Virtual 75th Annual Texas Association of County Auditors Fall Conference

October 20 - 22, 2020

Virtual Event Platform

Thank you for your interest in the Virtual 75th Annual Texas Association of County Auditors (TACA) Fall Conference. Registration is scheduled to open Monday, Aug. 24. For more information contact Luz Hinojosa or Sam Burke at (800) 456-5974.

Overview
Hotel
Agenda
Continuing Education
Cancellation
Sponsorships & Vendors
Presentations/Handouts

The 75th Annual Fall Conference of the Texas Association of County Auditors scheduled in El Paso has been transformed into a virtual conference to ensure the safety of attendees.
This virtual conference is a convenient way to earn continuing education credits via virtual education sessions from the safety of your location. Connected in a virtual platform, as attendees you can expect to learn about the issues that are important to you and your counties.

Event Registration Emails: Attendees should have received an event registration email from events@accelevents.com on Thurs., Oct. 16. If you registered for the conference and you have not received an event registration email from Accelevents, please contact Luz Hinojosa or Sam Burke.

Get to know Accelevents before the conference.

Here are some tips on accessing and navigating the platform.
Watch a short video that shows the basic features of Accelevents.

Hotel Reservations

All hotel reservations (made directly with this host hotel) have been canceled. Please note if you made the reservation through a third party (such as Expedia, Travelocity, etc.) you are responsible for cancelling that reservation.

Wyndham El Paso Airport

If you are not booked at this hotel, you are responsible for canceling your reservation. We encourage you to call he hotel to double check your cancellation has been arranged.

Registration Fees and Virtual Conference

All conference registrations for the face-to face conference have been canceled, and full refunds will be sent out in the coming weeks. Please register for the virtual conference as we are not transferring the in-person registration to the virtual event.

Full conference registration includes access to all virtual education sessions.

Conference Registration Fees	Registration by Oct. 16
County auditor (full conference)	$150
County auditor assistants /staff	$150
Retired county auditor	$150

Continuing Education

The conference offers 21 continuing education credits for county auditors.

Hotel Reservations for In-person Conference

Wyndham El Paso Airport

If you are not booked at this hotel, you are responsible for canceling your reservation. We encourage you to call he hotel to double check your cancellation has been arranged.

