Comptroller Hegar claims that Harris Co. deprived the police of funding; Judge Hidalgo’s response: “Go back to accounting class”

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas. Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar said Friday that Harris County has cut funding to Pct. 5 Constable’s Office for more than $2 million in violation of state law.

Now the county will not be able to set a new tax rate for next year.

The lack of a new tax rate could impact county services ranging from law enforcement salaries to the courts.

In the letter, Hegar detailed the reduction in the budget for Constable Ted Heep’s office from $48 million to $46 million.

Click here to read this letter in full.

Harris County Democratic leaders said the letter was another political ploy to try to punish the county.

On Friday night, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo responded to the lawsuit by tweeting: “Controller Hegar and his allies seem to be struggling with basic accounting. According to Harris County accounting over 26 pay periods, funding for the District 5 constable’s office increased by nearly two million. dollars (from 46.6 million to 48.5 million dollars) between the two budgets under consideration. I look forward to working with District Attorney Menefee to take this to court. In the meantime, Comptroller Hegar needs to get back to his accounting class.”

“The State of Texas is serious about the fact that we can’t cut funding, we can’t cut it,” Pct. 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey said.

$2.3 million is the amount Republican Comptroller Hegar said the county commissioners took.

“I think it’s a choice that we spend money the way we are — I think the controller is telling us to go back and do the math,” said Ramsey, the lone Harris County Republican Commissioner.

Texas law requires police funding to equal or exceed annual government funding and prohibits cutting it.

“I think what you are seeing is a state playing political games,” he said. 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis said.

Democrats fought back, arguing that the controller was trying to make headlines.

“We increased funding, and we were trying to significantly increase funding for traditional law enforcement and do other things that worked across the country,” Ellis said.

Harris County Attorney Christian D. Menefee put it this way:

“We’re saying Controller Hegar’s calculations are wrong.

The Democratic District Attorney said he was prepared, with the approval of the Court of Commissioners, to sue the state.

“Harris County must continue to do business as usual and set the tax rate and budget, and if we end up in a courtroom, that’s where we end up,” Menefee said.

In the meantime, the county must get approval from Hegar’s office to set new tax rates or get voters to approve a “cut”.

The county said it spends more than $200 million on constables, more than Dallas and Tarrant counties combined.

County Administrator David Berry gave KHOU 11 the following statement rebutting the comptroller’s claim:

“The numbers speak for themselves:

“Constable Heep’s budget has grown from $46,582,350 year-on-year to $48,519,429 in last fall’s budget. Continuing these games will prevent millions of dollars in future public safety investment, similar to what happened last year when the county was forced to scrap a proposed budget that contained almost $100 million in additional funding for the sheriff, constables, district attorney and criminal courts. The lack of a new rate of return made this investment impossible.

“Despite these challenges, Harris County continues to invest in law enforcement and more significant investment will be needed next year. Forcing the county to accept the new rate of return will limit the investments that can be made. Harris County residents and are currently exploring all of our options.”

Below is Hidalgo’s response to the withdrawal request.