Harris County threatens economic development agencies

Withholding money

Matt Dietrichson, Jun 15, 12.

Harris County Commissioners Court is holding back $140,000 intended to support economic development efforts at the Greater Houston Partnership because the Partnership has not agreed to the County’s insistence that they publicly oppose transit expansion as a precondition for the funding.

Five other entities responded to the threat by saying they support continued diversion of transit taxes for roads, “(along with, presumably, their combined $316,000 in county support)” according to the Houston Chronicle. In the past, the Partnership, to its great credit, has opposed the diversion of transit money.

In its last two meetings, Harris County Commissioners Court has made it clear where it stands on the issue of “general mobility payments,” that wonky-sounding river of cash the Metropolitan Transit Authority has been shoveling to local governments for road work that voters must soon decide whether to keep flowing.

For years, Metro has diverted part of its 1 percent sales tax revenue for road projects at the City of Houston, Harris County and 14 small cities in its service area. Metro has to put the issue before voters this fall or next spring, asking them whether, they want that cash to go to transit or roads. Metro’s chairman has said he wants to freeze the payments at 2014 levels and allow Metro to begin keeping any money beyond that amount for transit.

At the court’s May 22 meeting, Commissioner Steve Radack held a series of annual payments to economic development groups, saying he wanted to know whether they supported the continued flow of mobility money from Metro.

The county heard back from five of the groups — (1) Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership, (2) Baytown-West Chambers County Economic Development Foundation, (3) Economic Alliance Houston Port Region, (4) Katy Economic Development Council and (5) Lone Star College -– and all said they wanted to keep the road money coming (along with, presumably, their combined $316,000 in county support).

The Greater Houston Partnership didn’t respond, so Commissioner Jack Morman asked today if GHP had specified its position on the mobility money or planned to do so. County officials didn’t know, so Radack again held the item –- and GHP’s $140,000 payment -– for another two weeks.

“GHP has no position on that right now,” said Micah Hirschfield, the group’s vice president of communications, when I asked him Wednesday afternoon. “Until our board of directors passes a resolution, if they do pass a resolution, we will have no position on it.”

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