Registration & Information Desk Open

Location:  Pre-function Area outside Ballroom I&II

Welcome Reception/Vendor Appreciation Night

Location:  Exhibit Hall - Ballroom I-VII

Sponsored by:

Bickerstaff, Heath, Pollan & Carrom, LLP

Bryan & Bryan Asphalt Road Oil, Ltd

Global Tel*Link

Mustang Cat

Burns & Gill Architects

Breakfast with Vendors

Location:  Exhibit Hall - Ballroom I-VII

Sponsored by:

Perdue, Brandon, Fielder, Collins, & Mott, LLP

Registration & Information Desk Open

Location:  Pre-function Area outside Ballroom I&II

Exhibit Hall Open

Location:  Exhibit Hall, Ballrooms I-VII

Opening General Session

Locatioin:  Oakwood Room

Call to Order & Announcements

Presiding:  Honorable Charlie Simmons, President North & East Texas County Judges & Commissioners Association and Nacogdoches County Commissioner, Nacogdoches

Welcome & Greetings

Keynote Speaker

Mr. James Olson, Bush School of Public Service, College Station

Location:  Oakwood Room

Overview:  Reliable and timely intelligence plays a critical role in the national security of our country.  In his presentation, Mr. Olson will reflect on his career in the Central Intelligence Agency and the challenges faced by the intelligence community in providing the information needed by decision makers to make national security decisions.

Break

Location:  Exhibit Hall - Ballroom I-VII

Sponsored by: 

Texas Cooperative Extension Agents' Professional Associations

3.013 Working with the Legislature

Location:  Oakwood Room

Overview:

Various Legislators have been invited to share their insights into actions taken by the 80th Legislature.

Speaker(s):  Legislative Panel

Legislative Update

Location:  Oakwood Room

Overview:  In this session, the General Counsel of the County Judges and Commissioners Association of Texas will provide an overview which he recently completed in the 80th Legislative Session.

Speaker:  Mr. Jim Allison, General Counsel, County Judges & Commissioners Association of Texas, Austin

Past President's Luncheon (by invitation only)

Location:  Christopher's World Grille

Sponsored by:

Allison, Bass & Associates

COMMISSIONERS EDUCATION SESSION

Location:  Oakwood Room

Presiding:  Honorable Charlie Simmons, President of the NOrth & East Texas Judges & Commissioners Association, and Nacogdoches County Commissioner, Nacogdoches

3.011 Councils of Government

Location:  Oakwood Room

Regional councils serve to meet the problems and planning needs that cross the boundaries of individual local governments.  In this session, an overview will be provided of how these associations work to meet the needs of local governments.

Speaker:  Mr. Walter Diggles, Administrator, Deep East Texas Council of Governments, Jasper

Break

Location:  Exhibit Hall - Ballroom I-VII

Sponsored by:

Precinct Tracker Road & Bridge

Bancorp South

AuctioneerExpress.com

Work Zone Safety

Location:  Oakwood Room

Overview:  Protecting the safety of county workers in work zones is an important and ongoing challenge.  Using real life examples, this session will provide proven strategies for protecting employees and the public in county work zones.

Speaker:  Mr. Lee Ramirez, Associate Training Specialist, Texas Engineering Extension Service (TEEX), College Station

Bridge Maintenance

Location:  Oakwood Room

Overview:  Routine maintenance of bridges helps to ensure public safety and saves costs by prolonging the life of the structure.  This session will demonstrate practices counties can utilize to properly maintain bridges.

Speakers:  Mr. Howard McCann, Program Manager, Texas Engineering Extension Service (TEEX), College Station

                Mr. Ralph Banks, Adjunct Instructor, Texas Engineering Extension Service (TEEX), College Station

JUDICIAL EDUCATION SESSION

Location:  Brazos Amphitheater

Presiding:  Honorable Roger Harmon, County Judge, Johnson County, Cleburne

DWI Courts

Location:  Brazos Amphitheater

Overview:

Speaker:  Mr. Gene Terry, Education Staff Attorney & Director of the DWI Court Project, Texas Association of Counties (TAC), Austin

The Paid Professional Guardianship

Location:  Brazos Amphitheater

Overview:

Speaker:  Honorable George Newman, County Judge, Taylor County, Abilene

Break

Location:  Brazos Amphitheater

Sponsored by:

Bancorp South

Questions & Answers

Location:  Brazos Amphitheater

Host Court Night

Location:  Brazos Center, Bryan

Sponsored and Coordinated by:

Brazos County

McCreary Veselka Bragg & Allen

Bryan Collete Station Convention & Visitors Bureau

Breakfast

Location:  Exhibit Hall - Ballroom I-VII

Presiding:  Honorable Charlie Simmons, President of the North & East Texas Judges & Commissioners Association, and Nacogdoches County Commissioner, Nacogdoches

Sponsored by:

Southwest Securities

Registration & Information Desk Open

Location:  Pre-function Area outside Ballroom I&II

Exhibit Hall Open

Location:  Exhibit Hall - Ballroom I-VII

Spouse Activity and Luncheon

Location:  Messina Hof Winery, College Station (9:30-1:30)

Transportation & Lunch provided

Location:  Post Oak Mall (1:30-4:00)

Transportation provided

Sponsored by:

Goodwin & Lassiter

General Session

Location:  Oakwood Room

Presiding:  Honorable Jon Burrows, County Judge, Bell County, Belton

4.008 County Tax Rate

Location:  Oakwood Room

Overview:  This session will present the steps involved in adopting a tax rate, explain rate calculations for the effective tax rate and the rollback tax rate, and summarize, the regulations regarding proposed tax increases.

