County Best Practices: Encouraging Innovation in Texas Local Government

Twenty -fo ur programs were selected to receive high honors for innovation, achievement and delivery of service in the 2008 County Best Practice Awards. Sponsored by the Texas Association of Counties Leadership Foundation, the County Best Practice Awards Program recognizes county initiatives that serve as a model to others. Due to a large boost in the number of nominations (53 total), awards given in 2008 more than doubled those presented in the previous year.

“It’s one of the most exciting things that the Foundation does for county government,” said TAC Leadership Foundation Chairwoman Carol Autry. “People are coming up with such creative solutions. Counties have so few streams of revenue and every good idea that can be shared is terribly important.”

Nomination packets and email notifications were sent to county judges, managers and supervisors. “People doing the work know the value of their programs so we wanted to reach a wider audience, (those) who are coming up with creative solutions in county government,” she said.

This approach, coupled with a new streamlined online tutorial for submitting nominations, yielded a higher quality and diversity in nominations received. Autry credits TAC employee Kali O’Neill for going the extra mile in developing the tutorial and communicating with county officials about the awards program.

Several emerging trends can be seen in this year’s winning Best Practices programs.

First, after years of struggling with health care costs, counties are coming up with innovative approaches to keep costs down while improving services. Seven award winners offer various ideas for approaching health care – from wellness programs to consolidating health care services to better collaboration with local health care providers and businesses.

Another important trend is that officials are finding innovative ways to reshape urban programs to fit the needs of rural counties. Rural counties received recognition for outstanding achievements in areas such as corrections programs, general management and community improvement.

“I really commend rural counties for the initiatives they are doing, many times on shoestring budgets and with far fewer staff,” said Autry. “Even though the scope of services are different between urban and rural counties, both can learn from each other.” One of the most important goals of the awards program lies on the belief that county leaders do not have resources to waste on reinventing the wheel. Thanks to Burnet County, local governments with an area HEB now have access to a program that significantly lowers prescription drug costs. Counties can also take advantage of the foundation laid by the Tarrant County Tax Assessor-Collector’s Office in finding, developing and testing a process for automated check processing.

To highlight the winning programs, TAC presented brief videos of each program at its August annual conference in Austin. The videos, which ran 30-60 seconds each, will also be shown at the State Capitol next spring during County Government Week. Throughout this year and next, County magazine will run in-depth features on selected best practice programs. The TAC Web site, www. county.org, also offers a database where officials can search previous award-winning programs by date, county, class and keywords. The TAC Leadership Foundation honors the following counties and programs for their exceptional delivery of services, outstanding achievements and superior innovations:

HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

SUPERIOR INNOVATION

Burnet County Rxtra Advantage Community Choice
Contact: Carole Ellis, Indigent Health Care coordinator 512-756-5404 ihc@burnetcountytexas.org

The Indigent Health Care Program (IHC) is a state-mandated and county-funded program that provides medical and prescription services to the poorest of the poor, those county residents who are at 21 percent or lower of the poverty income level. All counties have been challenged to minimize costs to taxpayers at a time when the cost of medical and prescription services are rapidly rising.

Newly elected County Judge Donna Klaeger saw an opportunity when their community HEB stores were rolling out their prescription drug program, which provides 500 different generic prescription drugs for $5 each. Klaeger also realized that the program could help the county with its prescription drugs costs for inmates.

There were several initial challenges that could have prevented the county from working with HEB. Burnet officials worked to find solutions. For instance, there are regulations that the county’s Indigent Health Care program must follow regarding the processing of applications, claims, record keeping and eligibility requirements. Many meetings took place between the county and HEB staff to figure out how to gather all state requirements into the HEB software system.

The new plan — the first of its kind in the state — was announced through press releases, client notices and client membership cards. The results have exceeded expectations. The county saw a 48 percent savings in drug costs in its first six months in operation. Now, the county receives one consolidated billing each month that itemizes into three distinct accounts: indigent health care, inmate collectible and indigent inmates. All information on the billings cuts time on data entry for payments.

The program with HEB also gives the ability to override restricted drugs in specific cases, the ability to print client ID cards at the county IHD office and convenient locations in the HEB stores. Although Burnet County was the first to test and use the system, it won’t be the last. HEB is now offering the cost-saving program to all counties in its market. Already, three other counties are taking advantage of the great savings and benefits the program offers.

EXCEPTIONAL DELIVERY OF SERVICES

Collin County Health and Wellness Program
Contact: Carole Cynthia Jacobson, Human Services director, 972-548-4186

Collin County offers employees medical and dental benefits through a self-insured program. In analysis, Collin County was spending around 17 percent more per employee than comparable cities and counties in the state. And, it was spending almost 40 percent over the budgeted amount for health care.

Faced with this information, the county implemented an employee wellness program in an effort to stem costs without reducing benefits. The goal of the program was to proactively address health issues through early identification of medical conditions, disease management practices and education on healthy lifestyles. The Commissioners Court gave it their strong support.

The county offers free wellness screenings to county employees at the health care clinic. The process had a terrific turnout and several employees identified critical health issues through the screening alone.

