From the President

The Regular Session of the 80th Texas Legislature has adjourned “sine dei.” Unfortunately for me, I am writing this column during the first week of May. There are so many issues that I wish I could report on and write about, but I don’t know what happened in those last 25 or so days. Did we fight off appraisal caps and revenue caps? Did we have any unfunded mandates imposed upon us? Were there any changes to indigent health care? Did we get funding for the Courthouse Preservation Program? Did we get any funding for the May 12 special election? Will there be a special session? The questions could go on and on.
I can report to you that our general counsel, Jim Allison, is working long hours and late into the night at the Capitol. Jim is always ready to provide a member with an amendment to make proposed legislation county friendly. If we get reimbursement funding for the May 12 election, it will be due to Jim’s vigilance. I witnessed his efforts firsthand. Jim will have a lengthy report on the 80th Regular Session in the July issue of County Progress.
The Annual North and East Texas County Judges and Commissioners Association Conference is being held at the College Station Hilton June 3-6. Association President Charles Simmons, Nacogdoches County commissioner, and the other officers have put in a lot of hard work and effort to make the conference a success. They have also had to deal with some adversity as well, but they overcame. I always look forward to this conference, as the North and East is my home region.
Later this month, June 18-21, the South Texas County Judges and Commissioners Association will be holding its Annual Conference at the Omni Bayfront in Corpus Christi. Acting Association President Evan Gonzales, Lee County judge, and the South Texas officers have also put in a lot of hard work and effort in planning this conference. I know that this will also be an excellent meeting. Corpus Christi is such a wonderful city to visit, and there is always a big turnout at this location.
The state conference is well into the planning stage, and it is shaping up real well. The Annual Conference will be held in Galveston at the Moody Gardens Conference Center Sep. 24-27. The planning committee held a successful planning session at the hotel during April. The state officers are very pleased to have former Galveston County Commissioner Eddie Janek’s assistance in planning the conference. I hope everyone will make their plans to attend our state conference this year; it will be a good one.
Summer is here, school is out, and it’s vacation time. But wait, it’s also budget time for counties. Hopefully, the Legislature during those last 25 days I mentioned earlier did not hamper us too much. Also, East Texas counties with National Forest lands have lost significant funding from the federal government. As restoration of that funding is uncertain, this budget year may be particularly trying for those counties.
As the summer unfolds, I want to wish everyone safe and enjoyable vacations. Whether you want to or not, take a vacation! See you at the conferences.
Mark Evans