An ambulance desert is defined as an area in which people are more than 25 minutes from an ambulance station. According to a national study and related research report, “Geographic Disparities in the Provision of Ambulance Services,” 94.9 percent of Texas counties include an ambulance desert. The data, released in May 2023, also indicated that Texas has the third-highest … [Read more...] about Resolution Spotlight: Rural Ambulance Funding
CJCAT
Significant Legislative Activity
With a total of 8,898 bills and joint resolutions filed, the legislative session will definitely include numerous bills with significant effect on counties. Bills often undergo major changes as they progress through the committee and floor process. To receive timely updates, please monitor the Texas Association of Counties listserv. Under Section 5, Article III, Texas … [Read more...] about Significant Legislative Activity
Budget Process Requires Careful Planning
This is the time of year when counties usually begin the budget planning process, which includes informing the public. Most counties are on a fiscal year budget, which is from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30 of the following year; there are a few that are on a calendar year budget from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31. My article will focus more on the fiscal year. Texas counties must adhere to various … [Read more...] about Budget Process Requires Careful Planning
Significant Legislation – 89th Texas Legislature
With over 5,000 bills currently filed, the legislative session will definitely include numerous bills with significant effect on counties. Bills often undergo major changes as they progress through the committee and floor process. To receive timely updates on significant bills, please monitor the Texas Association of Counties listserv. Under Section 5, Article III, Texas … [Read more...] about Significant Legislation – 89th Texas Legislature
Resolution Spotlight
Mentally Incompetent Inmates
In many Texas counties, the county jail has become a de facto mental institution housing mentally ill inmates awaiting due process without their medications and/or life-sustaining therapies. Some 1,753 inmates in Texas county jails are awaiting transfer to state hospital beds, as reported by the Health and Human Services Commission to the Joint Committee on Access and … [Read more...] about Resolution Spotlight