Next, the county HR department developed a quarterly newsletter “The Practical Guide to Employee Benefit Resources and Knowledge,” featuring articles on ways to use insurance benefits more efficiently, the benefits of generic drugs and mail order prescriptions, and the use of urgent care facilities rather than hospital emergency rooms.

The county reviewed major claims and offered education on critical health issues, including a six-week course on diabetes management. A local licensed dietician also taught nutrition

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT

Chambers County Maximizing Health Care Services
Contact: Mary Beth Bess, nurse practitioner 409-267-3160 mbess@co.chambers.tx.us

Rapidly rising health care costs are creating enormous challenges for rural counties. With Chambers County being self-insured, the rising costs of health care premiums and deductibles were hitting the county and employees where it hurts most: in the pocketbook.

County Judge Jimmy Silvia decided to take a hard look at its healthcare. The county began examining the feasibility of opening a health and wellness clinic to offer medical services to county employees, jail inmates and the county’s indigent population. The county believed expanding medical services beyond county employees to the other populations would streamline services, allow for greater oversight, and help increase cost efficiency and savings.

The Chambers County Commissioners Court approved the new clinic, purchased the new clinic’s building and hired Nurse Practitioner Mary Beth Bess to guide the effort. Two other employees were also hired.

An extensive marketing campaign focused on employee healthcare needs and the savings using the new clinic would have for both the county and the employee. Out of 540 eligible employees, retirees, dependents and indigent patients, more than 400 have utilized the clinic.

From October 2007 to April 2008, qualifying employees, their families and indigent patients made more than 700 office visits to the new clinic. The average turn-around time for a patient to be seen at the clinic is about 30 minutes.

During the same period, more that 400 routine and sick visits were performed at the jail, resulting in an initial cost reduction of $1,500 per month by eliminating outside contracted health services. The overall cost savings to the jail has been $17,500 since July 2007. There has also been a cost savings of more than $5,500 to Indigent Health Care in routine office visits.

Employees save a $20 co-pay each time they utilize the clinic and are not charged co-insurance amounts for services, including EKGs, cholesterol screens, diabetes screening, urinalysis, injections, immunizations and other in-house lab work. Employees are not required to use sick leave for routine office visits.

Through the Health and Wellness Clinic, the county has also hosted an employee health fair and a new program focusing on healthy lifestyles, weight loss and exercise. In January, the county began requiring its employees to have yearly physical examinations in order to keep employees proactive and healthy, and already several employees are have benefited from that decision

EXCEPTIONAL DELIVERY OF SERVICES

Travis County Employee Wellness and Health Clinic
Contact: Alicia Perez, executive manager 512-854-9343 Alicia.perez@co.travis.tx.us

The ever-increasing cost of health care to Travis County employees and taxpayers led the county to re-evaluate the management of its health insurance plan, which had become self-funded. Research revealed that the biggest cost-drivers to the Travis County health insurance plan were musculoskeletal problems, hypertension, cancer, asthma and diabetes.

Research also revealed other information. For example, Travis County discovered that 4.3 percent of its covered health plan members have diabetes. Treatment of chronic renal failure caused by a diabetes complication can cost upwards of $240,000, a staggering cost considering that diabetes complications can be prevented. It was clear that wellness and disease prevention, if aggressively pursued, could make a difference in containing health care costs, so Travis County Commissioners Court supported the establishment of a comprehensive wellness clinic. The clinic provides the county a focal point to educate, counsel, screen and provide other services through an effective wellness program. To reinforce confidence in the clinic, the county hired medical doctors, registered nurses and other medically trained professionals in disease management.

Mornings at the clinic are dedicated to disease management and acute care visits. More than 2,000 of the patients seen at the clinic so far are those benefiting from disease management services. Employees who utilize the clinic do not have to pay for visits, X-rays or lab tests.

The clinic also offers educational classes and information on a variety of health topics, including stress management, diabetes management, influenza prevention, cholesterol and lipid management, asthma and allergies, weight management, exercise and nutrition, insomnia, women’s health issues, back and neck pain, foot health, depression, tobacco cessation and alcohol addition. As of September 2007, 2,731 Travis County employees had attended a health care class.

Due to the success of the first clinic, the county opened two additional clinics to serve employees working and living in other parts of the county. The clinic has saved more than $1 million in about 2.5 years, exceeding the estimated $100,000 annually. The increased quality of life, however, can’t be measured solely in dollars saved. County employees who are taking charge of their health and well-being through the program are its most rewarding achievement.

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT

Cameron County Mobile Health Clinic
Contact: Commissioner Edna Tamayo 956-427-8069 Etamayo@co.cameron.tx.us

As a rural border community, many of Cameron County’s residents cannot get regular access to health care due to poverty and transportation barriers. In order to help these residents and offer better indigent health care services, the county collaborated with the University of Texas Science Center at Houston to pilot a medical mobile clinic that could remove barriers to getting health care in the county’s rural areas. Funded by the university, the mobile clinic features a telemedicine link to the Houston campus in case medical mobile clinic employees require additional expertise from university specialty physicians. Since elementary schools typically provide the best infrastructure in a rural area, the county worked with local school superintendents in order to get permission for the mobile health clinic to operate out of a local school parking lot. The mobile clinic provides children and their limited-income families with easy access to medical services. The county, lead by Commissioner Edna Tamayo, also collaborated with the Department of Health and Human Services and others to ensure its ultimate success. The mobile health clinic first hit the road in October 2007. The clinic hours are usually Monday through Friday during school hours. Its services include consultations, immunizations, blood pressure readings, pregnancy tests, well-woman exams, sports physicals and assistance with high cholesterol, diabetes and anemia.

