The Court voted to delay the launch of the Harris County Prompt Payment Act Policy until February 9th, and directed staff to return in December with a proposed amendment that clarifies how interest charges on late invoices are shared among departments.

What it means for you

The new policy governing how quickly the county must pay its bills will not take effect until February 9th; in the meantime, staff must develop clearer rules for which county department bears responsibility for interest costs when invoices sit unreviewed.

Outcome

A motion was made by Commissioner Garcia, seconded by Commissioner Ellis, that the proposed policy be delayed to go-live until February 9th; and direct the OCA and the Auditor’s Office to return to Commissioners Court in December with a proposed amendment to better align the incentive structure for our invoices that require review by other departments. The amendment must define a reasonable number of days for departments to complete their reviews prior to assuming at least partial responsibility for any resulting interest payments, and require a quarterly true-up of late invoices to determine what department is responsible for interest payments based on a number of workdays that invoice remained in the department’s queue. The motion carried by the following vote: (4-0)

How each member voted

4–0, per the official record.