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Can you Balance Harris County's Budget?

2,426 Views | 21 Replies | Last: 1 yr ago by FarmerJohn
agnerd
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5:02p, 8/14/23
AG
Try it here

Harris County has launched a website where you can decide what to spend money on and what to cut. Of course it's slanted to where it will only let you increase taxes and not reduce them, but it does allow you to cut a whole bunch of stuff and run a major surplus. They do make you click a million times to gut a program, but it will theoretically help to shape future budgets (assuming they get the results they want).

Take a few minutes and fill it out in case it actually will be used in the future.
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Psycho Bunny
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5:09p, 8/14/23
Shocking to see how much Harris County wants to spend on public safety.

Though the men and woman on the front lines won't see a pay increase for another 5 years.
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themissinglink
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6:01p, 8/14/23
AG
Cut the following to $0
  • ($5.4m)Department of Economic Equity and Opportunity
  • ($21.6m) Community Services Department
  • ($10.1m) County Judge's Office
  • ($9.8m)Pollution control
  • ($51.1m) Precinct Community Centers and Programming

Also, the following get cuts
  • ($25m) Public Health Services Goes from $52.4m to 27.4m - what exactly do these people do now that COVID is over?
  • ($30m) Internal Services From $159.2m to $129.2m - $160m seems like a stupid amount of money to spend on county bureaucrats not associated with public safety, judicial system, infrastructure, or public health
  • ($15m) Record Keeping, Tax Collection and Elections from $95.8m to 80.8m - we've seen how ****ty the new election officials are, cut the entire department.
  • ($10m) County Legal Services from $46m to $36m - Stop defending Dora's cronies.
  • ($5m) Library goes from $41.1m to $36.1m - I like the library, but plenty of BS programs you could cut
  • ($4m) Management and finance from $24.9m to $20.9m - I'm sure there are plenty of useless people in this that can be cut

What do I win?
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10
Sea Speed
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6:06p, 8/14/23
AG
These people are so ****ing inept they are trying to crowdsource the county budget
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Psycho Bunny
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In reply to themissinglink • 6:22p, 8/14/23
themissinglink said:
Cut the following to $0
  • ($5.4m)Department of Economic Equity and Opportunity
  • ($21.6m) Community Services Department
  • ($10.1m) County Judge's Office
  • ($9.8m)Pollution control
  • ($51.1m) Precinct Community Centers and Programming

Also, the following get cuts
  • ($25m) Public Health Services Goes from $52.4m to 27.4m - what exactly do these people do now that COVID is over?
  • ($30m) Internal Services From $159.2m to $129.2m - $160m seems like a stupid amount of money to spend on county bureaucrats not associated with public safety, judicial system, infrastructure, or public health
  • ($15m) Record Keeping, Tax Collection and Elections from $95.8m to 80.8m - we've seen how ****ty the new election officials are, cut the entire department.
  • ($10m) County Legal Services from $46m to $36m - Stop defending Dora's cronies.
  • ($5m) Library goes from $41.1m to $36.1m - I like the library, but plenty of BS programs you could cut
  • ($4m) Management and finance from $24.9m to $20.9m - I'm sure there are plenty of useless people in this that can be cut

What do I win?
A small fries from DQ
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1
Stupid Sexy Flanders
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In reply to Psycho Bunny • 6:38p, 8/14/23
Psycho Bunny said:
themissinglink said:
Cut the following to $0
  • ($5.4m)Department of Economic Equity and Opportunity
  • ($21.6m) Community Services Department
  • ($10.1m) County Judge's Office
  • ($9.8m)Pollution control
  • ($51.1m) Precinct Community Centers and Programming

Also, the following get cuts
  • ($25m) Public Health Services Goes from $52.4m to 27.4m - what exactly do these people do now that COVID is over?
  • ($30m) Internal Services From $159.2m to $129.2m - $160m seems like a stupid amount of money to spend on county bureaucrats not associated with public safety, judicial system, infrastructure, or public health
  • ($15m) Record Keeping, Tax Collection and Elections from $95.8m to 80.8m - we've seen how ****ty the new election officials are, cut the entire department.
  • ($10m) County Legal Services from $46m to $36m - Stop defending Dora's cronies.
  • ($5m) Library goes from $41.1m to $36.1m - I like the library, but plenty of BS programs you could cut
  • ($4m) Management and finance from $24.9m to $20.9m - I'm sure there are plenty of useless people in this that can be cut

