Greetings! We are now in the last days of this the 2013 budget year. I hope your county’s budget will be an easy one for you. I have just received the Central Appraisal District taxable values, and we are down $726 million dollars in value; this equates to a $2.6 million loss in revenue to Johnson County. Our Commissioners Court will have a difficult budget this year. The decline is due to the loss in natural gas values. If I can give any advice to the counties that are receiving increases in your mineral values, it is this: Do not use it all in the maintenance and operations of your county. This increase is great when the tax rolls are going up, but not so good when they are decreasing in value. Good luck with your budgets this year.
This year the Johnson County Courthouse will be 100 years old. We will be having the Courthouse Centennial Celebration on Nov. 16. We are in the process of making plans for this historic event. Our Johnson County Historical Commission has volunteered to help. I would like to invite everyone to come and join us as we celebrate this event, which will start at 10 a.m. in the Commissioners Courtroom.
We will be conducting our CJCAT Annual State Conference at Moody Gardens Hotel in Galveston Oct. 7-10. For more information, please see page 22 of this issue.
I always try to end my “Letter from the President” with some quotes on leadership:
Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality. – Warren Bennis
A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way. – John Maxwell
Effective leadership is not about making speeches or being liked; leadership is defined by results not attributes. – Peter Drucker
A great leader’s courage to fulfill his vision comes from passion, not position. – John Maxwell
A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others. He does not set out to be a leader, but becomes one by the equality of his actions and the integrity of his intent. – Douglas MacArthur
Hope to see you in Galveston!