77th Annual Texas Association of County Auditors Fall Conference

Welcome Reception and Cornhole Tournament at the Embassy Suites
Bring your A-game to compete in the TACA cornhole tourney. Sign-up here or on-site.

Sponsored by Patillo, Brown & Hill LLP

Night at the Denton Square
Denton County is proud to showcase the historic courthouse on the square. Attendees will also enjoy dinner and entertainment at another well-known Denton venue—LSA Burgers. Transportation will be available.

Sponsored by Indigent Healthcare Solutions

President's Banquet at the Denton County Courthouse
Don't miss out on this opportunity to see the new Denton County Courthouse and celebrate with the Jerry Ware Award and Denise Linch Award winners. Transportation will be available.

Entertainment: Big City Outlaws (band)

Investment Policy
Linda Patterson, President, Meeder Investment/Patterson Group

Every public and private organization needs an investment policy to ensure that its funds and assets are safe. Safety is the primary objective in public organizations, but the law and best practices tell us that the policy scope must include many other elements to protect liquidity needs and to utilize the funds to the entity’s best advantage. This session will look at all the necessary elements of a policy and explain why they are important, as well as how you can implement them effectively and efficiently.

Keynote: Communicating to Connect: Relating to Others and Communicating Ideas Effectively
Dr. Brian Richardson, Associate Professor and Department Chair for the Communication Studies Department, University of North Texas

In this presentation, Dr. Brian Richardson will highlight the critical role communication plays in building relationships, enhancing credibility and selling one’s ideas. He will offer insights and tips for communicating with impact.

Conflict Management: You've got style!
Dr. Brian Richardson, Associate Professor and Department Chair for the Communication Studies Department, University of North Texas

In this session, Dr. Brian Richardson will assist participants with understanding their conflict styles, how their styles affect conflict interactions, and additional critical conflict management tips.

Economic Update
Dr. William Chittenden, Associate Professor of Finance, Texas State University

This session will review the current state of the Texas and U.S. economies. Issues discussed will be the GDP, employment, price levels, interest rates and consumer confidence. At the end of this session, attendees should have a better understanding of the relationship between GDP growth and unemployment, as well as between interest rates and recessions. Attendees will also be able to make an informed judgment about the future direction of the U.S. and Texas economies.

Welcome Reception and Cornhole Tournament at the Embassy Suites
Bring your A-game to compete in the TACA cornhole tourney. Sign-up here or on-site.

Sponsored by Patillo, Brown & Hill LLP

Speedway Clinic
Dr. Matt Richardson, Director, Denton County Public Health
Eric Hutmacher, Director, Denton County Office of Emergency Management

Texas Motor Speedway served as the site where medical personnel from Denton County Public Health, the Medical Reserve Corps and area fire departments vaccinated an estimated 30,000 residents. Presenters will share insights on how this massive project became a reality. They credit the support from Texas Motor Speedway, various cities generously providing additional staffing, and staff from multiple Denton County departments working in unison to carry out this shared project.

COVID Grant Funding
Lansing Pedron, Grant Accounting Manager, Denton County

This session will provide an overview of current key topics for the CARES Act; American Rescue Plan Act; Emergency Rental Assistance 1&2; and FEMA COVID-19 public assistance.

Auditor's Office from a Legal Perspective
Hugh Coleman, Attorney, Hayes, Berry, White & Vanzant, LLP

Using his experience as a former Denton County commissioner and as an attorney, Mr. Coleman will share some insights from his legal perspective.

Becoming a Person of Influence – Are You Building Sandcastles, or a Lasting Legacy?
J. Mark Warren, Training Consultant, Texas Association of Counties

Becoming a Person of Influence is a foundational text for anyone who aspires to grow as a leader. Based on their 2014 book, Dr. John C. Maxwell and Jim Dornan spell out ten fundamental qualities that define influencers. The authors carefully point out that a person’s influence does not develop overnight, but rather through a progression of four stages: modeling, motivating, mentoring, and multiplying. Influence can be acquired, but it only grows in increments.

The good news is that no matter where you stand on the stairway of influence, there are learnable qualities to help you climb to the next step.

Tax Office Fraud Case
Janet Martin, County Auditor, Ellis County
Hon. William D. Wallace, District Judge, 378th District Court

"Why do you care about the bank accounts in the Tax Office? Those accounts aren't in your general ledger?" Because hiding in those unreconciled bank accounts was $2.1 million of county revenue, theft of $74,000, and payroll paid from the Special Inventory Tax bank account. The session will detail the process the Ellis County Auditor's Office used to rebuild, locate and ultimately prosecute the thefts.

Cybersecurity: A County Under Attack
Robert Ruiz, Associate Director of Risk Management Services, Texas Association of Counties

This session will present an overview of the current cyber threat landscape through the eyes of Lone Star county.  Attendees will see the story unfold and choose which course of action they think is best and see if Lone Star county can avoid a catastrophe.

So You Think You Want to Be a County Auditor?
Jeff May, County Auditor, Denton County
Carlos Pereda, County Auditor, Dimmit/Zavala County

The office of the county auditor has many responsibilities. Some county auditors make it look easy, but it isn’t always the case. In this interactive game-show-style session, attendees can test their knowledge, and they might even end up competing on the main stage.

Building A Culture of Appreciation
Debra Aiken, Ed.D., Training and Development Manager, Denton County

The concept of appreciation in the workplace is highly relevant to the development and sustainment of a positive working environment. Individuals at every level of an organization strongly desire to be appreciated and valued for who they are as individuals, as well as the contributions they make to the organization. This session provides a look into the different ways employees communicate appreciation and the power of communicating real, authentic appreciation, with the intended goal of building a culture of appreciation across the workforce.

Generational Differences in the Workplace
Debra Aiken, Ed.D., Training and Development Manager, Denton County

Today's workforce is incredibly diverse, and most effective organizations are seeking out the diversity represented by our multigenerational workforce. Rather than looking at a multigenerational workforce as a challenge, leaders should look at that workforce as a benefit. This session provides a look into some of the generational differences and potential obstacles, as well as ways to cultivate a successful multigenerational workforce and promote a productive multigenerational environment.

Budget Process for Subchapter A Counties
Ellen Friar, County Auditor, Ward County

This session is an overview of the budget process for subchapter A counties, and it will cover timelines and advertisements.

Legislative Update
Chuck Rice, Legislative Consultant, The Chuck Rice Group
Pete Winckler, Legislative Consultant, Texas Association of Counties

Sit in on this discussion of legislation and what we are doing to prepare for the 88th legislative session.

Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) Updates
Deborah Beams, Supervising Project Manager, GASB

An update from the Governmental Accounting Standards Board on its standard-setting activities. Topics will include recently issued pronouncements, current projects, pre-agenda research activities, and post-implementation review.

Creating a Positive Culture in the Courtroom
Ashley Cureton, M.Ed., CHES, HSMI,
Wellness Consultant, Texas Association of Counties

During this engaging and interactive session, attendees will learn the qualities needed to create a positive culture in the workplace; identify organizational culture, communication skills and styles; and learn ways to celebrate others in the workplace.

Let's Kahoot!
Jeff May, County Auditor, Denton County
Carlos Pereda, County Auditor, Dimmit/Zavala County

We are ending this learning fest with the ultimate pop quiz: Kahoot! Join in and test your knowledge for a chance to win a prize. Don’t forget to download the app on your smartphone.