What do I win?
A small fries from DQ


That's what I like about Texas
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19
Ag_07
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In reply to themissinglink • 8:26p, 8/14/23
AG
themissinglink said:
Cut the following to $0
  • ($5.4m)Department of Economic Equity and Opportunity
  • ($21.6m) Community Services Department
  • ($10.1m) County Judge's Office
  • ($9.8m)Pollution control
  • ($51.1m) Precinct Community Centers and Programming

Also, the following get cuts
  • ($25m) Public Health Services Goes from $52.4m to 27.4m - what exactly do these people do now that COVID is over?
  • ($30m) Internal Services From $159.2m to $129.2m - $160m seems like a stupid amount of money to spend on county bureaucrats not associated with public safety, judicial system, infrastructure, or public health
  • ($15m) Record Keeping, Tax Collection and Elections from $95.8m to 80.8m - we've seen how ****ty the new election officials are, cut the entire department.
  • ($10m) County Legal Services from $46m to $36m - Stop defending Dora's cronies.
  • ($5m) Library goes from $41.1m to $36.1m - I like the library, but plenty of BS programs you could cut
  • ($4m) Management and finance from $24.9m to $20.9m - I'm sure there are plenty of useless people in this that can be cut

What do I win?


A gift card leftover from the unsuccessful gun buy back.
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13
Ryan the Temp
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In reply to themissinglink • 8:44p, 8/14/23
AG
themissinglink said:
Cut the following to $0
  • ($51.1m) Precinct Community Centers and Programming
...

What do I win?
More crime - because the kids who would ordinarily be at the community centers after school are now roaming around in your neighborhood with nothing to do except make trouble.
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2
Psycho Bunny
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In reply to Ryan the Temp • 8:49p, 8/14/23
Ryan the Temp said:
themissinglink said:
Cut the following to $0
  • ($51.1m) Precinct Community Centers and Programming
...

What do I win?
More crime - because the kids who would ordinarily be at the community centers after school are now roaming around in your neighborhood with nothing to do except make trouble.
Then cut public safety by half to make up the short fall of the community center.
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File5
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10:01p, 8/14/23
AG
The fact that you have to click in tiny increments and that there aren't sliders just makes me wish we could replace the entire county government with ChatGPT, starting with the finance department. Needless to say I ended up with a surplus
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FarmerJohn
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In reply to Ryan the Temp • 11:22p, 8/14/23
AG
Yes, just like Midnight Basketball and it's sketchy link to crime reduction.

Quote:
Doug Hartmann, a professor of sociology at the University of Minnesota, has studied midnight basketball for nearly 30 years. He says there's no evidence of a causal relationship between the program and drops in crime, though he commissioned a study in 2006 that found property-crime rates went down more in communities with midnight basketball than those without. "We don't think [decreases in crime were] necessarily because of midnight basketball," he says. "It was because those cities [with leagues] were cities with a lot more aggressive and proactive crime prevention programs."

https://www.si.com/nba/2017/06/30/midnight-basketball-program-where-are-they-now
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Ferris Wheel Allstar
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8:24a, 8/15/23
AG
I can save $20.5m off the bat


Quote:
Harris County has unveiled a new program to continue to give families a fighting shot at achieving the American dream.

The program, Harris Prospers which is styled "PROSPERS" to stand for "pathways to realize opportunity, security, potential, equity, resilience and safety" was introduced during an Aug. 10 press conference with county officials. Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis said the program's vision is to lift thousands of families out of poverty through creating paths to good jobs, while also ensuring families have the building blocks to thrive.

