Feds sign off on private highway bonds

Texas to be first in nation to use new finance method for roads

The U.S. Department of Transportation this week approved a request by Texas officials to raise $1.8 billion in tax-exempt private activity bonds for work on State Highway 121 outside Dallas.

The approval makes Texas the first state in the nation to use private activity bonds, which allow private investors to use the proceeds of tax-exempt bonds for projects that improve public infrastructure. Until last year, the bonds could not be used for highways.

The Texas Department of Transportation can select a private investor to issue the tax-exempt bonds to build the highway with the understanding that the private company ultimately is responsible for the bonds, which it will repay with toll revenues.

The federal highway agency also announced it approved Texas for a $561 million loan that is part of the federal Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act. The loan request will give four private sector consortia expected to bid on the upcoming SH 121 the funds to build toll roads in Texas, which must be repaid with toll revenue, not state funds.

"One of our key goals is to reduce congestion and to do that we have made the strategic decision to use all available financial tools," said Ric Williamson, chairman of the Texas Transportation Commission. "We're laying the funding foundation to permit the private sector to invest in our mobility projects to accomplish that goal."

Legislation approved by Congress last year extended to highway projects the availability of tax-exempt bonds, reflecting a desire to increase private sector investment in U.S. transportation infrastructure. Providing private developers and operators with access to tax-exempt interest rates lowers the cost of capital significantly, enhancing investment prospects. Proponents say that increasing the involvement of private investors in highway and freight projects generates new sources of money, ideas and efficiency.

Texas is the first state to apply for the private activity bonds since they became eligible to finance highway projects.

TBPC names new deputy director

Edward Johnson, executive director of the Texas Building and Procurement Commission, announced this week the appointment of Skip Bartek (pictured, right) as deputy executive director of procurement. Bartek had been serving as interim deputy executive director.

Bartek began his career at TBPC as internal procurement manager, and was later given responsibility for two program areas -- statewide contracting and procurement strategy and policy.

Bartek has an extensive range of purchasing experience in the public and private sectors. Prior to joining the TBPC, he served as purchasing and textboook inventory manager for the Lockhart Independent School District. He also worked for New Global Telecom in Golden, Colo.

ERS, TRS seek more funds from state

Officials at Texas' two top public employee pension funds told lawmakers last week their plans will need to be shored up with additional financial backing.

In Texas this week, the Texas Senate State Affairs Committee heard testimony from officials at the Employees Retirement System and the Teacher Retirement System, who stressed that the funds are "financially solid." But neither would be able to fully amortize their unfunded liability over 31 years. To do so would require an infusion of funds from the legislature.

Past benefit increases, stock market losses in 2001 and 2002, and the lack of funding for the normal cost for 10 years, took its toll on the ERS, according to testimony from executive director Ann Fuelberg. Without an infusion of cash, the funded ratio is going to continue to slip.

Meanwhile, public pension funds are also coming to grips with a new accounting rule that calls for disclosure of the cost of promised health benefits to retirees. In Fort Worth, those rules will require the city to put more than $850 million in debt on the city's accounting ledger soon. That figure is almost $100 million more than was estimated a year ago, and it could continue climbing.

Other cities are also coming to grips with the size of the debt since the new accounting rule calls for disclosing the promised value of retiree benefits and the amount needed each year over the next three decades to meet the commitment.

To cope, some cities may consider cutting the benefits, raising taxes or both. The rule was created by the Connecticut-based Governmental Accounting Standards Board, whose mission is to establish accounting standards for local and state governments that can be useful to the public.

The committee also heard the results of a survey showing strong customer satisfaction with TRS. To view the full report, click here.

For the full report from ERS executive director Ann Fuelberg, click here.

Texas Tech names Hance chancellor finalist

The Texas Tech University System has chosen former U.S. Representative Kent Hance as the sole finalist for the chancellor position. He is a graduate of Texas Tech, and will become the system's third chancellor.

Hance, a registered lobbyist in Austin, has more than 25 years of legal experience and was involved in the presidential campaigns for former Presidents George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush. He plans to move to Lubbock after taking a leave of absence from his law practice at Hance & Scarborough.

