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County engineer urges investing in GIS to manage rapid growth and road needs
Summary
Waller County's county engineer urged the court to preserve and expand GIS staffing in Road & Bridge, saying the system was nationally recognized and can help predict mobility and maintenance needs if given resources.
Ross, Waller County's County Engineer, urged commissioners to preserve the Road & Bridge GIS program, saying it is already providing valuable data and recently received national recognition. "GIS is very, instrumental ... it's collecting the data of our roads," Ross said, arguing that data-driven analysis will help the county manage rapid growth.
Ross told the court that Road & Bridge initially built GIS functions three years ago and that expanding GIS responsibilities without added staff would undercut the program's core mission of road maintenance. He said the team is doing more work than it can handle and that the department may need to return with detailed staffing scenarios: "we may need 2, 3, 15 people," Ross said, noting that contracting and liaisons with other departments are options to meet demand.
Commissioners discussed practical applications, including using GIS to project where development will create traffic or maintenance needs and to support thoroughfare and mobility planning. The court asked staff to explore whether some tasks could be contracted out or supported by liaisons in other departments, while ensuring core Road & Bridge GIS functions remain resourced.
Ross said he will bring back a more detailed proposal to the budget committee showing staffing options, costs and possible contracting alternatives.
