Toll authority cites $485M budget request, calls out $10M Oracle upgrade and barrier‑free plan

Director Thirien presented the Harris County Toll Road Authority’s FY2027 request of $485,170,474 and walked Commissioners Court through major drivers of the increase. He said roughly 90% of year‑over‑year increases represent the cost of doing business—contractual CPI adjustments, volume increases that raise postage and card‑processing fees, and pay‑equity impacts tied to Hector’s workforce.

Thirien highlighted a single large line item tied to the back office: an Oracle platform/cloud update he described as a roughly $10,000,000 hit to the enterprise tolling infrastructure budget. “So that dollar value you’re talking about has 2 problems... a big $10,000,000 increase is Oracle saying we have to update the cloud that we’re on,” he said, adding that volume increases from new TxDOT toll services raised transaction volumes and related third‑party processing costs.

He also summarized HCTRA’s barrier‑free program and gantry removals, saying the authority will phase physical plaza removals while simultaneously procuring new modernized equipment so removal and equipment replacement align. The director flagged a $5,000,000 enhancement for third‑party collectors under refinement with OMB and audit because those collectors will be paid a share of recovered revenue.

Precincts queried maintenance priorities (Washburn Tunnel condition assessments), conversion to easy‑tag accounts to lower per‑transaction costs, and cost‑control steps to avoid toll increases. Thirien said converting mailed‑invoice customers to easy tags and modernizing equipment are among the top priorities to reduce the cost per transaction.

No votes were taken; the court will review the HCTRA request during budget deliberations.