Harris County Commissioners approved a hefty reimbursement of nearly $900,000 for County Judge Lina Hidalgo and her staff to cover legal expenses tied to the 2022 bid-rigging investigation, despite no charges ever being filed against Hidalgo herself.
In 2022, felony indictments were filed against Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo’s chief of staff and two other staffers in connection with an $11 million COVID-19 contract and bid-rigging investigation.
In 2024, the office of District Attorney Kim Ogg involved Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office to ensure the cases weren’t dropped under her successor. When Sean Teare took over as District Attorney in January 2025, he recused himself from the case, as he had promised during his campaign.
Later that month, Paxton dropped two charges against the staffers and reduced the charges against Hidalgo’s chief of staff in exchange for a pre-trial intervention agreement in February.
On Thursday, Harris County commissioners approved a reimbursement for Hidalgo and her former staffers to cover legal fees related to the investigation and lawsuits. In a 3-1 vote, with Hidalgo absent, commissioners approved a total of $873,298 to be paid to Hidalgo and her staff. Hidalgo herself was awarded approximately $672,000, even though she was never charged in the case.
Tom Ramsey, the lone Republican on the commissioners court and a former employer of Ogg was the sole vote against the reimbursement.
The decision stems from a policy approved by the commissioners court in 2022, which allows for the reimbursement of employees who require legal representation for criminal investigations related to specific matters within the scope of their employment. The policy requires copies of legal bills, relevant documentation, and approval from the commissioners.
This same policy was invoked earlier this year when commissioners voted to pay nearly $500,000 to cover legal expenses for former elections administrator Cliff Tatum, who was investigated for his involvement in the 2022 midterm elections.
As of Thursday’s vote, Harris County has now approved a total of $1.2 million in legal reimbursements for those involved in the alleged bid-rigging case. Additionally, more than $175,000 has been approved for a lawyer contracted by Ogg during her involvement in the case. In total, this case has cost Harris County taxpayers approximately $1.375 million, not including the costs associated with the prosecution and investigation.