He could be presented with an official contract as early as Nov. 8.

SA city manager announces reorganization

San Antonio City Manager Sheryl Sculley has named four individuals to lead reorganized city departments. They are:

Paula X. Stallcup, who will be director of the Downtown Operations Department, which will oversee major downtown city services and operations in parks and other venues.
Edward Belmares, the city's former budget manager, was named director of Innovation and Reform, a department tasked with improving the efficiency and effectiveness of city operations.
Michael Sawaya was appointed to oversee the Convention, Sports and Entertainment Facilities Department, which will be responsible for overall operations and maintenance of convention operations.
Shawn Eddy was named asset management director, supervising a department that will manage real estate projects, property, lease management and facility maintenance.

PVAMU will help improve national security

Prairie View A&M University was recently awarded a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Defense to conduct research and studies geared toward improving military global positioning systems (GPS) and control mechanisms.

The DOD plans to award 32 grants totaling $9.5 million to 31 minority institutions. Marking the final phase of the fiscal 2006 Department of Defense Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority Institutions Infrastructure Support Program, the grants will enhance programs and capabilities in scientific disciplines critical to national security.

Spearheaded by Cajetan M. Akujuobi, PVAMU professor in electrical engineering and director of the Center of Excellence for Communication Systems Technology Research (CECSTR), this research will be powered by two graduate assistants who will be supervised by Akujuobi and CECSTR university researcher, Yongpeng Zhang.

"This award presents a great opportunity for PVAMU. The funding will enhance our engineering curriculum and allow us to better train our students in technological areas that are important to the Army," said Akujuobi.

Bush signs Wright amendment bill into law

With one stroke of a pen, the controversy over the decades-old Wright amendment has come to a close. President George W. Bush last week signed the Wright repeal bill into law. The compromise bill resulted from an agreement reached last summer among the cities of Dallas and Fort Worth, the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and Southwest and American Airlines.

The bill now allows commercial travel anywhere in the country from Dallas Love field if the flight makes at least one stop at an airport in Alabama, Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico or Oklahoma. Commercial flights will be allowed from Love Field for nonstop flights anywhere in the United States or the District of Columbia, beginning in 2014. The number of gates at Love Field will be reduced from 32 to 19.

U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas, who pushed for congressional passage of the bill, said consumers will now "benefit from more competition and significantly reduced airfares."

The Federal Aviation Administration has completed its studies and reported to Congress that airspace safety in North Texas will not be compromised by the implementation of the agreement. With that final clearance, Southwest Airlines' announcement of its new service and cut-rate fares out of Dallas Love Field this week kicked of a fare war with competitor American Airlines.

Houston researchers get funds for stroke study

Baylor College of Medicine and Rice University researchers will team up to use an inaugural federal Quantum Grant for their international research initiative to regenerate damaged brain cells and blood vessels for the treatment of stroke.

The three-year, $2.9 million grant to the Houston researchers, funded by the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bio-engineering, will support research on neuro-vascular regeneration, an attempt to create brain tissue in a laboratory setting. The NIBIB is part of the National Institutes of Health.

Researchers hope that the new brain tissue, which would have its own blood supply, could be placed into the damaged brains of stroke patients where it will provide a source of neural and vascular cells that would repair the injured tissue in the process.

Texans named "influential" by Hispanic magazine

Four Texas educators were included in Hispanic Business magazine's 100 Influentials List for their leadership in their fields. Named to the list were:

