Tom Ramsey - Harris County Precinct 3 Commissioner Joins Houston's Morning News

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
All right, Well, that sounds like a kind of nice panhandler,
But honestly, do you want panhandlers hanging out in unincorporated
Harris County. I mean they're showing up in more and
more corner seemingly all the time. I assume that's why
today is the day that Harris County Commissioner's Court is
going to consider an ordinance on panhandling. Tom Ramsey, our
Harris County Precinct three Commissioner, my commissioner checks in with

(00:23):
us this morning. So what is the uh, what's the
gist of the panhandling ordinance you all are considering?

Speaker 2 (00:30):
The state legislature Jimmy last session gave us the right,
the unincorporated Harris County for since right to pass an ordinance.
We don't really have ordinance making capabilities for the most part,
but in this case, we were allowed to create an
ordinance to deal with panhandling. I think panhandling is an issue.

(00:52):
I'll start first with it's not safe for the people
that are out there at the intersections. I've seen intersection
were little children. We're out there with their mother soliciting,
asking for help. We're sensitive to the needs of people.
You just should not be standing in the middle of
the intersection doing it. So that's going to be the

(01:16):
priority within that ordinance is to focus on the people
that are at risk fanding in those intersections. And of
course it's a major distraction to drivers who are trying
to get through and to work. So that's that's really
the bottom line is let's get the folks out of

(01:36):
these intersections, out of these unsafe areas. A there's just
no good reason for someone to stand in the middle
of a busy intersection and ask for money.

Speaker 1 (01:47):
Is pananling defined specifically as begging for money? Or can
it cover other things? For example, where I am right
off of Gosling Road, I see a lot of people
that are there by the ground parkway selling flowers, you know,
walking up the cars offering flowers for sale. Is that
this is that also considered pan handling?

Speaker 2 (02:06):
The same thing, Ok, same thing in terms of what
this ordinance would would cover. And again we're not we're
not trying to put people in jail. We're trying to
get them out of a very unsafe uh. Condition.

Speaker 1 (02:20):
Now, I understand that there are reports that the Democrats
are growing to try to sneak in pay equity today
in what form? What is it they're attempting to do.

Speaker 2 (02:32):
They have been talking about pay equity, and you and
I could probably uh define that term in many different ways,
but they they they the premise is that people are
doing the same job and not getting paid the same
So they hired They spent one point five million dollars

(02:53):
over the last year with a consultant. The consultant has
come back Jimmy with seven hund and fifty eight job
classifications that they say they know exactly the value of
that job. They know exactly how you can determine who's
getting fairly paid and who isn't. I just don't think

(03:14):
it's fair. And that the other problem with their pay
equity study they did not even take into account benefits.
That's the number one people, number one reason people go
to work in Harris County is the benefits. And these people,
these consultants, did not even take that into account. So

(03:35):
it's again a go ahead.

Speaker 1 (03:37):
I was gonna say, here's my problem with the pay
equity study of five million dollars, go on, how much
does it cost to study something like that five million dollars?

Speaker 2 (03:47):
Good lord, it's one point there's one point five million dollars. Again,
they're gonna be paid. They're gonna be paid more and
more every every year, or to administer the program. So
on the genda today is a proposal to pay folks

(04:08):
that make less than seventy five thousand dollars. We're going
to budget forty seven million dollars to be spent on.
They say pay equity. Listen. I trust our supervisors to
evaluate their people, make decisions or what people should make.
It's not like we have people leaving the county. I

(04:32):
can't get I've got positions open in the county. So
it is it's really a scheme. I'll use that word scheme,
I think earlier. I'm not a communist. I know that's
very popular in New York City. That's not popular in
Harris County. And this is just another form of communism.

Speaker 1 (04:50):
Unbelievable. Unbelievable. Well, at least Lena won't be there today.
You take a mental health day.

Speaker 2 (04:57):
Well, I have no idea. I just no. The meetings
will like could be two hours shorter than they normally are.

Speaker 1 (05:04):
That's a fact. Thank you, sir as always. Harris County
Precinct three Commissioner Tom Ramsey