Detaining fewer juveniles leads to better outcomes 

By Ed Emmett and Jeanette Moll 

This week, national leaders and experts on juvenile justice policy will gather in Houston to discuss the lessons learned during the past few years of juvenile detention reform, and the prospects for further reforms.

It is no coincidence that Houston was selected for this meeting. Harris County is a shining example of the extraordinary dividends paid when smart, effective, and efficient juvenile detention policies are enacted.

Read the rest of Judge Emmett's Op-Ed here

Judge Ed Emmett details how to ensure Harris County's economic strength

via Culture Map Houston

January 17, 2012

By Ed Emmett, County Judge of Harris County, Texas

Imagine Houston without the Ship Channel. If community leaders a century ago had not pushed boldly for the inland waterway, Houston would not be the petrochemical and industrial center that it is today.

Today, our region finds itself facing the need for another bold initiative. That need is for a transportation network that will allow us to realize our future potential as a dominant economic center for global commerce.

Globalization is here to stay for the foreseeable future. Products will continue to be imported from far-flung countries. And as currency values fluctuate and other economic factors change, exports from the United States could increase. In any case, there will be a huge quantity of international trade coming to and from North America. The vast majority of those products will be moved by oceangoing ships.

The future of Houston, Harris County and the surrounding region could be one in which we are one of the focal points of ocean-going shipping in this hemisphere. All it takes is the same visionary, can-do attitude that put us where we are today.

Historically, there have been numerous seaport cities on any given coast, but with the advent of “containerization,” the number of truly active general-cargo ports has declined. Ports with facilities for loading and unloading containers are competing for the increasing cargo volumes.

Containerization and technology-driven logistics have created an emphasis on “just in time” delivery systems, in which shippers and receivers of freight no longer maintain excessive warehouse inventories. Goods are now “stored” in transit. This trend, combined with rising fuel and operational costs, has pushed ocean carriers to build and use larger and larger ships. These larger ships are best utilized by minimizing port calls and the time spent in port.

In order for ever-larger ships to unload their containers in a timely manner, the trucks and railroads serving the ports must operate efficiently. Congestion is the biggest enemy of supply chain management.
So the future of Houston, Harris County and the surrounding region could be one in which we are one of the focal points of ocean-going shipping in this hemisphere. All it takes is the same visionary, can-do attitude that put us where we are today.

Gateway of North America

Houston and the surrounding region are perfectly positioned to become “The Gateway of North America.” Our location is central to the continent. With the widening of the Panama Canal, ports in this area will no doubt benefit. More importantly, though, as India, Africa and Brazil inevitably become larger trading partners, ships carrying cargo from those areas will come across the Atlantic Ocean and most likely make a single port call in North America. We are perfectly positioned to be the favored port.

However, if that freight cannot be moved inland efficiently, we could be bypassed by another port location, just as Felixstowe grew from nothing to pass London, Liverpool and other historic ports in the United Kingdom.

The rail and highway network serving the Houston area is an amalgamation that has developed over more than a century. The railroads, for the most part, were built by individual private companies. Until the mid-20th century, some railroads still provided passenger service, so key rail lines still go through downtown.

As the railroad industry reacted to deregulation, companies merged to the degree that we are left with only three railroads serving the region. And those three railroads operate over lines that were laid out long before Harris and surrounding counties had become an urban center with millions of residents.

If that freight cannot be moved inland efficiently, we could be bypassed by another port location, just as Felixstowe grew from nothing to pass London, Liverpool and other historic ports in the United Kingdom.

The rail lines also were designed to serve retail customers and warehouses – facilities that are now served almost exclusively by trucks. Of course, the main rail routes were selected when there was no containerization, intermodalism or even unit trains. As a result, the rail network is desperately in need of redesign.

Unlike the privately funded railroad lines, the area highway system has been completely funded by tax dollars and tolls. Decisions about where to put highways have been made by public officials who answer to a political process. That process gives extreme weight to the wants and desires of the traveling public, both inter-city and commuters. Houston has grown up as an automobile city. Indeed, the state of Texas is automobile-focused.

Transportation needs

While the need for personal mobility in the region will continue to grow with a burgeoning population, the need for a renewed freight transportation network will be more important to economic vitality. In these times of tight budgets, how do we meet our transportation needs?

All levels of government should make transportation funding a priority. The federal government would do well to recognize that the Interstate Highway System, an engineering marvel that greatly contributed to the economic expansion of the United States, is in need of maintenance and expansion to serve the demands of global markets. It is also time for the federal government to do what is necessary to assist major ports with their dredging needs to accommodate ever-larger ships, with the development of rail infrastructure to increase intermodalism, and with new emphasis on short sea shipping so that more freight can move via coastal and inland waterways.