The university staffs the clinic with one physician assistant and two medical assistants. The county provides licensed drivers,

EXCEPTIONAL DELIVERY OF SERVICES

El Paso County Border Children’s Mental Health Collaborative
Contact: Ben Swann 915-494-7676 baswann@hotmail.com

In El Paso County, while there are many services for children and families with more severe forms of mental illness, there were no treatment facilities in for young people who struggle with severe depression, suicidal thoughts, attention deficent hyperactivity disorder, chemical dependencies and other mental health conditions that often lead to behavioral problems. As a result, these children had to leave their families and travel to other parts of the state, Arkansas or even the East Coast for treatment.

Many families did not have the economic resources to travel to visit their children during this time, so children were separated from the families for extended periods, causing them to experience difficulties when it finally came time to reenter their home lives once they had completed treatment. At the urging of parents, El Paso County undertook a major initiative to ensure that young people are not sent away to get the help they need and deserve. Thanks in part to an ongoing federal grant, the county engaged the community on every level and created the Border Children’s Mental Health Collaborative.

El Paso County Judge Anthony Cobos ensured that all federal guidelines were followed and Commissioner Dan Haggerty pushed the project forward. Project Director Roger Martinez quickly engaged the community and included local providers, such as the El Paso Mental Health Mental Retardation Center, and mental health professionals and coordinators to oversee the program.

An important part of the treatment is the “family voice and choice” program. Rather than simply telling the families what they need, the family drives the treatment. Services fall into two categories. Traditional services include everything that would normally be provided through insurance companies, Medicare or Medicaid. Non-traditional services include tutoring, mentoring and massage therapy, and are paid for by the families.

The initiative has not only helped residents and the county’s children, it has saved the county and families money. The average cost for residential out-of-town treatment is $118.20 per day, and does not include help for parents or for the family as a whole. Under the new program, the cost to El Paso County is only $40 per day, including services for the parents and family.

In less than one year, the program’s mission has expanded from working to keep kids from leaving the area for treatment to diverting young people from delinquency and child welfare courts. The scope of work has also expanded from public school children to include students in private, charter and home schools.

After the program’s initial success, the El Paso County Commissioners Court approved $10 million to build the El Paso County Youth Services Center, a one-stop shop for all related community partners and youth services.

EXCEPTIONAL DELIVERY OF SERVICES

Collin County Partnership with Retail Clinic
Contact: Candy Blair, director of Indigent Health Care 972-548-5504 cblair@co.collin.tx.us

As one of the fastest-growing counties in the state, Collin County faced new challenges in providing indigent health care. In 2006, the county assisted 116 patients at an average cost of more than $10,000 per patient. The cost per patient had risen significantly from the previous year, mainly due to emergency room visits.

The county’s indigent task force looked at options for lowering costs and decided to contract with a local walk-in healthcare center, Primacare, to provide acute care services for Collin County’s indigent population. The Commissioners Court approved a recommendation to give a $400,000 initial budget for services rendered through E-Care/ Primacare centers.

Many individuals who request assistance with health care costs are indigent for only a short time, or experience an unexpected illness that can be easily treated by a Primacare center. For those patients, filling out an in-depth indigent health care application can be daunting. To make services through Primacare more appealing, guidelines for those patients were comparatively brief, versus those who required regular indigent health care program assistance and funding.

The county established three basic requirements for assistance through the new program: household income could not exceed 100 percent of the federal poverty guidelines, patients had to be residents of Collin County and they had to provide a social security number. Once approved, the Primacare program paid for 95 percent of the cost associated with the visit, while the patient paid $20, similar to a co-payment associated with typical health insurance coverage.

Results since the program’s inception have been encouraging. In 2006, the average cost to the county per indigent patient visit to a health care provider was $1,315. In 2008, the average cost per visit overall was $774, with the average cost per visit to the Primacare clinics steady at just $115. With the ability to treat more patients at a fraction of the cost, more funds were available for those in the program with more serious health issues.

PUBLIC SAFETY AND CORRECTIONS

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT

Kaufman County Public Defender Office
Contact: Andrew Jordan, chief public defender 972-932-0248 ajordan@kaufmancounty.net

With recent population growth, Kaufman County has quickly moved from being a rural to mid-sized county and is experiencing everything that goes with it. In a three-year period, people who qualified for indigent defense doubled from 630 to 1,247 per year. Associated costs to the county skyrocketed from $200,000 to $1.2 million per year. The increased costs stemmed not only from the population shift but from rising attorneys fees and other related costs as well.

Utilizing $190,000 from a task force discretionary grant, Kaufman became the first midsized Texas county to establish a comprehensive public defenders office with two public defenders, an investigator and secretary. The grant requires that the public defender see indigent defendants within 24 hours.

