|
News you can use |
Certified County Investment Officer Program Celebrates its 15-Year AnniversaryOver the years, TAC’s investment officer certification has become a badge of honor for the program’s participants. Not only do they have to hard work to earn the Certified County Investment Officer (CIO) credential, they have to work hard to keep it. Historically, local governments depended heavily on banks to manage their public funds but that relationship changed following the financial institution crisis of the 80s when new regulations made public funds less attractive and counties began scrambling for other options. With the adoption of the Texas Public Funds Investment Act more than a decade ago, counties were given new options including more complex instruments requiring the expertise of a qualified investment manager. That’s when the County Treasurer’s Association of Texas approached TAC with a request. “They came to TAC asking for specialized training,” said Karen Ann Norris, TAC’s executive director. TAC sought out the help of Ron Schultz, who served as TAC’s investment consultant. He was also the investment officer for the Texas County and District Retirement System, and had years of banking and investment experience. Schultz worked with a regional group of county treasurers to develop a curriculum over a one-year period and TAC’s County Investment Officer Training program was born. A key concept of the program was that responding to the ever-changing financial environment would require training throughout a county investment officer’s career. Therefore, the concept of offering certification in the form of the CIO credential was initiated, along with a Code of Conduct and stringent continuing education requirements of as much as 30 hours a year. In creating the certification requirements, TAC followed the strict standards set forth by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies for Approval of Certification Programs “The program gives county investment officers continual access to expert information on economic trends and “best practices” for investment operations,” Norris said. “I’ve been astounded at how loyal people have been to the program. Once people get their certification, they hold on to it.” Linda Robinson is the treasurer for Jefferson County. She serves as the Chair of the CIO Certification Committee and was one of the members of the inaugural 1992 class. When she took office in Jefferson County nearly 20 years ago, the county only invested in certificates of deposit at the bank. Through the CIO program, Robinson learned new ways to invest the county’s money responsibly while earning a greater return. She credits the CIO program with exponentially increasing the county’s earnings. “I’ve been in office for almost 20 years and I’ve made over $45 million in interest earnings alone,” she said. Robinson was one of seven members of the 1992 class honored at a recognition dinner during TAC’s 2007 Texas Public Funds Investment Conference for sustaining their CIO certification for the last 15 years. Other honorees included Montgomery County Treasurer Martha Gustavsen, Bell County Treasurer Charles Jones, Harris County First Assistant Treasurer Linda Langlois, DeWitt County Treasurer Peggy Ledbetter, Brazoria County Treasurer Sharon Reynolds and Waller County Treasurer Susan Winfree.
Put Your Best Foot ForwardIt’s the time of year again when counties get to inspire each other with their creativity for solving county issues through unique programs. TAC’s Leadership Foundation will begin accepting nominations for its annual Best Practices Awards. The awards program promotes efficiency in local government by focusing attention on accomplishments and best practices in county government. Winners are highlighted through press releases to local media. Many are also featured in County magazine. Two Best Practices programs are mentioned in this edition: the Montgomery County Traffic Management System is featured on page 12 and the Denton County Sheriff’s Office’s Law Enforcement Academy is mentioned on page 38. Counties will receive awards for innovation, achievement and service in the following categories: public safety and correction, heath and human services, financial/general management, technology and community improvement. To be eligible for an award, programs should be fully operational and have been established within 36 months of the submission deadline. Programs should be replicable in other counties and show measurable results. For a more detailed explanation of guidelines and to view past Best Practices Award winners, visit the “Leadership Foundation” section of TAC’s Web site. TAC will send out nomination forms in February. Forms will also be available on www. county.org. The deadline for submissions for 2008 Best Practices awards is May 15. Counties interested in applying for a Best Practices award may also be interested in the National Association of Counties’ Achievement Awards competition. Applications for that award, which “gives national recognition to innovative county government programs which modernize and streamline county government and increase services to its citizens,” can be found via the NACo Web site, www.naco.org and are due by Feb. 15. Counties Distribute 50,000 County Awareness Brochures
The two pamphlets and a display stand to place them on were first distributed in 2002 as part of a campaign to make the public more aware of county government, its officials and its services. “Who Does What in Texas County Government?” is a multi-page guide that describes the basic functions of each county officeholder. The pamphlet should be placed alongside a sister guide, “There When You Need It: County Government,” which describes the range of services available from counties. The initial press run of 50,000 has now run out but TAC has ordered that additional copies be printed. To obtain additional copies of the pamphlets or display stands, please contact Dena Ware at 800-456-5974.
