It’s annual conference planning time again, with our TAC annual meeting scheduled for Austin in late August and the National Association of Counties’ Annual Conference just around the corner in mid-July in Nashville. With the Legislature at full steam with this writing, we know there will be lots to cover in terms of new laws that impact your operations so please plan to join us. As a side note on our annual conference, please be sure to take note of the new schedule. It’s taking place on a Monday through Wednesday time frame. We’ll call it a “pilot” test-run, which we tried because of the more affordable room rates. But we’ve heard from many of our members that it’s producing some challenges, and we understand. Please be assured it’s a one-time only thing. We’re looking forward to seeing everyone in Austin; come early for the weekend and enjoy the city or parks for a day.

In late July, we’ll be traveling to Nashville for the National Association of Counties’ Annual Conference. While it’s always interesting to hear national perspectives on local issues, I have spent a good deal of time recently working with NACo and other state county association executive directors on a new NACo-led initiative: The Campaign for Effective Government.

I’d like to thank NACo for this effort, which was established to respond to the needs of numerous states like ours — states that have been facing initiatives that oppose or diminish the concept of local control. In recent years, national groups have been pushing ballot amendments that have or would limit the quality of services cities and counties can provide residents. The first serious effort was in 1978, when California had its Proposition 13; since the first successful “Taxpayer Bill of Rights” passed in Colorado in 1992, anti-government measures have really picked up steam. Last year there were negative measures filed in South Dakota, Arkansas, Nevada, Colorado, Arizona and Montana, and Maine will have a battle later this year. The measures have attempted to ban local government lobbying and impose tax limitations — both battles that we in Texas are familiar with.

With its Campaign for Effective Government, NACo has agreed to fill a much-needed role in confronting the efforts of anti-government groups. With the help of state associations — including, of course, TAC — NACo will help gather information on what ballot issues, messages and strategies are being utilized. We will work together on a uniform approach for counties to join to strengthen the importance of maintaining local control. And in states where the state county association does not have resources to help voters understand the repercussions of tax limiting ballot issues, the hope is to build a broader coalition to strengthen the message of local governments.

The Effective Government campaign is just one of many services NACo provides to counties here in Texas. In particular, its prescription drug program has been popular in many counties. I’m proud to say that our state’s membership to NACo is at an all-time high — 157 out of our 254 counties are members. And, we have a home-grown future NACo President, Judge Glen Whitley, waiting in Tarrant County. I’m confident he will be ready and able to take on the tough challenges ahead when his leadership period begins. But just like TAC works on behalf of counties at the state level, NACo works to protect and serves counties on the national level, with Congress and the President. The more support they have, the more effective they — and we — can be.

I’ve taken the opportunity to write previously in County about TAC’s strategic planning efforts and wanted to give our members an update about our progress. Currently, our Operations Director, Gene Terry, is traveling the state to meet with small focus groups of officials about what their needs are and how TAC can meet those needs. Call it pre-research research. That effort will continue through TAC’s annual conference; once we’ve held valuable conversations with every stripe of official from across the state, we plan to narrow our scope and focus on key topics from those conversations. In the meantime, we have other avenues available to our members to use to share with us ideas for how we can improve our services to counties. The TAC Suggestion Box is on page 10, and it includes information on how to contact me directly. I’m wondering: How do you utilize our Web site, county.org, and what else would be beneficial to you to have on the Web?