According to a new budget report presented last week at Commissioners Court, Harris County needs to make some big changes, to ensure it's financial stability.
The fine print reveals that most of it is due to a six-year spending spree by local Democrats.
"Six years now with a progressive controlled county, and really just tax-payer funded social programs" said former County Judge candidate, Alexandra Mealer, "And yet we don't have basic services."
Instead, Harris County is staring at a $129 million dollar deficit for next year. A sad comparison, after decades operating with a budget surplus.
"These guys have just gone through any stockpile" Mealer told KTRH, "They've burned through all of their Covid ARPA funding, which was really just a grab bag to support incumbents in office. We have all of these programs that are not sustainable. Now that the city's broke, and the county's broke, all of these issues are coming to a head and it's just really a terrible trajectory."
And then there is the growing public feud between Mealer, and City Controller Chris Hollins.
"Chris Hollins, Rodney Ellis, every time they get their feelings hurt they run and try to get a negative article penned against me" noted Mealer, "Hyperpartisan, and really nothing more than a showman."
But the show must go on here in Harris County, where serious cuts are going to have to be made by the end of the year.