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Lottery commission chooses new ED

The Texas Lottery Commission has a new leader. Commissioners decided this morning that Houston attorney Anthony J. Sadberry, who was a lottery commissioner for seven years, will be the lottery's interim executive director. Sadberry resigned as commissioner in 2000. He will replace Reagan Greer, who resigned as the head of the lottery commission in July amid media attention and legislative hearings concerning false advertising of Lotto Texas jackpot amounts during the past two and a half years.

DIR, Texas Association of HUBs to collaborate
Partnership to break down barriers to doing business with state

The Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR) and the Texas Association of HUBs (Historically Underutilized Businesses) have launched a new initiative expanding their commitment to partnership and promoting mutual opportunities in Texas. The collaboration agreement facilitates increased communication and cooperation between HUB companies and the state through several important new and existing technology initiatives. The agreement establishes a HUB advisory board and expands communication channels between HUBs and the public sector.

Royce West

"This is the type of collaboration we envisioned when we worked through the legislature to establish Texas' HUB program some 10 years ago," said Sen. Royce West of Dallas. "It helps to level the playing field when it comes to state procurement opportunities and further breaks down barriers to doing business with the state."

DIR has become a critical resource for government entities by negotiating cooperative contracts with HUBs and other technology vendors. State agencies, local governments, universities, and school districts use cooperative contracts to buy technology products and services, greatly reducing their negotiation effort and creating significant economies of scale. Businesses can contract with a single agency and have access to thousands of potential public sector customers around Texas. About 51 percent of the DIR cooperative contracts are either directly with HUBs or have a HUB reseller option. DIR is forecasting that its customers will purchase more than $725 million through cooperative contracts in FY 2006, said DIR Executive Director Larry Olson.


TBPC adopts rules to replace "135-square-foot rule"

Bob Jones

The Texas Building and Procurement Commission (TBPC) has formally done away with the so-called "135-square-foot rule," which called for most state agencies to have no more than an average of 135 square feet of office space per each full-time employee. The rule, which many agencies deemed too constraining, was changed -- pursuant to recent legislation -- by the TBPC in late December . The effort was spearheaded largely by TBPC Commissioner Bob Jones (pictured), who chairs the subcommittee on facilities.

"The new space allocation rules that have been adopted by the commission are consistent with the private sector and best industry practices," said Edward Johnson, TBPC's Director of Legislative Affairs. "TBPC will be able to work with each state agency to ensure they have the amount of space and type of space that they need to do their job."


Panel urges Dallas County to replace Parkland hospital
UT Southwestern planning 600-bed hospital next door

Parkland

An advisory panel agreed this week that Parkland Memorial Hospital needs to be replaced with new medical facilities. The 51-year-old hospital has become too outdated and overcrowded, members said. After the unanimous vote, Parkland officials were asked to come up with replacement options that the 13-member group could consider. The panel, which was appointed by the Dallas County Commissioners Court, will make recommendations to Parkland's board of managers later this year.

Such plans could include a proposal for a new 800- to 1,000-bed inpatient facility as well as one for a smaller central hospital with satellite inpatient facilities to handle trauma care and obstetric patients. Another possible plan could call for reusing a portion of the old hospital building for specialized medicine such as rehabilitation or long-term care. Any plan to replace the county hospital would have to be approved by Parkland's board, the county commissioners and, probably, Dallas County residents, who would be asked to approve a bond sale to cover the costs. Previous estimates have priced a new hospital above $1 billion.

In related news, UT Southwestern Medical Center has a long-range plan to build a new 600-bed hospital near Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas. Dr. Kern Wildenthal, UT Southwestern's president, said the medical center's new facility would not affect Parkland's development plans.


Port of Corpus Christi picks planning panel for Ingleside

Port of Corpus Christi commissioners have put together a panel of elected and business leaders to help decide how to redevelop the 922-acre Naval Station Ingleside after the Navy leaves.