Andrew Jordan, its chief public defender, initially focused on reducing jail overcrowding. This initiative paid off. Since November 2007, the average daily jail population has shrunk from 430 to around 250. Since it costs about $40 a day to house an inmate, the reduction in jail population created a huge savings. And with the extra space, the sheriff is now renting out roughly 70 beds to other counties.

During its first year, savings from the public defender’s office cut the county’s indigent defense costs in half, from $1.2 million to $600,000. County taxpayers also saved $2.8 million from the inmate population reduction and gained $100,000 from jail bed rental fees.

The Kaufman County Public Defenders Office staff takes pride in giving the poorest persons in their county the same access to the justice system as the richest, and in defending their clients’ rights as vigorously and adequately as possible.

EXCEPTIONAL DELIVERY OF SERVICES

Nacogdoches County Paper Ready Project
Contact: County Judge Joe English 936-560-7755 jenglish@co.nacogdoches.tx.us

Jail over-crowding is a serious issue in the state. For Nacogdoches County, jail crowding forced taxpayers to spend more than $250,000 over the budgeted amount in one year alone.

County Judge Joe English, along with other top criminal justice officials, asked for assistance from the National Institute for Corrections (NIC). An initial assessment from NIC showed linkages between jail crowding and other components of the criminal justice system. The assessment made it clear that each component of the criminal justice system, from law enforcement to the judiciary, influenced the jail inmate population and that the problem of jail crowding must be approached from a systemwide perspective.

The county then utilized Stephen F. Austin State University for further research on the problem. The county decided to focus on its pen packet process, or the paperwork process that is necessary to transfer inmates from the county jail to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice prison system.

The time that elapses from oral sentencing to completion and submission of the Pen Packet is crucial to jail crowding, as it contributes to the length of stay. Research revealed that an inmate’s paperwork took an average of 36 days to travel through the five county offices before its completion. The county researched the flow of the paperwork and found that the system, without any central oversight, was prone to unnecessary delays.

The commissioners court decided to hire a person whose sole responsibility was to streamline the paper-ready process, but first they conducted an experiment to see if the approach would truly make a difference.

The county contracted with a consultant to develop new oversights and efficiencies in the system so that when the judgment is sent to the judge for his signature, the Pen Packet was almost completed. She then performed the task for four months to test and work out further inefficiencies in the process.

The results were remarkable. The total time from sentencing to “paper-ready” went from 36 days to only 3 days. The jail population, which is constantly revolving, fell from 230 to 167. Savings to taxpayers were calculated at more than $60,000 for a three-month period, so the position quickly paid for itself.

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT

Van Zandt County V.O.I.C.E.S. Juvenile At-Risk Youth Program
Contact: Robert Colacino, director 903-962-6292 juvprobation@suddenlinkmail.com

Communities are searching for ways to address the complex issues facing our at-risk youth. Drug abuse, criminal activity, behavior problems, school drop outs, truancy, teen pregnancy, gangs and violence are daunting problems that prevent many adolescents from completing high school and leaving them unprepared for adulthood. Van Zandt County felt it needed a holistic approach to appropriately address the needs of their at-risk youth. In 2005, the county launched the V.O.I.C.E.S. (Vocational Occupational Initiatives Creating Employment) program, an innovative concept that identifies personal risk factors and gives each at-risk youth resources and support to overcome their life challenges.

Upon completion of a mental health assessment, youth are directed into the appropriate programs. Services include vocational education training, GED assistance, mental health services, community services learning, and substance abuse services.

The strategy “wraps” a comprehensive array of individualized services and support networks around the youth, reducing their idle time and providing resources for their specific needs. Instead of looking at each element of the program as a separate entity, services are designed to compliment and reinforce each other so the youth can experience a sense of accomplishment and build their confidence.

The program has experienced great success with 207 at-risk youth currently enrolled or having graduated the program. Of the graduates, only 7 percent have re-offended. Youth in the program have also completed more than 7,800 community service learning hours.

The Van Zandt County Juvenile Board and Probation Department worked with the courts, state, county and local agencies, service organizations, businesses and individual members of the community to make it a success. The East Texas Council of Governments recognized its potential and has requested to expand the program through a regional grant.

FINANCIAL/GENERAL MANAGEMENT

SUPERIOR INNOVATION

Bexar County Leadership Development Program
Contact: Linda Amaro 210-335-2643 lamaro@bexar.org

Created in 2005, the Bexar County Leadership Development Program has proven to be an effective tool for cultivating and educating future county leaders. The program offers a six-month customized curriculum through which Bexar County employees build leadership, decision-making and public speaking skills.

Participants engage in interactive classroom training, partake in tours of facilities and departments, network with other upcoming county leaders and complete personality assessment tests to better determine their particular leadership traits. Employees selected for the program develop an individual action plan for achieving specific goals in their office or department. Participants also write one-page summaries of selected business and management books.

The program is open to any county employee that is nominated by his or her immediate supervisor. Since its inception, departments that participate in the program have experienced lower turnover rates and employees have experienced increased promotions. The individual action plans that are a cornerstone of the program have yielded great results, with participants taking specific improvement plans back to their departments. Ideas yielded from the action plans include Web sites, internal training initiatives and better ways to organize departments to increase efficiency. Since 2005, Bexar County has also experienced a noticeable decrease in the total number of grievances and appeals. One reason for this could be the result of more confident and skilled supervisors.