Unless the Legislature takes action, the Texas Department of Transportation will barely have the funds to maintain the current system and no money for the improvements necessary for our economic growth and expanding population.

The state of Texas, long recognized as having the best highways in the nation, finds itself in a real bind. The 20-cent gasoline tax has not been raised since the mid-1990s, and it was never indexed for inflation. Over the years, the Legislature has diverted significant portions of the gasoline tax to purposes other than building roads. Unless the Legislature takes action, theTexas Department of Transportation will barely have the funds to maintain the current system and no money for the improvements necessary for our economic growth and expanding population.

Local governments also are severely challenged in their efforts to avoid crippling congestion and deteriorating roads. Harris County has stayed ahead of other areas through the use of toll roads. Nobody likes to pay tolls, but it is preferable to being trapped in ever-increasing traffic congestion.

The problem is apparent. If we do not invest in transportation improvements, our area will fail to reach its potential and might even wither. Unfortunately, there is no single, easy answer.

Governments must make transportation funding a priority because that will allow economic activity that will, in turn, generate the taxes to fund other needs.

Public/private partnerships must be designed to bring otherwise unavailable resources into the development of transportation infrastructure of all types.

But above all else, the tax-paying public must understand the importance of moving forward. When legislators and other public officials make bold, tough decisions to assure our future, we should applaud them, just as we applaud those leaders who decided to build a ship channel a century ago.

For more information on the article and Culture Map Houston, click here.

Ed Emmett calls for the County to focus on the Future

August 8, 2011

County Judge Ed Emmett's latest Op-Ed to the Houston Chronicle detailing the future of local government and what our governments must do in order to move us forward:

As posted in the Houston Chronicle, August 6, 2011:

Harris County government exists to serve the needs of 4 million increasingly diverse residents. Compared with other local governments around the nation, Harris County is in strong financial shape and its infrastructure, facilities and services are well above average. But we cannot rest on our laurels. We must begin reforming county government. Private businesses constantly retool their organizations and products or risk being left behind in the marketplace. Championship sports teams continually upgrade personnel and tactics to stay on top. Harris County government must take similar steps to remain secure and fully responsive to its growing constituency.

There are approximately 15,000 employees of Harris County, none of whom should be indispensable. Continuity of government and good business sense demand clear succession plans, both temporary and permanent, for all key employees. Unfortunately, Harris County lacks such plans. Neither should any individual employee be able to waste the taxpayers' dollars through fraud or incompetence. If an employee is dishonest or incompetent, it is incumbent upon supervisors to take immediate remedial action. Unfortunately, in a recent case involving the county's former director of financial services, that was not done.

These are clear weaknesses in Harris County government. But instead of wringing our hands, we need to seize this opportunity to create a county government that focuses on the future. The county's best allies and advisers in this effort are its residents.

In any large organization, human frailties can lead to ethical lapses. During the 2008 election cycle, the issue of ethics in Harris County government was front and center. New ethical issues have arisen since then and, given human nature, more likely will be uncovered in the future. County officials, both elected and appointed, must respond swiftly and openly to these revelations. Any attempt to cover up or failure to act will only feed the mistrust that many of our neighbors already feel toward their government and government officials.

Click here for the rest of the article from the Houston Chronicle

A Tropical Wave has entered the Gulf of Mexico

7/25/2011

A tropical wave in the Gulf of Mexico  may become tropical storm Don soon.  As hurricane season continues, please remember to be vigilant and prepared.

Visit www.ReadyHarris.org for more preapredness tips and information.  Please follow me on Facebook as well as the office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. 

Judge Emmett presses for answers in County ethics debate

Houston Chronicle  July 13, 2011

Harris County Judge Ed Emmett pointedly questioned the hiring of law firm Greenberg Traurig to advise the county on a bond sale at Commissioners Court on Tuesday, calling the firm's efforts to entertain a former county employee ethically dubious.

Greenberg is one of five law firms that recently repaid the county more than $300,000 in unsupported travel expenses associated with 30 bond sales from 2006 through 2009.

Records show former county finance chief Edwin Harrison traveled in connection with 17 of those sales, often with Greenberg partner Franklin Jones. Industry experts say lawyers serve no business purpose on such trips.

Harrison gave Greenberg the largest or second-largest share of the county's financial legal work in each of the last five years, records show. He also wrote up to $25,000 for expenses into the firms' contracts. They were never asked to show receipts.