The group, named the Coastal Bend Redevelopment Planning Committee, is comprised of: San Patricio County Judge Terry Simpson, Nueces County Judge Terry Shamsie, Ingleside Mayor Gene Stewart, Corpus Christi Mayor Henry Garrett, CEO/President of the Corpus Christi Regional Economic Development Corporation Roland Mower, CEO/President of the Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce Terry Carter, DuPont Plant Manager Tony Eichstadt, Port Commissioners Judy Hawley and Mike Carrell, District 32 state Rep. Gene Seaman and District 33 state Rep. Vilma Luna.

The formation of the committee, which is not designated as a Local Redevelopment Authority (LRA), does not extinguish the Nueces County Commissioners Court's quest to be declared the LRA, which would be a gatekeeper for potentially millions of dollars in federal funding for redevelopment projects and planning.


Lens on Government: States' Revenues are Booming
By Len Riley, Strategic Partnerships

Len Riley

Three recently published reports come to the same conclusion: State revenues across the nation are exceeding expectations.

Since most financial reporting is based on fiscal years (FY), readers are reminded that Texas is the only state with a September 1 to August 31st fiscal year. 46 states account from July 1 through June 30th; Alabama and Michigan run from October 1 to September 30th; and New York's fiscal year is from April 1 through March 31st. Therefore, state comparisons have slight differences in annual time periods. All 50 states are currently in their FY 2006, however.

Click here to read the rest of the article.


Carroll school district seeks $44M in bonds

The Carroll Independent School District near Fort Worth is asking residents to pass two bond propositions next month totaling $44 million.

The proposal is split into two propositions: $24.5 million for renovations and additions and $19.5 million for technology. If both are approved, Carroll High School would be expanded, every campus in the 7,500-student district would be equipped with security cameras and electronic key systems, every elementary school classroom would receive a digital camera and every teacher would receive a laptop computer. Early voting runs Jan.18-31. The referendum is Feb. 4.


Spring ISD to spend $26.7M on new schools, repairs

The Spring school district board near Houston approved the issuance of $26.7 million in schoolhouse bonds this week. The funds will be used primarily for construction of Lewis and McNabb elementary schools, Bailey Middle School, the new Wunsche High School and Andy DeKaney High School. All are scheduled to open in August 2006, except DeKaney High, which will open in August 2007. The issuance represents the fifth and final installment from the September 2003 bond election, said Stuart Snow, assistant superintendent of business and financial services.


HHS sending $5.8M to Texas for flu fight

As part of President Bush's plan to mobilize the nation to prepare for an influenza pandemic, Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt this week announced $100 million in funding for state and local preparedness. More than $5.8 million is earmarked for Texas.

The state and municipalities will use these funds to accelerate and intensify current planning efforts for pandemic influenza and to exercise their plans. The focus is on practical, community-based procedures that could prevent or delay the spread of pandemic influenza, and help to reduce the burden of illness communities would contend with during an outbreak.


For $21M, Houston will put parking under park

Houston's City Council has agreed to build an approximately 630-car underground parking garage directly across from the George R. Brown Convention Center, below the future site of a 12-acre downtown park. More than $21 million was appropriated from the Convention & Entertainment Facilities Department and agreements were approved between the city, the Houston Downtown Park Conservancy and the Houston Downtown Park Corp. to facilitate the design and construction of the garage.


Dallas to give green light to red-light cameras

The Dallas City Council is on the verge of approving cameras at traffic lights to catch red-light runners. Council members are scheduled to meet next week to authorize bidding for the cameras. They could start recording Dallas' traffic infractions in eight months, officials said.

On a related note, many city officials across the state are pleased that the Texas Department of Transportation is seeking a legal opinion on installing red-light cameras along state highways. On Dec. 20, Michael Behrens, executive director of the state Transportation Department, asked state Attorney General Greg Abbott for an opinion on whether the agency can place cameras on state rights of way or allow cities to do so.


East Texas COG to form transit steering committee

A 29-member steering committee that will develop a transit plan for 14 counties in East Texas will be selected later this month. Mark Sweeney, director of regional development and services for the East Texas Council of Governments, said the plan will be a grassroots, comprehensive effort aimed at improving and expanding transit services for small urban areas, like Longview and Tyler, as well as rural areas.

