@Boonie :
Article states that the "one manager supervises four people"scenario is in Public Health Services. No mention of this existing in other departments. From the internet, the county has 87 distinct departments, and 60 departments are headed by elected officials.
Also from the internet
"Under Texas law, independently elected officials in Harris County have the sole authority to hire, fire, and supervise employees within their respective departments. While the Harris County Commissioners Court approves the budget and sets the maximum number of staff and compensation, they cannot interfere with an elected official's personnel decisions."
Also from the internet
Texas county elected offices are primarily created by the Texas Constitution, which mandates the structure and specific offices for all 254 counties to ensure a system of decentralized checks and balances. Additional administrative and elections offices can be created through state statutes enacted by the Texas Legislature.
Beyond the constitution, the Texas Legislature regularly passes laws under the Texas Local Government Code that allow county governments to create additional offices, boards, and departments. For example, a county commissioners court is authorized to create the office of a County Elections Administrator to assume the voter registration and election-conducting duties traditionally split between the county clerk and the tax assessor-collector. Similarly, the legislature dictates how counties can create specialized courts (such as statutory county courts at law) to assist with judicial workloads.
This is a complex issue and can't be solved by one remedy.
It's critical for our financial health and future to respect budgetary limits and I don't believe a tax increase should be enacted. The decision to reduce funding and employees isn't straightforward, realizing that these actions will also reduce services to residents.