Dr. Enrique Barrera, (pictured, far right) chairman of the Department of Mechanical Engineering & Material Science at Rice University. The magazine cited Barrera's leadership in directing Rice toward moving underrepresented students in science and engineering to the Ph.D. level and the professoriate. With his Rice colleagues, he received the Presidential Award for Excellence in recognition of their work with minority students. Barrera also created a K-12 program, the Materials Magic Show, which he and his students presented to Texas-area schools.
Dr. Francisco Cigarroa, (pictured, second from right) president of the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and also a nationally renowned pediatric and transplant surgeon. Cigarroa, educated at Yale, Harvard and Johns Hopkins universities, was appointed to President Bush's Committee on the National Medal of Science and also serves on the Secretary of Health and Human Services' Advisory Council on Public Health Preparedness.
Dr. Tito Guerrero, (pictured, second from left) VP and Associate Provost for Diversity Texas A&M University. Guerrero is also a tenured professor in the educational administration and human resource development departments. His leadership extends beyond TAMU - Dr. Guerrero was president of Stephen F. Austin State University and president of the University of Southern Colorado from 1997 to 2001. He currently is an editorial board member for The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education and SAM Advanced Management Journal.
Dr. Ann Quiroz Gates, (pictured, far left) Professor and Chair, Computer Sciences Department, University of Texas at El Paso. Gates went back to school after raising a family and working in the field, receiving a Ph.D. in computer science from New Mexico State University. The El Paso native spearheaded development of the Affinity Research Group model, a system designed to help retain underrepresented groups in research but has since proven to be applicable to any undergraduate who may lack the confidence to continue to graduate school. In 2003, she received the University of Texas Chancellor's Council Award for Outstanding Teaching.

UIL to require defibrillators in schools

Prompted by a dramatic incident in which a high school player's life was saved on the sidelines of an ongoing game, the University Interscholastic League voted to require state high schools to have available automatic external defibrillators.

The life-saving device was used to resuscitate an Austin Westlake High School football player, who collapsed during a game last month.

The UIL vote will require all schools to have the AEDs on hand by the beginning of the 2007-08 school year. The average portable defibrillator ranges in price from $1,500 to $3,000.

UTEP a 'Rising Star' in engineering

The University of Texas at El Paso last week received the Rising Star Award from the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering at a ceremony in New York City.

"We are very pleased to receive this NACME award," UTEP President Diana Natalicio said. "It confirms once again that we are a national success story in fostering higher education access for a population that has been traditionally underrepresented on U.S. university campuses while building excellence in both academic and research programs."

The award recognizes the achievements of universities that are contributing to increased diversity in engineering, science and technology.

UTEP is the only doctoral research university in the nation with a student body that is a majority Mexican American. With nearly 20,000 students - 72.5 percent Mexican American - UTEP is consistently ranked among the top three universities in the country in awarding undergraduate degrees to Hispanics. Its College of Engineering was recently named the top graduate engineering school for Hispanics by Hispanic Business magazine for the second consecutive year.

Legislative reference library seeks new director

Lt. Governor David Dewhurst and Speaker Tom Craddick this week appointed Sen. Bob Deuell and Rep. Betty Brown to the search committee for a new executive director of the Legislative Reference Library. Former executive director Dale Propp retired in August after more than 30 years of public service.

The search committee will post a job description, review applications, interview candidates and make a recommendation to the Legislative Library Board for a new hire. Both Sen. Deuell and Rep. Brown currently sit on the board. Rep. Brown recently took the place of the late Rep. Glenda Dawson, who passed away in September.

The Legislative Reference Library provides research for the legislature, its staff and its committees, and assists the public and other state agencies with legislative research. The library contains legislative bill files from the 63rd Legislature onward, books and reports on issues important to the legislature, state documents and a host of state and federal reference books.

Collin County airport passenger flights studied

The McKinney Economic Development Committee has commenced a study with a consulting firm to study what circumstances would be necessary to allow commercial passenger flights at the Collin County Regional Airport, which now serves only private aircraft.

MEDC president David Pitstick said the corporation ordered the study in the wake of the repeal of the Wright amendment in 2014. He also noted the airport continues to grow in popularity, as does the surrounding area's population.

He also said several people have asked why the airport doesn't offer passenger flights at the local airport. With the study, Pitstick noted, the MEDC will be able to "say this is what we've discovered."

Texas State receives two major funding awards

Texas State University-San Marcos received a grant of $1 million to be used to support the training of National Guard troops in performing as first responders in active shooting situations. The university's program has been credited with keeping fatalities to a minimum during the recent school shooting in Bailey, Colorado.

