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« Legislative News TAC Annual Conference Recap: TAC Honors Legislators, Members
By Elna Christopher
TAC Communications Staff
Three Texas legislators, a long-time Harris County constable and cities and counties with cooperative projects were honored by the Texas Association of Counties (TAC) at its annual conference Aug. 24-26 in Austin.
Leaders of many of Texas’ 254 counties gathered at the conference to hear state legislators and local government experts discuss important issues affecting counties and their taxpayers, with TAC President J.D. Johnson, Tarrant County commissioner, presiding over the opening session.
Rep. René O. Oliveira of Brownsville, chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, was honored as Legislator of the Year by TAC for his strong leadership skills and his willingness to communicate. Sen. Royce West of Dallas, chairman of Senate Intergovernmental Relations, and Rep. Garnet Coleman of Houston, chairman of House County Affairs, were honored as Champions of County Government for their work during the 81st Session on county-related issues.
Bill Bailey, a long-time Harris County constable, was honored with the Sam Seale Trailblazer Award.
“Constable Bailey has a bedrock belief in the value of Texas county government and has spent his 27-year career telling the county story to anyone he could find, whether it be a local civic club or a state or a national or even international leader,” said Karen Ann Norris, TAC executive director. The award is named in honor of the late Sam Seale, longtime TAC executive director.
TAC and the Texas Municipal League also presented two City-County Cooperation awards to Dallas County and the City of Irving – for their successful Irving Health Center – and to Wise County and the cities of Bridgeport and Decatur – for joining forces to bring a branch campus of Weatherford College to Wise County located between the two cities.
Celebrating its 40th anniversary, TAC held its annual conference with the theme of “Serving Texans: a focus on customer service in Texas counties.”
About 600 elected and appointed officials from many of Texas’ counties attended the conference, which included workshops on customer service, property tax reform, energy efficiency, transportation, homeland security, adult and juvenile justice, and unfunded mandates, among other issues. Many participants also earned hours of required continuing education at the conference.
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