Legislative Session examined important issues to counties

It was wonderful to see so many of you at our annual Legislative Conference in September. Did you realize that your presence broke attendance records for this event?

Many of you engaged in important discussions during the conference, sharing your views and ideas with presenters, your peers, legislators and other state officials. That exchange is exactly what we aim to facilitate and I’m glad you took advantage of every opportunity.

For those of you who couldn't make it to Austin, you can find many of the presentation slides on our website under the "Education" tab, under "Event Presentations." Also, keep an eye out for wrap-up coverage of several sessions in your November-December issue of County.  Those stories will also be posted online in December. In addition, each attendee received a copy of our 2019 Legislative Analysis Report. You can read the report at www.county.org/lar and search its database.

During the Legislative Conference Opening Session, we introduced Michael Pichinson as TAC's the new Director of TAC's Legislative Services Department. He brings a wealth of county and legislative experience to the role. Michael joined TAC in 2011 as an associate general counsel and has been involved in TAC’s legislative efforts for the past five sessions. He also served as assistant county attorney in Liberty County from 1996 to 2004. Michael worked as general counsel for the Texas Conference of Urban Counties (CUC) and Public Power Pool for several years, and was legislative liaison on the CUC legislative team for two sessions.

We were excited to host the president and executive director of the National Association of Counties (NACo) at the conference and are looking forward to strengthening our collaboration with NACo for the benefit of Texas counties.

Now, looking ahead at our fall calendar (I wish Texas weather would catch up to the calendar!): This fall, we offer plenty of opportunities to connect and learn. Coming up soon, our staff will hold a Legislative Exchange on Oct. 22 in Corpus Christi to hear what you and your county are concerned about.

Our Pool Regional Workshops continue with remaining events scheduled Oct. 23 in Abilene, Oct. 30 in Lubbock and Nov. 13 in College Station. Also in College Station on Nov. 20-22, will be our Fall Judicial Education Session.

Looking even further ahead, TAC's strategic planning work continues. TAC staff are participating on five Task Forces charged with achieving strategic goals for the organization. The TAC Board is working on its two-year strategic plan. I detailed these goals and plans in my July Executive Director's Report and will be sharing updates on their progress in future reports.

Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions about our strategic planning process or if we can be of any assistance. We're here to serve you as you serve Texans.