"Why do you think that this one firm is so important to this particular transaction … in light of all the information that is circling around out there?" Emmett asked County Attorney Vince Ryan, whose office took over selecting bond counsel last fall as a result of several probes of Harrison's office.

Ethics, Emmett noted, is among the county attorney's key areas of focus.

"They're the best qualified to ensure the county gets the best deal in this particular transaction," Ryan said, adding that all financial disputes between the firm and the county have been settled.

Emmett's questioning drew the ire of some commissioners, who outvoted him 4-1 to accept Ryan's recommendation and hire the firm...

Read the rest of the story HERE from the Houston Chronicle

Hurricane Season starts June 1st

Hurricane Season 2011 is upon us and is expected to be a busy one.  The National Hurricane Center/NOAA predicts this season:

-12 to 18 named storms

-6 to 10 Hurricanes

-3 to 6 Major Hurricanes

Stay prepared this season - all it takes is ONE storm to impact our area.  Remember to have a plan, make a kit and be prepared. 

Be sure to visit www.ReadyHarris.org for general tips on how to be prepared this season.  Also stop by the Office of Emergency Management's page www.hcoem.org and follow them on Facebook, too!

 

Judge Emmett to Deliver State of the County

Harris County Judge Ed Emmett will review some of Harris County's major accomplishments and discuss its future challenges when he addresses the county's business leaders at the Greater Houston Partnership's annual State of the County Address for 2011 this afternoon.

This will be Emmett's fourth State of the County Address since becoming county judge on March 6, 2007. The judge will be introduced by Texas Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst.

Emmett will meet with members of the media immediately following the event.

WHO:
Harris County Judge Ed Emmett
Greater Houston Partnership
League of Women Voters

WHEN:
Noon, Today, March 4, 2011

WHERE:
Level Two Ballroom of the Americas
Hilton Americas - Houston
1600 Lamar
Houston, TX 77010

Judge Emmett honored with Prestigious Award

TXDOT Commissioner Ned Holmes presenting Judge Emmett with the Road Hand Award

Jan 14, 2011

Harris County Judge Ed Emmett was recognized Tuesday at the Texas Department of Transportation's sixth annual Texas Transportation Forum with the 2011 Road Hand Award, one of seven people honored statewide this year.

The award, established in 1973, is given to Texans "who have given their time, energy and vision to help improve transportation throughout the state." Former winners include former Harris County Judge Jon Lindsay, former Congressman J.J. Pickle and Fred Hartman, the longtime editor and publisher of The Baytown Sun.

Emmett, a former "International Transportation Person of the Year" in 2005, was honored during a luncheon at the Hilton Austin Hotel. He also will serve as a speaker and panelist during a Wednesday forum discussion entitled "After Sunset: The Road Ahead for TxDOT."

"As Harris County and southeast Texas grow to become the Gateway of North America in the coming decades, it is now more crucial than ever that we focus on our transportation infrastructure needs," Emmett said in accepting the award. "We will need a mix of transportation - including roads, rail, water and air - to sustain the continued growth we have enjoyed in Harris County and throughout Texas. With funding tight, transportation policy is now more important than ever in determining our priorities for the future."

The Road Hand Award is given annually by the Texas Department of Transportation and the Texas Good Roads Transportation Association. Other winners of this year's award include El Paso Mayor John Cook; director of the Texas Turnpike Corporation Kathy Ingle; and Richard Perez the president and CEO of the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce.

Judge Emmett Swears in Recently Elected Officials

January 1st, 2010

Judge Emmett presided over the swearing-in of many of the county's recently elected officials, including District Clerk Chris Daniel, County Clerk Stan Stanert, Tax-Assessor Don Sumners and many of the county Judges.

Congratulations to all of the new and re-elected County Officials.

Lets Keep Our Mentally Ill Youth out of Detention

Co-Authored by County Judge Ed Emmett

In just three years, Harris County has made vast improvements in the county's juvenile justice system. The catalyst for many of these changes is an initiative launched in 2007 and funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation to develop alternatives to juvenile detention in Harris County.
The initiative is showing promising results. Between 2007 and 2009, referrals of youth to the county's juvenile probation department dropped 14 percent. The number of youth placed in residential centers after adjudication fell 42 percent. Commitments to the state's juvenile corrections system dropped 62 percent. Meanwhile, juvenile crime has dropped significantly in Harris County.
Local agencies, courts and community groups have worked together to achieve these positive results...

Click here for the Full Article from the Houston Chronicle

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