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Interim HR chief outlines modernization push, warns investigations team is overstretched
Summary
Sakita Douglas told Commissioners Court HRM seeks small, dedicated teams and technology investments to standardize hiring and case investigations across Harris County, saying only three investigators currently handle an "enormous workload." She flagged an ATS RFP and potential tech costs beyond current budget.
Sakita Douglas, interim chief people officer for Harris County, told commissioners on the third day of budget hearings that her department is pursuing a transformation to standardize human-resources systems and processes across the county.
Douglas said HRM supports roughly 19,000 county employees serving 4,500,000 residents and listed recent wins including a bilingual pay program, support for sheriff's office recruiting and processing nearly 22,000 PeopleSoft transactions this fiscal year. She said HRM established a customer-service unit covering about 44,000 covered lives and added four on-site mental-health clinics.
Douglas defended requests for five new HR positions as part of a plan to create a small team to implement a countywide applicant-tracking system and other core infrastructure. She said the county will issue an RFP for a replacement to NEOGOV and that technology and licensing costs are the likely additional budget pressures beyond personnel.
Asked about grievances and investigations, Douglas said the department currently has only three staff handling employee investigations and that case volumes are at record highs. She said much of the work escalates to HR because department-level mitigation is inconsistent and that adding functional teams would improve response time and reduce legal and financial risk.
Douglas said one previously requested analyst position was transferred to the Office of Management and Budget and that HR has leaned on vendors (including a staffing vendor) in some areas; she said HR will return to court if vendor services prove insufficient.
The department outlined expected near-term costs tied to technology: an ATS implementation after RFP selection and potential additional HCM roadmap investments. Douglas asked commissioners for flexibility to return with more precise estimates once vendor selection and a more detailed roadmap are complete.
The hearing moved next to the tax assessor-collector's office; commissioners indicated they would follow up on HR's staffing and technology timeline before finalizing related budget decisions.
