Help Shape Issues at the State Level
By Calhoun County Commissioner Neil Fritsch, Newly Elected Second Vice President of the South Texas County Judges and Commissioners Association
I would like to say that it is an honor and privilege to have been elected to serve as an officer in the South Texas County Judges and Commissioners Association. I appreciate the confidence placed in me, and I look forward to working with you and the other officers in addressing the mutual concerns of all commissioners and judges.
I have been a Calhoun County commissioner for five-plus years, and I look forward to dedicating many more years to public service. I enjoy my job, and I work with a commissioners court that can disagree on some issues, but works together as a team for the best interests of our constituents. I am a 2008 graduate of the V.G. Young Institute of County Government Leadership Academy, where I learned how we can work together at all levels of government for the betterment of the people we all serve.
I am married to Gloria Minjares Fritsch, my best friend for more than 43 years, and I am grateful that she supports my desire to serve the public. We raised two beautiful children, Norma, a Texas A&M graduate, and Edward, who passed away in 1989. We also have a canine daughter, Petunia, and a granddog, Hurricane. Both are spoiled-rotten miniature dachshunds.
We are serving in very interesting and trying times. By now everyone has been suffering with heartburn over their budgets for 2011; it was quite a balancing act to provide the services that everyone expects and also treat the employees fairly for the jobs they do, all without raising taxes. However, the relief may be short-lived when the Texas Legislature meets again in January to address critical issues. For example, the state projects a $15 billion-$18 billion shortfall for the next biennium. Any cuts in the state budget will have a direct impact on county programs, which will place additional demands on counties; some of these cuts could have an impact on federal matching funds. As we struggle to do more with less, we need to remind our legislators to keep an open mind regarding the proper balance between budget cuts and revenue revisions to meet the state’s responsibility. We need to remain diligent; as legislators look for ways to cut spending, they could be tempted to pass unfunded mandates down to the local governments.
There are many other issues that we can help shape by developing and maintaining a good relationship with our legislators and their staff. We need to communicate our concerns to them and present the facts to them so they can have the input they need to make good decisions. Don’t be disappointed if you can’t get a meeting with your legislator and are told that you will need to see a staff member. They are eager to help you, and they have influence with the legislators. These relationships need to be formed sooner than later, rather than just when you need them. Keep an open dialog with their office about your local concerns and your statewide concerns. Some of the other issues that could be discussed are appraisal caps and revenue caps, under-valuation of oil and gas properties, state-imposed property tax increases, and federal funding for indigent health care.
Remember, we are all looking for the same results – the best results for our citizens. While we are all different, we all share some common challenges and concerns. Together we must communicate our concerns to our state legislators and help educate them so that they understand how counties will be impacted by their actions. We need to remember that we don’t know how to do their job, so they probably don’t understand ours, either. The more we put into our efforts, the better the results will be. When everyone works together, we can make this great state even better.