Hidalgo considers new county administrator role a way to 'catch up with other major counties'

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo expressed her support for the creation of a county administrator position. 

Until now, the county was among the few left in the state without the occupation title.

"Commissioners Court has approved the creation of a county administrator position. We'll now catch up with other major counties across the state and nation, Republican- and Democrat-led, in having this position," Hidalgo said in a Twitter post. 

The vote to create the position was made within party lines, with Democrats Hidalgo, Ellis and Garcia in support and Republicans Ramsey and Cagle opposed. Now that the position is approved, the new administrator must develop an outline detailing the structure and related strategies he plans to implement in a period of 45 days, according to Click2Houston.

Executive director of the county's budget department, David Berry, was elected for the newly established role and will be tasked with overseeing the daily operations of the county government and creating reports related to the commissioner's court, according to Houston Public Media. Barry believes the addition will help county officials tackle community issues, such as flooding and public health more effectively.  

“I think it really is a testament to the challenges and problems we face as a county, which are not getting easier,” he said. “We serve 4.7 million people in Harris County. That's the size of a state.”

According to Hidalgo, the decision is similar to a 2019 court ruling with PFM Consulting Group Inc. to do an "organizational and operational review of Harris County government,” the Houston Daily reports. 

Hidalgo said many counties in Texas have already upgraded their governance structure by creating a county administrator, including Bexar, Dallas, El Paso and Tarrant counties.