After a heated day in commissioners court, commissioners voted to censure Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo after her tax hike proposal for early childcare failed.
Funding for the program is expected to run out late next year, and Thursday’s meeting was Hidalgo’s last opportunity to get the early childcare initiative on the November ballot, which would have given voters the chance to decide if they would like to opt in for a property tax increase to help the initiative.
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Harris County Commissioner Lesley Briones attempted to clarify through Hidalgo’s interjections that the county had received Hidalgo’s proposal two weeks ago and would not receive an independent assessment of the initiative’s success until next year.
Briones said, “this half-baked proposal does not have a robust stakeholder engagement. It does not have a detailed program, it does not have a detailed budget.”
What is Harris County’s early childcare program?
In 2022, the commissioners court established the Harris County Early Childhood Initiatives after the county received federal funds through the American Rescue Plan Act as COVID-19 relief.
Through this initiative, the county established Early REACH (Raising Education Access for Children in Harris County), a pilot program targeting areas with “child-care deserts” and areas with a “high social vulnerability index,” according to the Harris County website.
The program is available to eligible families with infants, toddlers and preschoolers who have demonstrated financial need.
Early REACH eligibility
- Earn less than 85% or less than the State Median Income
- Experiencing homelessness
- Are in foster care
- Receive WIC, SNAP, TANF, free or reduced lunch or SSI income
Late last year, the Greater Houston Community Foundation mentioned a report from Don Titcombe, former associate director of early childhood initiatives for Harris County, stating that 17,000 families were stuck on the waiting list for child care assistance. Since 2020, the number of child care centers has decreased by 20 percent.
A similar scenario
During the meeting, Hidalgo touted a similar property tax increase for childcare in Travis County, which was voted on late last year.
For a year, Travis County worked with United Way and several civic organizations, businesses and community members to assess how the proposed tax hike would impact residents, according to Travis County.
When November came around, Travis County residents voted in favor of the increase.
Late Thursday, Briones and other commissioners released statements with KPRC 2, condemning Hidalgo’s behavior.
“As colleagues, we may disagree, but fundamental respect and decorum are non-negotiable,” Briones said in her statement. “The democratic process is built on civil debate, and as elected leaders we must hold ourselves to the highest standards.”