"Harris Prospers isn't just a set of investments it is a promise from the people that lead this county," Ellis said.
Quote:
Examples of these investments include Uplift Harris, a $20.5 million pilot program aimed at economic stability, which will be available in the fall. It will provide $500 per month for 18 consecutive months to low-income families.

you know I love me some neon-blue-ferris-wheel fingerbanging

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/4c/9c/b5/4c9cb5bba7b92452f09267f839fc7406.gif

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CDUB98
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8:37a, 8/15/23
AG
Thomas Sowell couldn't balance that fustercluck of a budget.
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Marvin_Zindler
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In reply to Ryan the Temp • 9:08a, 8/15/23
AG
Ryan the Temp said:
themissinglink said:
Cut the following to $0
  • ($51.1m) Precinct Community Centers and Programming
...

What do I win?
More crime - because the kids who would ordinarily be at the community centers after school are now roaming around in your neighborhood with nothing to do except make trouble.
Lol. They already are.
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abomba
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9:13a, 8/15/23
AG
Starting the propaganda of why they "need" to raise taxes.
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BQ_90
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9:44a, 8/15/23
AG
is this why Lina bolted town, she couldn't figure out the website
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themissinglink
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In reply to Ryan the Temp • 3:49p, 8/15/23
AG
Ryan the Temp said:
themissinglink said:
Cut the following to $0
  • ($51.1m) Precinct Community Centers and Programming
...

What do I win?
More crime - because the kids who would ordinarily be at the community centers after school are now roaming around in your neighborhood with nothing to do except make trouble.
FY18 Budget
Can't tell where this line item is in the old budget, but it doesn't seem like the increased investment has paid off. The crime rate has increased 10% or so from 2018 to 2022 (Trends and Comparisons of Index - Crime in Harris County).
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1 edit
schmellba99
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In reply to Ryan the Temp • 5:46p, 8/15/23
AG
Ryan the Temp said:
themissinglink said:
Cut the following to $0
  • ($51.1m) Precinct Community Centers and Programming
...

What do I win?
More crime - because the kids who would ordinarily be at the community centers after school are now roaming around in your neighborhood with nothing to do except make trouble.
So.......vunnables then?
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ScottBowen
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In reply to themissinglink • 10:36p, 8/15/23
AG
themissinglink said:
Cut the following to $0
  • ($5.4m)Department of Economic Equity and Opportunity
  • ($21.6m) Community Services Department
  • ($10.1m) County Judge's Office
  • ($9.8m)Pollution control
  • ($51.1m) Precinct Community Centers and Programming

Also, the following get cuts
  • ($25m) Public Health Services Goes from $52.4m to 27.4m - what exactly do these people do now that COVID is over?
  • ($30m) Internal Services From $159.2m to $129.2m - $160m seems like a stupid amount of money to spend on county bureaucrats not associated with public safety, judicial system, infrastructure, or public health
  • ($15m) Record Keeping, Tax Collection and Elections from $95.8m to 80.8m - we've seen how ****ty the new election officials are, cut the entire department.
  • ($10m) County Legal Services from $46m to $36m - Stop defending Dora's cronies.
  • ($5m) Library goes from $41.1m to $36.1m - I like the library, but plenty of BS programs you could cut
  • ($4m) Management and finance from $24.9m to $20.9m - I'm sure there are plenty of useless people in this that can be cut

What do I win?
It's amazing that you have to click 100 times to eliminate any category of spending. Also, which category is Rodney Ellis's African Art storage facility in? I'd like to cut that.

https://www.click2houston.com/news/investigates/2021/10/05/massive-private-african-art-collection-under-control-of-commissioner-rodney-ellis-remains-in-public-shed/
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94chem
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In reply to Sea Speed • 7:15a, 8/16/23
Sea Speed said:
These people are so ****ing inept they are trying to crowdsource the county budget


Wait til you see Hidalgo's GoFundMe legal defense fund, with imaginary donors who just received imaginary grants.
94chem,
That, sir, was the greatest post in the history of TexAgs. I salute you. -- Dough
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94chem
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7:20a, 8/16/23
Can't we just spend a little taxpayer money to get a Braums in Houston? Isn't it time we all accepted the fact that Whataburger is just overpriced mediocrity?
94chem,
That, sir, was the greatest post in the history of TexAgs. I salute you. -- Dough
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FarmerJohn
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In reply to 94chem • 7:23a, 8/16/23
AG
Sold out to investors in Chicago and they are ruining it. Sadly predictable.
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