The Bexar Leadership Development Program is the only known program of its kind among Texas counties to use various internal methods of fostering stronger and more skilled county leaders. Participants build a strong network of resources among themselves and see the benefit on continuing their professional education and development. Other counties of various sizes can replicate various aspects of the program.

EXCEPTIONAL DELIVERY OF SERVICES

Bell County Collection Improvement Program
Contact: Phil Goodwill, project manager 254-933-5762 phil.goodwill@co.bell.tx.us

In 2005, the Legislature passed a law mandating all counties with a population of more than 100,000 implement a collection improvement program.

Bell County took a unique approach to fulfilling its mandate. The county had only one underlying goal for its framework – that it must be fiscally responsible. It added only one new employee to provide oversight to the collections program and then relied on smart use of technology for compliance with all components of the statute. Bell County streamlined its collections through three key technology-based components:

By developing a strategic plan and utilizing current personnel, Bell County forewent creating a whole new collections department. The approach relied on cooperation from all offices involved and technological solutions to comply with the new state statute. Improvements to the collection system paid off. In Feb. 2008, justice of the peace office collection rates exceeded assessments for the first time in a 15-month review. The County Clerk’s office maintained a consistent 90 percent collection rate for its 1,000 payment plans, with less staff time. Collections rates even increased in the district courts, despite their additional challenges based on the sheer nature of crime and prolonged time debtors spend incarcerated.

SUPERIOR INNOVATION

Cameron County Occupation Tax Enforcement Division
Contact: Tax Assessor-Collector Tony Yzaguirre, Jr 956-544-0800 tyzaguirre@co.cameron.tx.us

Illegal 8-liner gambling equipment use is a big problem across Texas. Originally, the State Comptrollers Office issued the only permits required to operate the machines but the state-issued permits did not require an applicant to disclose the location of the machines. This made it very difficult to track or enforce the related laws.

After months of research and planning, the Cameron County Tax Assessor, Sheriff and District Attorney presented a proposal to the Commissioners Court to create a special Occupation Tax Enforcement Division to oversee 8-liner compliance. Comptroller’s reports showed approximately 2,300 permits were issued in the county, but more than 6,000 machines were operating. The new division gave the county the authority to enforce compliance of the law and the labor to account for each machine within its boundaries.

A custom database program was created to collect and report licensing information. The data collected location and ownership information, serial numbers and the property tax information for both the business and the property. In addition, the software created a history for each unique serial number to show if the machine had been seized or flagged. Once a serial number is flagged, a permit cannot be issued for that machine. Media announcements and local media coverage helped to broadcast the new requirements for obtaining a permit. Letters were sent out to known coin-operated machine owners about the program.

To date, 11,561 permits have been issued, generating more than $150,000 in revenue from permit fees in two years. Since its inception, the program has operated solely on commissions and has not used taxpayer money.

The program’s achievements also lead to an agreement with the City of Brownsville to consolidate the collection of the occupation permits fees. In doing so, the city experienced a 135 percent increase in permits in 2007. The county has also provided information to other counties to assist them in creating their own program.

SUPERIOR INNOVATION

Hood County Road Damage Recovery Program
Contact: Commissioner Steve Barry 817-579-3300 sfberry@co.hood.tx.us

Hood County, only 30 miles southwest of the Fort Worth Metroplex, is home of the Barnett Shale, possibly the largest onshore natural gas field in the United States. The county currently maintains 435 county highway roads.

When Commissioners Dick Roan and Steve Berry came on board in 2007, one of their most pressing issues was the wear and tear of county roads from large drilling equipment coming in and out of Barnett Shale. Roads that were not meant to endure anything more than cars, trucks and an occasional motorhome were now inundated with 80,000 pound drilling rigs, water trucks and other heavy equipment.

One 80,000 lb truck can do the same amount of damage per mile as 9,000 standard automobiles. About 620 large trucks share the Hood County roadways with local residents. That number is expected to keep increasing.

Commissioner Roan created a presentation that showed the five and 10-year impact of road damage from the large equipment on the roadways. He sent the presentation to the CEOs of all 11 companies drilling in the area to convince them to donate money to the county to offset costs for repairing roads.

To date, many of the gas companies in Hood County have either committed to pay for their share of damages or have looked at other ways to address the problem. As of May 2008, drilling companies have donated more than $325,000 to the county’s road operation budget. The county road administrator can request funding from this budget to repair areas that have been damaged due to excessive traffic from drill sights.

The program creates an avenue with the gas companies to have a better working relationship with the county. It gives the companies an opportunity to be a vital contributor to the economy and saves taxpayers money.

SUPERIOR INNOVATION

Dallas County Withholding Vendor Payments to Satisfy Delinquent Taxes
Contact: County Auditor Virginia Porter 214-653-6472 vporter@dallascounty.org

Dallas County has traditionally been aggressive about collecting delinquent property taxes but had limited authority to crack down on vendors — people doing business with the county — until the passage of legislation in 2007 gave counties the ability to withhold vendor payments if delinquent tax is outstanding.

