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By Karen Norris, Executive Director, Texas Association of Counties |
Each fall, the executive directors from state
county associations around the country gather
to compare notes on the challenges facing
their members. It’s a good place to get a heads-up
on trends that may make their way to Texas in the
future. When we met in Georgia this fall, the big issues
seemed to be property tax reform (no surprise to
Texans); initiatives to reduce costs through restructuring
and consolidation of local governments; and
corrections reforms in response to growing prison
populations. There was particular interest in the current
property tax initiatives in Florida. Last summer,
their Legislature met in a quick, three-day special
session and slam-dunked strict revenue caps on local
governments. And come January, voters there will
consider one or more appraisal cap propositions (at
press time, it was still unsettled just what would be finally
on the ballot). It appears Florida lawmakers are
much less inclined to listen to their county and city
officials on fiscal restraints, compared to our Texas
legislators. That brings up another topic county executives
were discussing at the Georgia meeting.
Restoring the partnership
We learned of a new “Restoring the Partnership” initiative from the National Association of Counties. You’ll be hearing more in the future, but in simple terms, it is an effort to remind our federal and state lawmakers that in order to make government serve our citizens efficiently and effectively, we have to remember we’re all on the same team and represent the same taxpayers. This back-to-basics effort is intended to gain the attention of our state and national representatives through personal outreach in their home districts, including activities during the election cycle. The focus is to first build a relationship and provide basic education before trying to solve problems. How long has it been since you invited your local state representative or senator to your courthouse to learn about your county? Moving beyond the 2007 NACo election … In other NACo news, a recent copy of NACo’s County News included the final report on the 2007 election for the office of NACo 2nd Vice President, including the executive summary from outside counsel confirming voting irregularities that effectively denied the majority vote that Tarrant County Judge Whitley should have received at the July conference in Richmond, Virginia (a full account of the election was in your September-October issue of TAC’s County magazine). The NACo publication also presented a heartwarming message from Judge Whitley: “For the long term good of the association, we must move forward on the issues facing America’s counties. We all want to act in the best interest of NACo and get this (election dispute) behind us. The best way to do that is to agree on measures to ensure that NACo has an open, accurate and representative election process.” We in Texas should follow his leadership and commitment to our national association.
TAC’s authority confirmed
There’s an article on page 8 of this issue of County about a judge’s ruling on the lawsuit brought last year against TAC and Williamson County by staff members for the Texas branch for Americans for Prosperity. Essentially, TAC was targeted by employees of this group because of the success of county officials in opposing legislative attempts to establish further revenue and appraisal caps on local governments. The order issued by District Judge Ken Anderson places restrictions on use of dues TAC might collect from our member counties, while clarifying the right of our members to communicate freely with their elected representatives. Importantly, the opinion also makes clear we have authority to pursue our important mission to communicate with you to keep you informed about legislative activities, as well as communicate to legislators.
Thanks Marc Hamlin
In early December, TAC will experience a change in leadership as Brazos County District Clerk Marc Hamlin ends his term as TAC President and Tarrant County Commissioner J.D. Johnson takes office. Marc has displayed unprecedented energy and enthusiasm as our leader over the last two years, which have included a good share of challenges. The TAC staff is deeply grateful for his leadership, and I want to personally thank him for his support. In September, I was fortunate to spend a morning with Marc and J.D. in Commissioner Johnson’s Tarrant County office as they made preparations for this transition. All county officials should feel confident with these two fine leaders working on your behalf.
By Karen Ann Norris, Executive Director, Texas Association of Counties