What We Can Learn From Our Friends in the Sunshine State By Julie Anderson Editor Consider the following visionary declarations taken directly from the websites of two of our nation’s counties: MISSION STATEMENT: The purpose of ______________ County government is to be responsive to citizens in providing an appropriate level of accessible […]
Special Jail Section
TEXAS INDIGENT DEFENSE COMMISSION TIDC Awards Grant to Fund Public Defender Program in Willacy County On Aug. 21, the Texas Indigent Defense Commission (TIDC or Commission) awarded a two year grant for $313,308 to provide funding for the Willacy County Public Defender Office (WPDO). Willacy County is currently facing a financial crisis due to […]
Government Shutdown & County Effects
What impact does the partial shutdown of the federal government have on Texas Counties? We asked Penny Redington, executive director of the Texas Association of Regional Councils, to share her thoughts on the county connection: “What we are hearing today from federal and state agencies is some degree of reassurance that service delivery and provider […]
Extra Funding Means New Equipment for State 9-1-1 System
By Todd Wiseman and Aman Batheja The Texas Tribune | texastribune.org From a small room in a police station halfway between Austin and College Station, Monica Baxter answers a phone with “9-1-1” written on the receiver. A nearby computer screen springs to life, displaying data based on the caller’s phone number. Another shows a map […]
Emergency Services Agency Has Cash it Can’t Spend
The agency that oversees the state’s 911 system and poison control centers has both too much money and not nearly enough. What’s more, every Texan with a phone is paying to keep it that way. State budget writers have plans to allocate around $110 million to the Commission on State Emergency Communications (CSEC). Agency officials […]