Speaker:  Mr. Rick Thompson, Legislative Liaison, Texas Association of Counties, Austin

Break

Location:  Exhibit Hall - Ballroom I-VII

Sponsored by:

Triple Blade & Steel

4.005 Purchasing Applications

Location:  Oakwood Room

Overview:  Chapter 262 of the Local Government Code provides counties with their purchasing and contracting authority.  This session will examine the statute and provide helpful information and approaches counties can take in their purchasing applications.

Speaker:  Ms. Katie Conner, Auditor, Brazos County

4.012 Personnel: Retirement

Location:  Oakwood Room

Overview:  Your TCDRS retirement plan is flexible enough to allow decision makers to change benefit levels.  This presentation looks at the types of annual changes your county can make.  You will also learn how the county's annual rate is determined and the way TCDRS is available to help you and your commissioner's court make sound decisions for your retirement plan.

Speaker:  Mr. Howard Miller, Communication Representative, Texas County and District Retirement System (TCDRS),. Austin

Minority Concerns Luncheon

Location:  North & South Forty Room

Sponsored by:

Linebarger, Goggan, Blair & Sampson

TOURNAMENT AFTERNOON

Golf Luncheon & Tournament

Location:  Bryan Municipal Golf Course

Sponsored by

McCreary, Veselka, Bragg & Allen, P.C.

Net Data Corp.

Noresco

Domino Luncheon & Tournament

Location:  Mockingbird A-D

Sponsored by:

CiviGenics

COMMISSIONERS COURT ADVANCED CURRICULUM SESSIONS (OPTIONAL)

Location:  Oakwood Room

Presiding:  Honorable Bobbie Mitchell, County Commissioner, Denton County, Lewisville

2.010 Justice of the Peace

Location:  Oakwood Room

Overview:  Justice of the Peace courts are the busiest county-level courts because their jurisdiction affects a broad spectrum of civil disputes and criminal offenses involving the average citizen.  This session will provide an overview of the office of Justice of the Peace.

speaker:  Honorable Connie Mayfield, Justice of the Peace, Navarro County, Corsicana

2.014 Extension Service

Location:  Oakwood Room

Overview:  All universities engage in research and teaching, but the nation's more than 100 land-grant colleges and universities, have a third critical mission--extension.  "Extension" means "reaching out," and -- along with teaching and research--land-grant institutions "extend" their resources, solving public needs with college or university resources through various programs.  This session will examine the extension program in Texas.

Speaker:  Mr. Kyle Smith, Assistant Director of County Programs, Texas Cooperative Extension, College Station

4.006 Fees & Revenues

Location:  Oakwood Room

Overview:  This session will examine the various fees and revenues collected by counties.  Emphasis will be placed on some of the more common fees and the reporting requirements that accompany these fees.

Speaker:  Ms. Julie Marks, County Financial Analyst, Texas Association of Counties, Austin

Inspirational Breakfast

Location:  Oakwood Room

Speaker:  Mr. Bobby Tucker, Program Coordinator for Student Government, Department of Student Affairs, Texas A&M University, College Station

Sponsored by:

Holt Cat

Registration & Information Desk Open

Location:  Pre-function Area outside Ballroom III-IV

Business Meeting

Location:  Ballroom IC-VII

Presiding:  Honorable Charlie Simmons, President North & East Texas Judges & Commissioners Association and Nacogdohes County Commissioner, Nacogdoches

Community Wildfire Preparedness Program

Location:  Ballroom IV-VII

OVerview:  Texas Forest Service assigns a high priority to year-round wildfire prevention and other efforts that reduce hazardous conditions and risks to citizens and property.  This session will provide an overview of the Forest Service's Community Wildfire Preparedness Program.

Speaker:  Mr. Richard Gray, State UWI Coordinator, Texas Forest Service, Bryan-College Station

Break

Location:  Pre-function Area outside Ballroom III-IV

Sponsored by:

Elections Administration

Location:  Ballroom IV-VII

Overview:  Conducting elections in Texas has become an increasingly complex and expensive matter.  This presentation will focus on current state and federal statutes governing elections.  Texas' current online voter registration system will also be examined.

Speaker:  Ms Melinda Nickless, Assistant Director of Elections, Secretary of State Office, Austin

General Session

Location:  Ballroom IV-VII

Presiding:

County Roles in Pandemic Response

Location:  Ballroom IV-VII

Oerview:  Preparing for a pandemic requires the leveraging of all instruments of national power, and coordinated action by all segments of government and society.  This session will concentrate on the roles local governments play in pandemic preparedness plans and the reponse to an outbreak within their jurisdictions.

Speaker:  Mr. Monty Waters, JD, Office of General Counsel, Texas Department of Health Services, Austin

Break

Location:  Pre-function Area outside Ballroom III-IV

Sponsored by:

Jail Over-Crowding & Juvenile Detention

Location:  Ballroom IV-VII

Overview: 

Jail Over-Crowding

Many counties are facing overcrowded conditions in their jails.  This session will examine the present situation in jail overcrowding and possible solutions to current conditions.

Juvenile Detention

Juvenile Detention is the temporary and safe custody of juveniles who are accused of conduct subject to the jurisdiction of the court who require a restricted environment for thier own as well as the community's protection while pending legal action.  This session will examine current law related to the detention of juveniles in Texas.

Speakers:  Mr. Wayne Dickey, Jail Administrator, Brazos County, Bryan

                 Mr. Doug Vance, Executive Director, Juvenile Detention Center, Brazos County, Bryan

President's Reception

Location:  Oakwood Room

Sponsored by:

Wiginton, Hooker Jeffrey Architects

Banquet & Installation of Officers

Location:  Oakwood Room

Inspirational Speaker:  Mr Randy Snow

Sponsored by:  Linebarger, Goggan, Blair and Sampson, LLP