First responding patrol officers trained at Texas State reached the scene at Platte Canyon High School and, because of their skills, were able to isolate the shooter in one room. Officials credit this tactic with preventing more deaths and injuries on the high school campus.

The second award, for more than $700,000, was presented to Selina Vasquez-Mireles (pictured, right) of the Department of Mathematics and Sandra West (pictured, left) of the Department of Biology to fund a program that provides a connected curriculum of math and science for middle school math and science teachers.

Milken family foundation awards four Texas educators

The Milken Family Foundation has awarded four Texas teachers $25,000 in recognition of teaching excellence.

The four teachers who have received this honor are: Robert Rivera from A.S. Putegnant Elementary in Brownsville, Frank Ward Jr. from Kashmere Gardens Elementary in Houston, Robin Turner from Mary Jane Sims Elementary in Austin and Degan Ferrier from Indian Creek Elementary in San Antonio.

The California-based foundation was conceived by Lowell Milken in the early 1980s and has awarded more than $56 million to some 2,000 educators nationwide. The award provides exemplary educators with recognition for their demonstrated excellence in education.

Newsweekly touts online, distance learning at UNT

Noting that 21st century learning surpasses classrooms and textbooks, U.S. News and World Report has recognized the University of North Texas' programs for distance and e-learning.

UNT has enrolled more than 21,000 students in its 264 online-only courses for college credit, and 277 distance education courses for college credit. The university also offers 28 distance education and online-only degree granting programs.

"It is a pat on the back for the job we are doing, and it spotlights the opportunity we offer for people to get degrees who otherwise would not earn them," said Dr. Alita Harris, of UNT's Center for Distributed Learning. "Also, it broadens our opportunity to offer an education to others without having to build more buildings."

West TAMU to hold inauguration

West Texas A&M University will inaugurate J. Patrick O'Brien as its 10th president this week with a celebration of the traditions of academe featuring a procession of delegates from the academic community.

O'Brien, who formerly served as dean of the College of Business Administration and professor of economics at Loyola University New Orleans, was selected as WTAMU's president last February.

Under his leadership at Loyola, the College of Business Administration increased its endowment from $1.6 million to $9.7 million and increased the number of endowed chairs and professorships from two to 17. In 2004, the college was ranked seventh in the nation by The Princeton Review for providing opportunities for minority students. Within two weeks after Hurricane Katrina caused the campus to suspend operations last fall, the college put 80 percent of its fall semester courses for the MBA program online, something it had never offered before.

HISD instructor named Bilingual Teacher of the Year

The Texas Association of Bilingual Education has chosen Maria DeJesus, a pre-kindergarten teacher at Herod Elementary School in the Houston Independent School District, as its Bilingual Teacher of the Year.

DeJesus, 55, will be presented with her award at the TABE Convention in Galveston on Oct. 27. She will also represent Texas in the competition for the National Association of Bilingual Education Bilingual Teacher of the Year.

"I love what I do and I think I was born to teach," DeJesus said. "I am happy every day that I get to go in the classroom. I think not everybody is so blessed as I am to be able to make a living doing what they love to do."

Ashcroft to become UT dean of Continuing Education

Judy Copeland Ashcroft, director of the Division of Instructional Innovation and Assessment (DIIA) at The University of Texas at Austin, will become dean of the university's Division of Continuing Education on Feb. 1.

Ashcroft will fill a vacancy that will be created when Dr. Thomas M. Hatfield completes his term, and becomes a senior research fellow in the Center for American History.

Ashcroft was graduated from Texas Tech University with a bachelor's degree in English, speech communications, Latin and education. She earned a master's degree at Texas Tech in American literature and community college teaching, and a doctor's degree in higher education focused on administration, adult and continuing education, college teaching and curriculum and instruction.

UTEP VP to lead business officer's group

Cindy Vizcaíno Villa, University of Texas at El Paso Vice President for Business Affairs, has been elected president of the Texas Association of State Senior College and University Business Officers (TASSCUBO).