The challenge was sifting through the massive amounts of information within the county to connect the dots between tax and vendor information. Diverse, incongruent systems, enormous data files and limited staff made manual analysis cumbersome and slow. Dallas County Auditor Virginia Porter and County Treasurer Joe Wells worked with other county officials and offices to come up with a solution.

A creative approach to technology called “datamining” was used to extract and analyze data from various county systems. Multiple look-ups and dynamic selection criteria helped make the data files more manageable. While several offices had to hand-off information to one another, the county was able to review 100 percent of the data.

Program development included a test pilot to walk through the process of finding the data and notifying the vendors with delinquent taxes through a form letter. A vendor with delinquent taxes is given 10 business days to pay the debt or future vendor/ contractor payments will be withheld by Accounts Payable.

The process is not without legal considerations. The District Attorney reviewed questions and a list of legal issues regarding property ownership are expected. These issues are being addressed individually as they occur. Still, tracking delinquent tax payments for vendors became a routine process, with the more difficult or uncertain delinquencies forwarded to management.

Initial data files (for year 2006 or older) showed there was about $2 million in delinquent taxes stemming from people doing business with Dallas County. Within two months, the county was able to collect more than $200,000 in delinquent taxes for various governmental entities. About 10 percent of the money collected goes directly to the county.

TECHNOLOGY

SUPERIOR INNOVATION

Tarrant County Process Improvement Project
Contact: Betsy Price, Tax Assessor-Collector 817-884-1106 bprice@tarrantcounty.com

Each year, the Tarrant County Tax Office collects around $3 billion from taxpayers. With 1.5 million customers, eight different locations, 60 taxing partners and two huge databases, the tax office must work efficiently.

Depositing more than one million checks by filling out a deposit slip, endorsing the back and sending it to the bank by courier was wasteful. Tarrant County Tax Assessor-Collector Betsy Price looked for ways to streamline the process for its motor vehicle division, all property tax accounts and face-to-face transactions.

In 2007, the National Automated Clearinghouse adopted rules (called Back Office Conversion) that allowed vendors to scan and deposit checks after face-to-face transactions. At about the same time, Chase Bank offered to partner with the Tarrant County Tax Office to deposit all checks electronically.

Price then looked at options with vendors to update the county’s scanning process and ways to expand the scope of accounts that could be processed electronically. This proved to be a challenge since the Texas Department of Transportation was not ready to automate their processes, hence significant limitations for motor vehicle transactions.

Working with five vendor partners and Chase Bank, Price created a process improvement program to deposit all checks electronically, including motor vehicle and vehicle inventory tax operations, and automatically update more property tax accounts. The process looked at how to scan, verify, deposit and post checks electronically with close attention to detail.

Launched in November 2007, the project almost paid for itself in its first six months of operation. The total cost of the project was $332,395 in hardware and software; the calculated savings in this time period were $290,000. The county will continue to reap benefits through increased funds availability, lower banking costs and reduced administrative costs. The software and process can be duplicated by any county in the state.

SUPERIOR INNOVATION

Travis County Stop Domestic Violence Initiative
Contact: Constable Bruce Elfant 512-854-9100 bruce.elfant@co.travis.state.tx.us

Being a victim of family violence is a scary situation, and one that too many people experience. Each year, Travis County Precinct 5 deputies work with the courts to serve nearly 1,000 protective orders involving threats of family violence.

Many local agencies are available to help the victims, but since there was no central location to go for information in Travis County, finding the right resources was often confusing and difficult. Constable Bruce Elfant decided to make his precinct’s Web site, www.constable5.com, that central location. He added informative videos on how to get help after domestic violence has occurred, web links to community resources and a printable document of contacts and services.

In July 2007, Elfant added a protective order alert service to Constable5.com. Victims of family violence can be immediately notified when protective orders are served via an instant email that can be sent to law enforcement agencies, the county attorney’s office, victims and their attorneys. Receiving instant notification gives applicants peace of mind and gives law enforcement officers an immediate way of knowing if a protective order has been served, should they be called on a domestic situation. The Protective Order Alert System has improved communication, increased accountability and reduced incoming phone traffic. Video is also an important addition to Constable5.com. Inhouse staff produced 21 short web videos in English and Spanish.

The videos address the critical needs of domestic violence victims and expand public awareness about the depth of available services. Topics include an overview of the walk-through process of obtaining a protective order and descriptions of services including a hotline, on-site school, daycare, resource assistance, counseling for the family and other services.

EXCEPTIONAL DELIVERY OF SERVICES

Travis County Video Production “You’re En-Titled”
Contact: Al Jackson, Media Operations manager 512-854-9503 Al.Jackson@co.travis.tx.us

When a person sells a motor vehicle to another person, they must submit a vehicle transfer notification (form 346) to the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). Doing this protects the seller from liability involving the vehicle for civil and criminal acts involving the new owner.

The trouble is that most citizens are not aware of the need to submit the notification. Thousands of Texans have faced legal troubles because of their failure to fill in the proper paper work with TXDOT.

Assessments found it wasn’t easy to find information about transfer notification and that its importance was not stated in current literature or on the TXDOT Web site. TXDOT decided it wanted to package information about vehicle titling in a more cohesive way and place a special emphasis on transfer notification. Part of this strategy included a video.

