Greetings, everyone, and Happy Fourth of July! Hope your summer is going
well, and I hope you will have an opportunity to take some time off to spend
with family and friends before the aggressive budget sessions begin. It’s already been a warm start to what is predicted to be a hot and dry several months. Rain is always in order for this time of year, and I pray we get some since the time is upon us for fireworks, picnics, and lots of wholesome fun as America celebrates its declaration of independence from Britain.
Our commissioners court recently heard from our fire marshal regarding the burn ban. Fortunately, because of the nice rain totals our area has received in the past six months, we have had our burn ban lifted for several months. Our drought index is 280 out of 800, which means our moisture conditions and content are good. The higher the drought index, the dryer conditions are and the higher the potential is for experiencing wildfires. Presently, the index is derived from ground-based estimates of temperature and precipitation derived from weather stations and inserted manually by experts at the Texas Forest Service for counties across our state. As of early June, 86 of our 254 counties were under a burn ban.
It was great to see some familiar faces in Galveston for the North & East Texas County Judges and Commissioners Association Conference. We had a great time, and the Galveston County Commissioners Court was a great host and did a fantastic job. The educational sessions were interesting and informative; one of the highlights for me was the inspirational breakfast. There was an illness in the initial presenter’s group, so Denton County Commissioner Bobbie Mitchell stepped up to the plate and did an absolutely wonderful job sharing the Good Word with us. Commissioner Mitchell is a colleague I had the fortunate opportunity and privilege to meet, and she has become a great friend and mentor. I’m one that believes we need to slow down and take more time to meet some of our friends in county government, and one place to do that is at our regional and state conferences. I challenge you to do just that at the next conference you attend, and who knows, you may make a great, life-long friend just as I have.
Friends, as it gets closer for the Legislature to reconvene in Austin, we must be prepared and ready, when called upon, to make those contacts with our representatives. I’ve been sharing a similar message with each Association as I have been traveling to different parts of our state and that is: “Even though this is an off-year for the Legislature, they are busy up in Austin getting ready for next year. First of all, you need to be commended for all the contacts you made last year. It really made a positive difference to county government. But, we are going to need your help again next year. So I hope that you will be ready to make those phone calls, send those e-mails and visit with your Legislators, because YOU REALLY DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE.” I hope this is something you truly believe, because standing together, united and with one voice, we really can have a positive impact in the outcome of what is handed down to us from the Capitol.
Thanks for your service!