Historic Highlands Chamber luncheon brings two county commissioners to one table
David Taylor Managing Editor
The Greater Highlands Chamber of Commerce made history at its September luncheon, hosting Harris County Commissioners Adrian Garcia and Tom Ramsey together for the first time in the organization’s history.
During an extended question-and-answer session, the Precinct 2 and Precinct 3 commissioners discussed transportation, homelessness, water and drainage infrastructure, environmental cleanup and their priorities for Highlands.
Ramsey said Main Street generally divides the two precincts in the community, with Precinct 3 extending north and Garcia’s Precinct 2 covering areas to the south and west. But both emphasized that government services— and especially emergency response—do not stop at precinct lines.
“When we have some kind of weather event coming our way or that’s been here and gone, that’s when we don’t care where Main Street is at,” Garcia said. “We don’t care where the lines are at. We’re both in it to help each other out to help you.”
Ramsey agreed, saying the precinct offices regularly support one another on road maintenance, drainage and other infrastructure work.
“Our offices work well together,” Ramsey said. “When you’re maintaining roads or you’re cleaning out ditches or whatever, you’ve got precincts working, backing each other up a lot.”
Transportation emerged as one of the luncheon’s central topics. Both commissioners described TxDOT as an essential partner but voiced frustration with the time required to advance major projects.
Garcia singled out State Highway 225 as a regional economic priority because of its role in moving freight from the Port of Houston.
“225 is a mess,” Garcia said. “The food you eat, the cookies, the water, the Topo Chico—everything is generally coming through the Port of Houston. And if we can’t get that freight out to the stores so that you can buy it fast enough, the price goes up.”
Ramsey criticized the provements. “
I think it’s outrageous that it’s not going to be fixed until 2032,” he said, adding that county tollroad resources may offer a faster way to improve freight movement between port terminals and the Beltway.
The commissioners also addressed homelessness and its effect on businesses and neighborhoods. Ramsey credited the Harris County Sheriff’s Office with balancing enforcement and assistance, saying officers try to connect people with services while also making clear that they cannot camp on property they do not own.
Garcia described the county’s Employ to Empower initiative, which recruits people from encampments for paid work such as power-washing facilities, cutting weeds and collecting trash while connecting them with mental-health services and permanent supportive housing.
“We take them where they’re at,” Garcia said. “We put them to work … but then we also use that time that they stay engaged with us to get them plugged into mental health services.”
On water and infrastructure, Ramsey warned that continued reliance on groundwater can cause subsidence as development expands in unincorporated Harris County. He said municipal utility districts must plan for long-term maintenance and surfacewater needs.
“Water can be your friend or it can be your enemy,” Ramsey said. “You’ve got to be putting money back for maintenance. Don’t wait till it all blows up.”
Garcia said flood mitigation must remain a shared priority because runoff from several counties passes through Precincts 2 and 3.
“Water doesn’t care whose precinct you’re in,” he said. “It’s important for us to work together to ensure that our projects are coordinated.”
Asked what major goal they wanted to accomplish for Highlands, Ramsey pointed to the San Jacinto River Waste Pits. He said construction of a cofferdam and excavation work is expected to begin in the second quarter of 2027.
“I’m going to see the waste pit on the San Jacinto River get cleaned up,” Ramsey said.
He also highlighted completed work on Main Street, planned 2027 street improvements and an effort to expand lighting in Highlands.
Garcia pledged continued support for the wastepit cleanup and identified restoring acute-care capacity in East Harris County as a major objective following the loss of a local hospital after Hurricane Harvey. He also supported expanding community lighting and said Highlands residents should guide the area’s future.
“You have that smalltown feel,” Garcia said. “Whatever the vision of Highlands is, is the direction that Commissioner Garcia is going to be.”
The historic joint appearance presented a recurring message: Although Highlands is divided politically between two precincts, its roads, waterways, public-safety needs and future remain shared responsibilities.
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