Harris County leaders are grappling with a budget deficit, but they can't agree on how big that deficit actually is. On Tuesday, county leaders debated options for balancing the deficit.
Harris County leaders grapple with budget deficit
The backstory:
Last week, Judge Lina Hidalgo said Harris County is facing an over $200 million shortfall . On Tuesday, that number changed to $220 million. But County Commissioners Tom Ramsey and Leslie Briones say the deficit is around $48 million.
One reason for the shortfall stems from a decision last year to give Harris County deputies pay parity with Houston police officers at a cost of $100 million.
To balance the $2.9 billion budget, commissioners will be forced to reduce departments, scale down or cancel projects, and potentially reduce the c