For Letitia Plummer, access to health care is a boundary she says she would not cross in budget negotiations as Harris County judge.
But protecting services while avoiding another property tax increase would require finding savings elsewhere.
In her ENOUGH sit-down with host Stephania Jimenez, the Democratic candidate pointed to negotiating employee health insurance costs and sharing services with Houston.
“And so cutting programs, I will tell you right now, is something that I’m not willing to do. We have to keep those programs,” Plummer said.
WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW BELOW:
She argued that residents should have been told when programs relied on temporary funding. While she supported finding efficiencies, she did not commit to lowering the property tax rate in her first budget, describing a reversal as difficult.
Her appearance follows Republican candidate opponent Orlando Sanchez’s interview. Both candidates faced the same questions, including viewer submissions, with 90 seconds per answer ahead of November’s election.
RELATED | Orlando Sanchez talks property taxes, public safety, Flock cameras and flooding in ENOUGH sit-down
Plummer offered a more definite answer about the county’s Flock camera contract.
“At this moment, with the way the contract is written, I would not renew it and I would cancel it,” she said.
She wanted clearer rules on who can access the information and how long it is retained, saying she would consult law enforcement on specific limits.
For residents waiting on flood projects, Plummer’s proposals including bringing more small and midsize contractors into the work and paying them promptly. She also called for better planning around local, state, and federal funding requirements.
“We want to see shovels on the ground and residents expect projects to be finished. They don’t expect us to delay them,” she said.
Getting priorities approved would require support from other commissioners. Plummer described her approach as meeting with stakeholders, presenting data and seeking outside funding to help reach agreements.
On county contracts, she supported restricting donations during bidding and negotiations but did not make a blanket commitment to recuse herself from decisions involving past donors.
She closed with a promise to acknowledge mistakes and address their consequences.
“I would acknowledge the mistake. I would immediately figure out a way to fix it in any way I possibly could. I will apologize to my constituents and my residents,” Plummer said.
Hear more about her proposals and priorities in the full ENOUGH interview on KPRC 2.