The steering committee will begin meeting in February and complete its plan late this year. Sweeney said the completed plan will be presented to the Texas Commission on Transportation. After it is reviewed and approved, the plan will become the region's blueprint for transit services.


William Peterson

Plano fire chief leaves for FEMA post

Plano Fire Chief William Peterson is stepping down to become a regional director for the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Peterson, who led the city's response efforts for hurricane evacuees, is to be the new director for FEMA's Region VI, which is based in Denton and includes Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana.


Texarkana schools move ahead on building projects

The Texarkana, Arkansas School District Board of Education has decided to move forward on a round of building projects. The district is currently building a new high school to augment the current one, and is talking to vendors that can furnish it to the tune of $500,000 to $600,000. Also on the drawing board is a new administration building and several renovation projects. Also this week, the board finalized the district's 10-year facilities master plan.


Head of Corpus Christi schools heading to Round Rock

Chavez

Jesús Chávez, who has headed the Corpus Christi school district for the past five years, will start as superintendent of Round Rock schools Feb. 1. Round Rock school trustees this week hired Chávez to steer their 37,700-student district through a year that will include a bond proposal to build new schools in the rapidly growing district north of Austin. Round Rock residents voted down the district's last proposal in 2005.


Greater Houston Partnership launches $30M economic development initiative

The Greater Houston Partnership hopes to raise $30 million in contributions from corporations, individuals, and foundations over the next five years to fund a new program that will attempt to attract 600,000 new jobs and $61 billion in new capital investment to Houston by the end of 2015.

McLane

The program, Opportunity Houston, is modeled after a similar initiative undertaken by the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce dubbed Opportunity Austin. That project has raised $15 million toward economic development efforts. Houston Astros owner Drayton McLane (pictured) has signed on to lead the fundraising efforts. Jeff Moseley, Greater Houston Partnership President and CEO, moved to Houston from Austin just six months ago after leading the State of Texas' economic development and tourism efforts.


Members of Health and Human Services Council named

Gov. Rick Perry has appointed one new member to the Health and Human Services Council and reappointed three other members. The nine-member council assists the Health and Human Services executive commissioner in developing rules and policies for HHSC.

Gov. Perry appointed Dr. Fernando Trevińo of Southlake to the council to replace Gwen Shea, who resigned. Dr. Trevińo is dean of the School of Public Health at the University of North Texas Health Science Center The governor also reappointed Kathleen Angel of Austin, Maryann Choi of Georgetown and Robert Valadez of San Antonio to the council. Their new terms run through Feb. 1, 2011.


Plano ponders building a veterans memorial

Veterans and community leaders in Plano have begun meeting to get community input on the design of a veterans memorial for Memorial Park. Money for general park improvements and the memorial were approved in Plano's May bond election. Portions of the funding will go toward creating additional parking, installing restroom facilities and additional lighting and controlling the erosion of Spring Creek's banks. Additional money will be used in creating landscaping and implementing ideas brought forward by the community. The Plano City Council allocated $40,000 for the design and creation of the memorial's art element.


San Marcos secures spot on commuter rail district

Thomaides

San Marcos City Councilman John Thomaides has been appointed to represent San Marcos on the Austin-San Antonio Commuter Rail District board of directors. In December, the San Marcos City Council allocated $49,500 to join the Commuter Rail District , which was authorized by the Texas Legislature in 2003 to explore the feasibility of commuter rail between Georgetown and San Antonio. Travis and Bexar Counties and the cities of Austin and San Antonio initiated the creation of the district.


Head of hurricane reconstruction seeks local input

Donald Powell, former chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation recently appointed by President Bush to lead the federal government's efforts to rebuild after hurricanes Katrina and Rita, is seeking input from officials on the frontlines of the disaster. Powell said he is relying heavily on direction from governors' offices to city councils to business and neighborhood coalitions so he can bring their wish lists to Bush and Congress. So far the federal government has allocated $62 billion to the rebuilding effort, but many local officials along the Gulf Coast - some of whom are still concerned with clearing debris - said there is still much more to be done.


