Browsing by Author "Lightbourne, Jesseca"

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Collaborations and Overlapping Services in Harris County Law Enforcement
    (Kinder Institute for Urban Research, 2018) Shelton, Kyle; Fulton, William; Villegas, Carlos; Krause, Matthew; Zhang, Mingming; Lightbourne, Jesseca
    In Harris County, there are more than 60 law enforcement agencies. In general, these agencies provide a high level of service to area residents. However, there are possible efficiencies and improvements to be found. The funding that supports these entities mostly comes from local general funds and, on average, accounts for about 30 percent of local government budgets. The sheer number of agencies creates multiple overlapping services and duplicative costs. While several existing collaborations between local agencies have been successful, this more in-depth look at local law enforcement operations lays out possible options for improving service and cutting costs.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Consolidation or Collaboration? Common Solutions to Reduce Overlapping Services in Local Government
    (Kinder Institute for Urban Research, 2017) Lightbourne, Jesseca
    Across the nation, local governments are increasingly under pressure to perform efficiently and effectively in an environment marked by limited financial resources. For this reason, the topic of overlapping services, which occurs when two or more public entities provide a similar service to citizens within the same jurisdiction,1 has become a major concern not only in Houston but also in cities across the county. With this conversation well underway across the various municipalities within Harris County, this report is the first of several highlighting the various consolidation and collaboration options. The focus of this report is on the common forms of collaboration and consolidation currently in use across the country, which will be followed in the future by more detailed publications on specific service areas.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Funding Primer: Harvey Relief and Recovery
    (Kinder Institute for Urban Research, 2017) Villegas, Carlos; Wowk, Kateryna (Katya); Shelton, Kyle; Lightbourne, Jesseca; Patterson, Grant
    This primer is intended to inform decision makers and the public about the complicated process of financing disaster response. This work shows how federal, state and local funding have provided and will provide relief to the areas and people affected by Hurricane Harvey. The vulnerable populations section discusses some of the challenges certain populations face in trying to access relief and recovery resources. This primer does not address some of the longstanding challenges in using disaster relief funding wisely, which requires the close coordination of each unit of government. These challenges – time constraints for spending recovery dollars, difficulties in gaining support to mitigate impacts of future disasters, understanding multiple layers of regulations, and the tension between balancing long-term hazard mitigation investments with short-term economic development goals – will be addressed in subsequent work.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund Needs Assessment: Phase One
    (Kinder Institute for Urban Research, 2017) Wu, Jie; Zhang, Mingming; Villegas, Carlos; Patterson, Grant; Shelton, Kyle; Love, Samantha; Lightbourne, Jesseca; Wowk, Kateryna (Katya)
    This document represents the first phase of the Kinder Institute for Urban Research’s needs assessment work on behalf of the Greater Houston Community Foundation and the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund. This fund was jointly created by Harris County Judge Ed Emmett and Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner to accept private donations to aid in hurricane relief and recovery. The report includes an analysis of 211, 311, and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Individual Assistance (IA) data. These three datasets begin the process of identifying key needs post-Harvey and areas that were hardest hit. This analysis is the first step in what will be a much deeper damage assessment intended for phase two.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Rethinking Disaster Recovery and Mitigation Funding in the Wake of Hurricane Harvey
    (Kinder Institute for Urban Research, 2018) Villegas, Carlos; Wowk, Kateryna (Katya); Shelton, Kyle; Lightbourne, Jesseca
    This research brief provides context about how the recovery process is unfolding in the Hurricane Harvey-affected region and how the area can prevent a similar situation from happening again. It examines how localities, states and the nation approach funding comprehensive disaster preparation, recovery and overall resilience. This report is a follow-up to a previous research brief on the complexities of disaster recovery funding. This report addresses three major areas. First, it examines challenges in Texas in securing effective hazard mitigation planning and resilience building to flood events. Second, it highlights the issues caused by a focus on short-term recovery funding and the shortfalls of one of the major long-term mitigation programs, the National Flood Insurance Program. Third, it addresses the gaps and negative incentives created by the current funding system and offers steps to improve accountability and encourage more proactive mitigation efforts. The Harvey-affected region is in the midst of an ongoing national conversation about how to shape future efforts at resilience and disaster preparation. The recommendations of this research brief offer suggestions about how we all might move the system forward.