With the help of the Travis County Tax Office and Travis County Media Services, TXDOT and Travis County created an educational video called “You’re En-titled.” The video uses short skits and narratives to depict a typical private-seller vehicle transaction and showed what could happen to those who fail to file the vehicle transfer notification form. The video was produced in both English and Spanish.

The video ran on Travis County’s cable channel several times a week for two months and is available on the county’s Tax-Assessor Collector Web site. Other public access stations across the state showed it as well, and it played on televisions in TxDOT’s 16 regional offices.

Between July and August 2007, submissions for vehicle transfer notification rose statewide 77 percent from the previous year. From September through December 2007, the number of filed notifications passed the total from the entire previous year.

It is always good for taxpayers when public agencies pool resources to solve problems. The collaboration between Travis County and TXDOT is one example of how counties can play an important problem-solving role.

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT

Collin County Emergency Communication Fiber Project
Contact: Caren Skipworth, IT director 972-548-4501 cskipworth@collincountytx.gov

Like most counties, Collin County has increasingly turned to technology to boost citizen services, streamline communications and provide options for continued growth. Without a solid communication network infrastructure, technological expansion would be severely limited. In 2005, the county evaluated fiber network options for replacing the 27 T1 network lines as a solution to growing needs. Early cost estimates were expensive, at around $3.5 million for equipment and labor. The county could not justify the expense and started looking for other solutions.

The county examined the possibility of sharing or leasing an existing network. As a first step, its Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Department mapped existing fiber networks in the area. Collin County found that Collin Community College’s fiber network could accommodate 16 of the 27 county T1 lines. The college agreed to provide use of 16 fiber strands in exchange for a 25 percent discount in the college’s tax collection fees for five years. The college also agreed to maintain the fiber at no cost to the county for five years.

At the same time, Collin County worked with the college, area cities and independent school districts to form an emergency communications committee. The committee applied for and received a $326,000 grant to cover fiber connections and equipment to use for homeland security services for the cities of Allen, Frisco and Plano, as well as Plano ISD, Collin Community College and Collin County.

Through these efforts, the County saved taxpayers $1.2 million in fiber installation costs. Beyond monetary savings, the county and all entities involved no longer depend on a public switch, such as AT&T or Southwestern Bell, for their communication services. Local outages do not impact the county network.

The fiber network dedicates services to major emergencies, with law enforcement and emergency personnel regularly using the network for conducting emergency drills and accessing investigation analysis data.

EXCEPTIONAL DELIVERY OF SERVICES

Travis County Sheriff’s Inmate Population Search and Warrant on the Web
Contact: Alicia Perez, executive manager 512-854-9343 alicia.perez@co.travis.state.tx.us

The Travis County Sheriff’s Office responds to many citizen requests for information by phone or in person. Travis County wanted to harness today’s technology to improve its ability to provide citizens timely information while at the same time reduce the time staff in the Sheriff’s office spend responding to requests.

The sheriff asked staff to review the time employees spent communicating with the public and discovered that a large number of requests dealt with warrant and inmate information. In looking at the number and kind of calls, staff identified calls that could potentially be answered via automatic Internet software services. Booking staff were answering thousands of calls each month from family members and attorneys checking on the release status of inmates, or the status of warrants issued for a person.

The Sheriff’s Office brought this information to the County Information and Telecommunications System Department. The department wrote two different web applications: the Sheriff’s Inmate Population Search and the Warrant on the Web. The applications search the current status of inmates and warrants and query results in a secure and timely manner.

The Sheriff’s Office now reports a 40 percent decrease in the number of calls they receive for inmate information, while the Warrant on the Web service has cut the number of related calls in half, from 100 to 150 calls each day down to 50 to 60 calls. As a result, residents are now able to get the information they want without any hassle, and the sheriff’s staff is not overwhelmed by the heavy volume of phone calls.

COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT

SUPERIOR INNOVATION

Montgomery County Precinct 3 Recycling and Re-use Complex
Contact: Robert Collins, special counsel 281-367-3977 rcollins@co.montgomery.tx.us

Through the years, Montgomery County has spent many labor hours and equipment operating hours on a weekly basis cleaning up trash along county roadside ditches and other properties. Today, through the county’s aggressive and innovative recycling program, hundreds of tons of recyclable materials have been diverted from local landfills and local roadsides, benefiting the environment, and the county’s costs for waste-related labor and equipment have been lowered. The program began in 2000 by simply renting one dumpster in the parking lot next to the county’s Precinct 3 office, but the dumpster was immediately overflowing on a regular basis. With this success, the precinct added to its recycling offerings. In 2003, a mobile collection program with a compartmentalized trailer was taken to different parts of the county. In 2004, the program expanded to offer recycling of household materials such as televisions, computers, appliances and other electronic equipment. Oil-based paints, stains, pool chemicals, fertilizers and other hazardous materials are also accepted.

“Conservation Colors” is the county’s latest recycling program. Viable latex paint is accepted and then remixed with similar colors. The resulting paint colors are given to the public free-of-charge, and are utilized by non-profits and county departments, including the county jail. The program typically keeps about 650 gallons of paint a month from being thrown in a landfill or poured down the drain.

