News from TAC

Counties and Cities Honored with City-County Cooperation Award

AUSTIN – Statewide organizations representing county and city governments are presenting awards communities in Wise and Dallas Counties for their cooperative efforts to get the most out of local government services and tax dollars.

In Dallas County, the county and the City of Irving were selected as winners of the 2009 City-County Cooperation Award by the Texas Association of Counties (TAC) and the Texas Municipal League (TML) for their successful cooperative efforts on the Irving Health Center.

And in Wise County, the county share the identicial honor with the cities of Bridgeport and Decatur for their joint project to bring a branch campus of Weatherford College to Wise County located between the two cities.

“These projects provide important services to the public, encompass community-wide efforts that included everyday citizens and businesses and can be replicated by other cities and counties,” said Karen Ann Norris, TAC executive director.

“Local government in Texas is the best in the nation,” said Frank Sturzl, TML executive director. “These cooperative program proves that when cities and counties join for higher goals, our taxpayers reap the benefits of better services that fuel economic growth.”

The Irving Health Center project was spearheaded by Dallas County, City of Irving, Parkland Health and Hospital System, Baylor Medical Center at Irving, Dental Health Programs, Irving Housing and Human Services Board and the U.S. Department of Housing.

The project in Wise County grew out of an expanding need for college-level classes, with Weatherford College serving students there, first in high schools and then in a former Wal-Mart building. By 2005, the need was greater than the facilities. The Wise County Commissioners Court named a steering committee that included Wise County Judge Bill McElhaney, Bridgeport Mayor Don Majka and Decatur Mayor Joe Lambert, with input from Weatherford College President Dr. Joe Birmingham and both the Bridgeport and Decatur Economic Development Corporations (EDC).

The awards are the fourth in what is an annual event for TAC and TML, co-sponsored by the Texas Association of Regional Councils (TARC).