New Leadership at A&M Real Estate Center

Maler

Gary Maler has been appointed interim director of the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University, the nation's largest publicly funded real estate research organization. R. Malcolm Richards, director of the Center since 1995, left his position Jan. 1 to assume the deanship of the School of Business and Management at the American University of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. Maler has been with the university 27 years and has been the center's associate director since 1991.


Houston airports to receive new radar system

The Houston Airport System announced that its two commercial airports - George Bush Intercontinental Airport and William P. Hobby Airport - will be the first in the nation to receive the sophisticated new perimeter and intrusion detection system known as Radar Video Surveillance (RVS), which can track moving targets on the ground. Installation is set to begin this month, and will take approximately six to eight months to be completed.


Higher ed chief joins Hispanic group's board

Paredes

Raymund Paredes, the Texas commissioner of higher education, joined the Hispanic Scholarship Consortium's board of directors. Founded in 2004, the Scholarship Consortium is a group of organizations dedicated to increasing the enrollment of Central Texas Hispanic students in higher education. Before becoming commissioner of higher education, Paredes was vice president for programs at the Hispanic Scholarship Fund.

"Given demographic trends in Texas, improving Hispanic educational attainment, especially college completion rates, is key to the future well-being of Texas and the United States," Paredes says. "Philanthropies like the Hispanic Scholarship Consortium, organized by private citizens who care deeply about the future of this state and country, will play a critical role in expanding educational opportunities for Hispanics and others."


ONLINE POLL

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Projects in the pipeline

Mary Scott Nabers

By Mary Scott Nabers, CEO of Strategic Partnerships, Inc.

SPI's Research Division is constantly scouring the state for business opportunities in the public sector and uncovers dozens every day. Here are this week's hot opportunities:

  • Travis County plans to spend $1.4 million on PCs and notebook computers this year;
  • The City of Keller is planning to build an $8.5 million, 37,000 square-foot library;
  • Texas Guaranteed Student Loan Corp. is seeking vendors that can provide an outbound telephone calling system that can leave personalized messages;
  • The University of Texas at San Antonio is looking for a company that can inspect campus sewer systems; and
  • The University of North Texas is taking proposals for video equipment for its labs.

Speaker names Hernandez to standing committees

Speaker Tom Craddick has appointmented Rep. Ana Hernandez of Houston to the Border and International Affairs Committee and the Juvenile Justice and Family Issues Committee. Hernandez will be filling the committee assignments formerly held by the late Rep. Joe Moreno of House District 143. She was elected as State Representative to that district in a special election last month.


Lubbock considers getting into natural gas business

Striving to secure lower gas rates for residents, the Lubbock City Council voted unanimously Thursday to look into whether city-owned Lubbock Power & Light could provide natural gas to residents. Mayor Pro Tem Tom Martin, who proposed the idea, said competition is sorely needed in the area. Many residents question recent rate increases by the only private gas company that services Lubbock.


Fort Bend economic group shuffles leaders

Jeffrey C. Wiley has been appointed president of the Greater Fort Bend Economic Development Council, effective Jan. 11. He replaces Herb Appel, who has served as the organization's president since its inception in 1986. Appel has been appointed as the council's CEO.


Round Rock chamber loses ED chief

Scott Martinez, who has led the Round Rock Chamber of Commerce's economic development efforts and helped lure employers such as IKEA and Convergys Corp. to the Austin suburb, has accepted the top post at Mississippi's Vicksburg-Warren Community Alliance Inc.


FEMA closes Austin center

Nearly four months after it opened following hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the Federal Emergency Management Agency closed its Austin disaster recovery center this week. The center provided services to more than 9,100 Katrina and Rita victims. FEMA and the state of Texas will continue to operate five disaster recovery centers in Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, Orange and Beaumont.