Tuesday, Oct. 20
8-8:10 a.m.	Opening Welcome Remarks Ms. Karon Kantor, Randall County Auditor, Texas Association of County Auditors (TACA) President
8:10-8:15 a.m.	Log in to next session
8:15-9:05 a.m.	COVID-19/Disaster Finance Ms. Theresa West, R.Ph., CEM, TEM, Regional Disaster Finance Coordinator, Texas Division of Emergency Management At the conclusion of this session, participants should be able to: Manage portfolios and projects. Understand procurement and contract practices. Document all expenditures related to the COVID-19 response. Log and track time and expenses. Compile cost and expense data. Document use of mutual aid and volunteer programs. Continue documentation processes. Increase or adjust legal authorities. Manage positive cash flow.
9:05-9:10 a.m.	Log in to next session
9:10-10 a.m.	Post SB 346 - Cut to the Chase Mr. David Slayton, Administrative Director, Office of Court Administration At the conclusion of this session, participants should be able to: Identify major changes created by Senate Bill 346. Ensure proper fines and fees are assessed and reported. Incorporate appropriate steps into audit process to ensure compliance.
10-10:15 a.m.	Break
10:15-11:10 a.m.	Auditing for Dummies (One Step at a Time) Mr. Randall Rice, CPA, Galveston County Auditor At the conclusion of this session, participants should be able to: Identify required audits. Locate existing audit programs. Employ three strategies to effectively communicate audit processes and results with audited officials.
11:10-11:15 a.m.	Log in to next session
11:15 a.m.-12:35 p.m.	Economic Update Dr. William Chittenden, Associate Professor of Finance and Economics, Texas State University At the conclusion of this session, participants should be able to: Describe growth prospects for Texas. Identify issues that the Federal Reserve faces. Recognize problems in the labor market. List inflation conditions in Texas.
12:35-1:30 p.m.	Lunch
1:30-2:20 p.m.	Open Government-Open Records Ms. Holly Lytle, Division-Unit Chief, El Paso County At the conclusion of this session, participants should be able to: Understand the importance of transparency. Explore the complexities of open records requests. Know the statutory requirements for open records requests.
2:20-2:30 p.m.	Log in to next session
2:30-3:20 p.m.	Legislative Panel-Preparing for the 87th Legislature Ms. Kris Klein, Guadalupe County Auditor Mr. Chuck Rice, Consultant, The Chuck Rice Group Mr. Paul Sugg, Legislative Manager, Texas Association of Counties (TAC) At the conclusion of this session, participants should be able to: Effectively communicate with district judges about potential legislation using information from ACA. Determine appropriate action during the next legislative session.
Wednesday, Oct. 21
8-8:15 a.m.	Welcome Hon. Linda Chew, Administrative District Judge, 327^th District Court, El Paso County Hon. Ricardo Samaniego, El Paso County Judge
8:15-8:20 a.m.	Log in to next session
8:20-10 a.m.	How to Conduct an HR Audit Ms. Lorie Floyd, Human Resources Consultant, TAC At the conclusion of this session, participants should know: What HR risk audits are. The benefits of such audits. The types of HR risk audits. The tools to conduct them.
10-10:15 a.m.	Break
10:15-11:55 a.m.	Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) Update Mr. Alan Bowers, CPA, Carr, Riggs & Ingram, LLC At the conclusion of this session, participants should be able to: Determine new potential changes to accounting standards. Implement changes to comply with GASB requirements.
11:55 a.m.-1 p.m.	Lunch
1-1:30 p.m.	Business Meeting Download a copy of the reports here.
1:30-1:35 p.m.	Log in to next session
1:35-2:50 p.m.	Falsification of Government Documents Mr. Edmundo Calderon, City of El Paso Auditor At the conclusion of this session, participants should be able to: Identify the impacts of fraud within an organization. Recognize safeguards to detect and deter fraud. Access examples of solid fraud policies. Identify high risk areas for fraud within an organization.
2:50-3:05 p.m.	Break
3:05-4:20 p.m.	Cybersecurity Case Study – The Phishing Attack Mr. Edmundo Calderon, City of El Paso Auditor At the conclusion of this session, participants should be able to: Recognize red flags in order to prevent a breach. Specify information technology and auditor roles.
Thursday, Oct. 22
8:35-9 a.m.	Acknowledgements and Awards Ms. Karon Kantor, Randall County Auditor
9:00-9:05 a.m.	Log in to next session
9:05-10:25 a.m.	Basics of Purchasing Ms. Debra Carrejo-Trull, El Paso County Purchasing Agent At the conclusion of this session, participants should be able to: Identify statutes that pertain to purchasing, including sole source and exemptions. Determine when quotes, bids, requests for proposals (RFP) or qualifications are required. Apply the proper procedures to requisition and procure purchases.
10:25-10:40 a.m.	Break
10:40-11:30 a.m.	District Judge’s Perspective of the County Auditor Role Hon. Linda Chew, Administrative District Judge, 327th District Court, El Paso County Hon. Maria Salas-Mendoza, State District Judge, 120th District Court, El Paso County Mr. Edward Dion, CPA, El Paso County Auditor At the conclusion of this session, participants should be able to: Summarize how district judges define their relationship with the county auditor. Explain what a district judge expects of a county auditor.
11:30-11:35 a.m.	Log in to next session
11:35 a.m.-12:25 a.m.	The Purchasing Toolbox Ms. Debra Carrejo-Trull, El Paso County Purchasing Agent At the conclusion of this session, participants should be able to: Detail the various methods and processes available to purchasing agents to meet end-user needs. Determine when the various methods may not hold the best option. Gain a broad view of procurement decisions made in each project, large or small, and how these decisions tie to the basics of purchasing and statutory requirements.
12:25-1:25 p.m.	Lunch
1:25-2:15 p.m.	Professionalism, Diversity and Valuing the Differences in the Workplace Mr. J. Mark Warren, Training Consultant, TAC At the conclusion of this session, participants should be able to: Recall and discuss at least three of the six characteristics of professionalism and customize the “5 Ways of Being.” Discuss the origin and essence of the “second mile” as it relates to professionalism. Define a “convention for courtesy” and discuss its impact on cross-cultural relationships with at least two specific examples. Define “implicit bias” and cite two forming influences. Name at least one takeaway for the lessons of geese and its impact on any team.
2:15-2:20 p.m.	Log in to next session
2:20-3:10 p.m.	TCDRS: Impact on Counties Ms. Amy Campbell, Manager of Employer Services, Texas County & District Retirement System At the conclusion of this session, participants should be able to: Identify how changes in TCDRS will affect a county. Make more informed decisions on funding.
3:10-3:25 p.m.	Break
3:25-5:05 p.m.	Electronic Records Retention Ms. Joslyn Ceasar, Government Information Analyst, Texas State Library and Archives Commission Mr. Andrew M. Glass, CRA, MSIS, Government Information Analyst III, Texas State Library and Archives Commission At the conclusion of this session, participants should be able to: Apply fundamental records retention principles to the management of electronic records. Meet the requirements of the Local Government Records Act and electronic records standards. Understand challenges of long-term preservation of electronic records and determine appropriate methods for ensuring access. Learn how to identify essential records within your office. Discuss and understand mitigation strategies to protect records. Familiarize with steps to take following a disaster or when damage occurs.
5:05 p.m.	Closing Remarks Ms. Karon Kantor, Randall County Auditor Ms. Melissa Jeter, Houston County Auditor

Upon approval, the number of continuing education hours will be posted. Please check back often for updates.

Continuing Education Type	Hours
County Auditors	21

Continuing Education Forms and Event Polls

Obtain credit by completing a continuing education form and returning it to the TACA education chair, Ms. Melissa Jeter, by email, mjeter@co.houston.tx.us, or fax, (936) 544-3260.

Continuing education credit is granted only to sessions that you watch live and complete the corresponding polls for during the sessions.

Important: We will issue polls throughout the presentations to measure engagement for attendees claiming hours. We will not use code words for this event — only polls — so please stay active during the sessions. Moderating staff will announce when the polls are available through the chat. Expect at least three polls per session.

Virtual Conference Cancellation

Conference fees are fully transferable to other participants, upon request. All conference registration refund requests must be received in writing before Oct. 1 to receive a full refund. Please send an email to Sam Burke at samb@county.org or fax notice of your cancellation to (512) 477-1324.

Hotel Cancellation

Wyndham El Paso Airport

If you are not booked at this hotel, you are responsible for canceling your reservation. We encourage you to call he hotel to double check your cancellation has been arranged.

The virtual conference will not have a virtual exhibit hall. If you registered as a sponsor or vendor for the in-person conference in El Paso, please contact Wood County Auditor Terri Sellars at (903) 763-2921.

Presentations and Handouts will be available Friday, Oct. 16.