The county is the ring most residents of a city never think about, right up until they protest their appraisal or get a jury summons. Deer Park sits in Harris County.
A county in Texas is an arm of the state as much as a local government. It runs the courts and the jail, keeps the public records where deeds and liens are filed, holds elections, and maintains roads outside city limits.
Two county-level functions reach a city resident directly. The appraisal district determines what your property is worth for tax purposes — the number every other taxing body multiplies by its own rate. And the county clerk's public records are where the documents that govern your property are filed; a document that is not filed there generally has no effect.
The Council on Local Relations does one thing: it establishes the record and keeps it honest. We do not organize, campaign, or tell you what to do about any of it — the moment we did, every fact above would be worth less.
Want to do something about it? That is Think and Act Locally — a separate organization, where residents meet about what the record shows.