficit. There is a misconception out there that the deficit has shrunk from its original $200M+ down to just $48M. That is false. Our Office of Management & Budget (OMB) has proposed around $160M in savings and cuts to county services. The vast majority of that $160M are proposals that Commissioners Court has not agreed to or voted on. I will support any solution that the three Commissioners propose that doesn’t harm residents’ quality of life. I have not heard those three Commissioners’ explanation of these cuts or their commitment to enact them. I believe that I and the public deserve a line-item budget from the three Commissioners who broke the budget that explains each proposed cut, the amount and what that program or position normally does. As of right now, neither I nor the public have received any specifics from them. I encourage members of the press and the community to join me in requesting a line item budget from the three Commissioners that allows us to see in detail what they propose cutting and what the impact of those cuts would be. The clock is ticking,” said Judge Lina Hidalgo.