From its humble roots, Montgomery County now has a recycling and re-use complex on several acres of land with a community collection center, a mobile collection trailer, a hazardous waste collection center and a re-use distribution center along with a demonstration garden for environmentally friendly yard keeping. Among other innovative programs, the recycling center accepts cooking oil, which is turned into biodiesel fuel, and motor oil, which is cleaned and remixed or turned into fuel. It also has a compost pile for used food items and information on environmental responsibility.

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT

Andrews County Indoor Exposition Arena
Contact: County Judge Richard Dolgener 432-524-1401 rdolgener@andrews.tx.us

Due to the building of nuclear remediation facilities over the last several years, industry in Andrews County has grown significantly, and it’s expected to keep growing due to a new $200 million wind power turbine project. Still, many of its taxpayers work in neighboring counties, so keeping residents living in Andrews County is always a challenge.

The Andrews community reviewed its many needs and, through a strategic planning process, developed a master plan to enhance the quality of life in the county. One major facet of the master plan was to build an indoor rodeo arena and special events center, which residents felt would capitalize on the area’s western heritage, give residents a source of community pride and togetherness, create reasons for non-residents to visit the area, and allow the area’s business economy to grow. The project represents one of the most significant economic and tourism development initiatives in the county’s history. The total cost of construction was around $4 million, which was paid without incurring any debt. The event center encompasses 147,000 square feet and accommodates 1,500 spectators, with two concession stands and a warm-up area for rodeo contestants. The complex also includes a Preifert Roping Box, six bucking chutes, a state-of-the-art sound system and electronic timing for applicable events.

For the 2008 calendar year, 42 events have already been scheduled, including the Region II High School Rodeo Finals, an event for the Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association and the center’s first annual Motor Cross race.

For many years to come, the event center will help bring the community together to enhance the quality of life for the residents of Andrews County while also boosting dollars coming into the county through tourism.

SUPERIOR INNOVATION

Cameron County Bahia Grande Restoration Project
Contact: Deputy Director Joe Vega 956-761-3700 JEVega@co.cameron.tx.us

Before the 1930s, the Laguna Madre had several large sections of shallow bays, collectively known as the Bahia Grande, which created an estuary teeming with life and served as an important habitat for a wide variety of fish, shellfish and wintering waterfowl in the South Texas coastal region. But construction of State Highway 48 and the Brownsville Ship Channel cut off tidal flow to the area for seven decades.

The lack of water flowing into the area lead to billowing clouds of dust blowing into the surrounding communities off the dry “bahia,” creating perennial problems for the schools, the economy and the environment. Major roads covered for miles with piles of sand triggered safety hazards and destroyed vegetation and native brush areas, and the dust exasperated respiratory health problems for many citizens of the Laguna Madre.

To fix this problem, Cameron County decided to get together with state, federal and other local entities and nonprofits. After beginning in 2001 with an ad hoc committee to look at dust programs, the partnership grew and diversified into the Bahia Grande Restoration Partnership — a community-based collaborative effort of more than 66 groups including local, state and federal agencies, municipalities, educational institutions, fishery organizations, corporations, foundations, private citizens and landowners.

In July 2005, a constructed pilot channel opened and began refilling 6,900 acres of the Bahia Grande tidal basin, converting a dust control project into one of the largest wetland restoration projects in the nation. Soon, a larger primary channel will be dug, which will be 10 times wider and three times deeper than the pilot channel. When opened, it will fill the basin to its maximum capacity, increasing tidal flow for ongoing habitat restoration, research and monitoring and future public recreational opportunities.

Cooperation, leadership and a can-do attitude all came together to create a synergy that will have lasting affects on the region, its people and the environment.

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT

Denton County African American Museum
Contact: Dr. Georgia Caraway, executive director 940-349-2850 Georgia.caraway@dentoncounty.com

In 1875, about 27 African-American families came to Denton County looking for a better life and settled in a section of town named Quakertown.

In the early 1920s amid rising issues of segregation and city development, the City of Denton along with the administration of a local women’s college held a referendum to move the businesses and residents of Quakertown to make way for a new civic center park. Some of its residents relocated but many left the city and most of the homes of Quakertown were destroyed.

An understanding of local history can help build important bridges between communities and neighbors. Although the story of Quakertown is now a low point in the county’s history, Denton County realized the need to restore one of the few remaining Quakertown homes and develop it into a museum. Such an opportunity became available in 2003, when a member of the Denton County Historical Commission purchased a Quakertown house and donated it to the Historical Park Foundation of Denton County. Many individuals and community organizations came together to support the restoration and gathering of materials and stories for the museum. Serving as a bridge between communities in the county and city, the Denton County African American Museum is only one of ten such museums in Texas. The museum opened in February 2008 and became an immediate success story with more than 500 visitors in just two months. Extraordinary media attention helped generate close to 8,500 hits on the Denton County Museum Web site. Other cities across Texas are using the museum as a model for developing their own African-American heritage museums.

While Denton County had a unique opportunity to establish the African American Museum with the donation of the Quakertown house, other communities can present their African American history through the community members’ own voices within the historical context of their city and county. Community historical projects can work to reconcile long-held unease between various ethnic groups.

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