Texas State Data Center Updates Growth Estimates for Counties Texas also gained more than 500,000 residents from July 2005 to July 2006, bringing the biennial gain to more than one million. Throughout the state, the largest percentage increases in population from 2000 to 2007 were: #1 ... Rockwall: 71.9 percent
New TAC Board Officers Sworn In
In its last meeting of 2007 on Dec. 6, the Texas Association of Counties Board of Directors witnessed the passing of the TAC presidency from Brazos County District Clerk Marc Hamlin to Tarrant County Commissioner J.D. Johnson. In addition, the Board voted unanimously to elect Roberts County Judge Vernon Cook as president-elect for 2008-09. Travis County Constable Bruce Elfant was unanimously elected to serve as vice president during the coming biennium. Originally from Falls County, Commissioner Johnson has served 30 years as a Tarrant County public servant. He is currently in his sixth term as county commissioner of Precinct Four and previously served as a council member and mayor in the city of Saginaw. In addition to his role at TAC, Commissioner Johnson currently serves as president of the statewide County Judges and Commissioners Association of Texas; his term ends in September 2008. In 1993, he was the first county commissioner to be appointed to the Texas Commission on Jail Standards, where he served a six-year term including a period as vice-chair. The Board also presented tokens of appreciation to several outgoing board members, including Harris County Constable and past TAC President Bill Bailey, Hays County Tax Assessor-Collector Luanne Caraway, DeWitt County Commissioner Gilbert Pargmann and Nacogdoches County Commissioner Charles Simmons. Also exiting the Board was recently retired Randall County Tax Assessor-Collector Carol Autry, who was unable to attend the December meeting. Along with the three officers, members of the 2008 TAC Board of Directors will be Taylor County Treasurer Lesa Crosswhite, Trinity County Judge Mark Evans, Haskell County District Attorney Michael Fouts, Lee County Judge Evan Gonzales, Coryell County District Clerk Janice Gray, Johnson County Judge Roger Harmon, Brazos County Sheriff Chris Kirk, Navarro County Justice of the Peace Connie Mayfield, McLennan County Commissioner Ray Meadows, Brazos County Clerk Karen McQueen, Tarrant County Tax Assessor-Collector Betsy Price, Taylor County Commissioner Chuck Statler, Bexar County Auditor Tommy Tompkins, and ex-officio members Brazos County District Clerk and immediate past president Marc Hamlin and Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley. Hamlin and Whitley are the Texas representatives to the National Association of Counties (NACo). An additional TAC board member to replace Elfant as he moves into his position as vice president was to be named in January.
HEBP Health Risk Assessment Gives Glimpse at Member WellnessA Health Risk Assessment conducted by TAC during a Professional Partners in Pooling workshop earlier this year shed light on ways members can work to improve their health and well-being, as well as on the healthy habits members have already taken to heart. The HRA included information on 62 participants. Wellness scores of lower than 80 indicated “an elevated likelihood that individuals will develop certain medical conditions,” states the report. The good news:
The overall wellness score for cancer was 60, according to the HRA, with 6.5 percent of the respondents already having been directly affected by cancer. That score took into account members’ uncontrollable factors such as family history, age, race and sex, as well as the controllable factors of weight, nutrition and tobacco use. Members’ responses regarding tobacco use were largely ideal, but improvements could be made through nutritional or weight changes. Surveyed members had a blood pressure wellness score of 56. About 70 percent were borderline or high-risk for developing blood pressurerelated illnesses such as heart attacks, strokes, heart failure or kidney pressure. Fortunately, blood pressure is affected by controllable lifestyle factors, such as a person’s diet, alcohol use, exercise and tobacco use. In the area of physical activity, in which the surveyed members received a wellness score of 55, 42 percent of participants said they exercise one day a week or less. Only three participants said they exercised almost daily. Out of 54 responses, 40 had “fair” or “tops” body mass index and only one had a significant weight problem, though 13 received “poor” marks. But the assessment also included questions relating to members’ willingness to improve their physical activity levels; nobody responded that they had no desire to change their behavior. Thirty percent had already made positive steps toward increasing their physical activity and were maintaining that activity while 44 percent said they were making plans to change their physical activity behaviors. Nutrition is another area that could be improved. Surveyed members received a wellness score of 51, with more than half of the participants receiving “poor” marks. The report suggests members should eat more fruits and vegetables. Members scored slightly better in the area of mental wellness, which focused on stress and depression and had an overall wellness score of 70. Stress was the biggest complicating factor; nearly 1/4 of respondents are at “high risk” for developing stress-related complications and 1/3 more are “borderline.” Approximately 22 percent of the surveyed members were found to be borderline or at a high risk of suffering from depression. Inmate Lawsuits Topic of TAC Regional Workshops Can inmates sue a sheriff or the county if they have to sleep on TAC’s 2008 Law Enforcement Regional Workshops will focus on This workshop is required for intermediate certification by the The 2008 workshops will be held at the following locations:
For more information, contact the TAC Education Department at |
Over the last five years, county officials have distributed some 50,000
sets of TAC brochures that explain county government to Texans.
Texas gained more residents than any other state from July 2006 to July 2007, according to new estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. Overall, the state gained almost 500,000 new residents during that time, due mostly to housing
foreclosures in traditionally popular states, such as Florida and California.
Hamlin served an eventful two-year term as TAC president. Major
developments included the death of the Association’s longtime executive director, Sam D. Seale. The subsequent search for a successor
resulted in the promotion of Seale’s Assistant Executive Director, Karen Ann Norris, to the top staff position. In addition, the Board ratified the merger of three of TAC’s self-insurance pools into the new TAC Risk Management Pool.