With members from more than 50 Texas colleges and universities, TASSCUBO is committed to promoting the professional success and advancement of college and university business officers. The association sponsors annual and special meetings and promotes collaboration in the resolution of common campus issues.

Villa, a Certified Public Accountant, has led UTEP's business affairs division since 2001. Prior to her appointment as vice president, Villa served UTEP as both associate and assistant vice president for finance and administration, comptroller, director of financial services and assistant director of budget and payroll.

City council may dedicate red-light funds to safety

Corpus Christi city officials are considering putting revenue from a proposed red light camera system into a public safety fund to alleviate concerns that the program is a money-raising venture for the city.

City Manager Skip Noe recently told council members that some cities dedicate fines collected from red-light runners into a public safety fund. Some council members expressed interest in the idea.

Three companies are installing cameras to catch red-light runners at three intersections around Corpus Christi. The 30-day pilot program started Monday with the first company. Drivers will not be ticketed during the test period.

Conroe police to get bullet-proof vests

The Conroe Police Department (CPD) plans to invest in bullet resistant vests for officers with a $30,100 federal grant. In doing so, Conroe joins some 11,900 jurisdictions who participate in the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Program (BVP).

The BVP is a U.S. Department of Justice program intended to provide state and local law enforcement with the necessary resources to preserve their safety.

Harris County historic document room to open

Harris County District Clerk Charles Bacarisse will open the District Clerk's Historic Document Reading Room to the public this week.

The Reading Room will include some 832 books, Civil and Criminal indices, court minutes, fee dockets and execution dockets dating from 1837 through 1925, as well as about 13,000 boxed civil case files ranging from 1837 to 1888.

Bacarisse, The Honorable James A. Baker III and John Nau, Chair of the Texas Historical Commission, will officially open the room with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

City administrator field is cut to nine

The Dickinson City Council hopes to make an offer to a candidate for its city administrator's position by the end of November.

A field of more than 60 people -- including some from Michigan, Illinois, Oregon and Missouri -- applied for the position, but the list has been narrowed to nine applicants. The finalists, all from Texas, are: Dickinson interim City Administrator Mike Clawson, Dana Daniel of White Settlement, Shawna Dowell of Castroville, Christopher Duque of Mission, Don Ferguson of Rollingwood, Terri Johnson of Fiona, Julie Johnston of Oak Point, Dennis McDuffie of McGregor and Dennis Smith of Clute.

Aggies evaluate health of aging Texans

The Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services (DADS) recently chose the Center for Community Health Development at the Texas A&M Health Science Center to evaluate how different self-management programs can benefit the health and well-being of older adults in Texas.

The selection follows the award of $13 million by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to 16 states for projects to improve the health of older Americans. DADS was among the recipients.

Marcia Ory, Ph.D., M.P.H., professor in the HSC-SRPH, will lead the program evaluation for the three selected sites in Texas - Brazos Valley, Harris County and Bexar County. Ronnie Gipson, director of the Brazos Valley Area Agency on Aging (BVAAA), will be responsible for overall grant management and leadership of the Brazos Valley effort.

Committee clerk selected for fellowship

Sonia Mohammed, clerk of the local Government Ways and Means Committee in the Texas House, is one of 15 American candidates chosen to receive the Marshall Memorial Fellowship (MMF).

MMF is a 24-year sister program of the German Marshall Fund (GMF) that provides an opportunity for young leaders from the United States and Europe to explore each other's societies, institutions and people. The program accepts candidates from 19 European countries and the United States and lasts for three to four weeks.

Marta Mattox, the Austin Coordinator of the MMF, said she nominated Mohammed for the program because she was impressed with Mohammed's involvement in government and journalism. She also said she felt Mohammed, a Muslim, would bring diversity and a unique perspective to the program.

Mohammed graduated with a bachelor's degree in government with a minor in Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Texas at Austin. She has served as co-founder and editor of Contumacy, a conservative journal of politics.