Texas economy to be strong in 2006

The Texas economy is positioned to perform well in the New Year, according to a new forecast from the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University. The center cites positive trends in interest rates, personal income, employment and home prices in its report.


ER docs give Texas a mediocre grade

Texas scored just short of failing on access to emergency care but got top marks for its work on medical liability law on the first report card grading the nation's emergency medical system. The state earned an overall grade of C and ranked 21st in the nation on the American College of Emergency Physicians' state-by-state analysis released this week. Emergency services nationwide got a grade of C-.


Ask the experts

Q: Help! There are millions of dollars in grant funds that route through state agencies but the grants are handed out to local government or non-profits. As a business, how can I can get in this loop?

Susan Bryant

A:It's true that grant monies are often "passed through" state agencies to local government or public service organizations. Every grant program also operates differently under different time frames. But there are some things you can do to take advantage of the availability of these funds.
One, you can go to the State and Local Bid Opportunities section of Texas Online to find some of the grant programs that are available. The Governor's Office has been working to get all state agencies to post their grant information in one location. It has a ways to go, but more and more agencies are participating in this cooperative effort. If you want to focus on a particular region of the state, then one option is to contact your regional Council of Government. There are 24 COGs which do bulk purchasing and contract for various services on behalf of the governmental entities in their area of the state. Click here to find the one nearest you.

-Susan Bryant, senior consultant at
Strategic Partnerships, Inc.

Have a question for one of our government affairs experts?
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Procurement articles online

Click here to view recent articles on government procurement authored by Mary Scott Nabers, president and CEO of Strategic Partnerships Inc., and published in the Austin Business Journal and Houston Business Journal.

[Editor's note: Mary Scott Nabers' procurement columns run regularly in the Austin Business Journal, Houston Business Journal, San Antonio Business Journal and the Dallas Business Journal]



Event Links

HUB Forums in January

Law Enforcement Regional Workshops - 1/10/06-3/8/06

Integrating Justice Information Across Texas Government - 1/24/06

2006 Courts & Local Government Technology Conference - 1/31/06-2/2/06

DIR's Internet Security Conference

TCEQ's Environmental Trade Fair and Conference - 5/9/06-5/11/06

Texas Government Insider Archives

Volume 1, 2, 3 and 4 Archives - 11/7/03 - 1/6/06

Resources

Texas Fact Book '06-'07 -New!

LBB's Fiscal Size-up '06-'07-New!

2005 State Strategic Plan for Information Resources Management-New!

SAO report on full-time state employees for fiscal 2005

Texas Human Resources Management Statutes Inventory

TBPC Vendor Guide

State Budget Resources

HUB Forms Library

State Contract Management Guide

State Procurement Manual

Who Represents Me? Texas Districts By Address

Diagram of Texas' Biennial Budget Cycle


Strategic Partnerships adding more local government experts

Strategic Partnerships, Inc., is seeking additional local government affiliates in metropolitan areas of the state outside of Austin.

The ideal candidate, which will work on a part-time basis, will have spent at least 10 years working in and around local government.

Candidates should have an extensive knowledge of local government political, budgetary and procurement processes, and should have actively participated in development and oversight of major RFPs or proposal responses.

SPI's affiliates serve as the point person for a team that delivers to clients services that include strategy, research, positioning and the presentation of unique opportunities.

Click here for a job description. Applicants may send a cover letter and resume to pmaugham@spartnerships.com.

Trans-Texas Corridor meetings

The Trans-Texas Corridor (TTC) has solidified 2006 meeting dates for its advisory committee. The first meeting takes place on January 25. All meetings will be held at TxDOT's Riverside Annex in Austin. Click here for the meeting schedule.


TxDOT workshop on public-private partnerships

The Texas Department of Transportation is rolling out to the private sector its long-term approach for using comprehensive development agreements (CDAs) for innovative project development and for identifying new opportunities for public-private partnering. Anyone interested in Texas' program to address mobility issues through innovative project delivery and funding methods are invited to attend a workshop in Austin on January 17. Click here for details.