Schools get creative with high school stipend

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

When the Texas Legislature met in its recent special session on school finance, lawmakers acknowledged the special difficulty in educating teenagers with a $275 "high school allotment," giving districts an extra boost in funds to be used to keep young people in school and on track for higher education.

While the programs are in their infancy, a number of Texas school districts have unveiled ambitious plans to use the stipend to help their students get invested early in higher education. Three school districts in Navarro County, for instance, will pay for tuition and books for high school students who wish to take dual-credit courses from Navarro College. Blooming Grove, Frost and Dawson already have students working on college credits. If they work at it, these students may graduate from high school with up to a year of college credits already earned.

Think of the cost savings to their parents! Or, for those students shouldering their own higher education costs, think of how much more affordable and reachable that goal of a college degree will be!

All over the state, schools are working hard to devise smart ways to use the money in program areas prescribed by the legislature: to increase graduation rates, to increase enrollment in dual credit or advanced placement classes, to increase the number of students seeking advanced curriculum high school diplomas and to increase the percentage of students considered college-ready in English and math.

In the Copperas Cove school district, officials have put together a five-point plan to offer substantive programs to students on the entire spectrum of academic ability. Those who appear to be lagging behind their peers will be asked to attend a compulsory two-week math and science summer school to boost their skills.

The district wanted to encourage students to take more advanced placement courses, but most experts say the curriculum is difficult to complete in Texas' 180-day school year. So school officials have plans to offer a 5-day AP readiness "camp" before school, and teachers whose students earn college credits through their AP classes will be paid an incentive stipend. "It will be like two-a-days for football," joked Assistant Superintendent Bobby Ott.

Copperas Cove's plans don't end there. Another program, a partnership with UT-Tyler, will encourage students to take four years of math and science, and offer pre-engineering classes and a robotics club.

In Marble Falls, school officials have used the stipend to create a "Fish Tank" to house all the freshman core classes in one hall, and pay a support staff to offer special attention to ninth graders facing the difficult transition to high school. The district also is paying certified teachers to staff a 4-9 p.m. program that allows students to seek tutorials or make up lost credits.

While the new high school allotment will be responsible for enlivening some programs, school officials across the state are also making important strides with some common sense uses of new technology.

The Waco Independent School District officials recently announced a new online program allowing parents access to student grades and attendance records as soon as teachers enter it into the school district's computer system. District officials believe the new system, called "Parent Connection," will help facilitate communication among parents, teachers and students. And officials at the Midway school district hope to implement a system where teachers can text-message parents on their cell phones.

Imagine - no more surprises at report card time! Given the well-documented correlation between parent involvement and student success, these ideas could be truly revolutionary.

Frisco rejects extra hours for drinking

The Frisco city council voted this week against extending the city's alcohol curfew to 2 a.m. The vote tally mirrored the council's denial of the same proposal in April 2005.

More than 30 people showed up to weigh in on the proposal, with most arguing that two more hours of late-night drinking would hurt Frisco's family-friendly atmosphere.

Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Bob Allen, who a few weeks ago asked for a delay on the vote so he could study the economic impact of extended hours, made the motion against the proposal.

UTB/TSC selects Dameron to head academic affairs

The University of Texas-Brownsville/Texas Southmost College, has selected Dr. Charles "Chip" Dameron as Vice President for AcademicAffairs.

Dameron, who started as a professor in the English Department at Texas Southmost College in 1985, served recently as the interim vice president for academic affairs, while a national search was conducted to fill the position. He has also served as dean of the College of Liberal Arts and chair of the English and Communication Department.

Dameron has published more than 210 books, articles, poems, presentations and readings.

Connally superintendent resigns

Connally Independent School District trustees this week accepted resignation letters submitted by Superintendent Bruce Shores and his wife, Mary Shores, a Connally assistant principal.

Shores came to Connally ISD in December 2004 after serving as assistant superintendent in Gainesville ISD.

Dorothy Chaneyworth, assistant superintendent of business and support, will continue serving as the district's interim superintendent until trustees hire a replacement. Trustees will soon begin search for a replacement and hopefully have a new superintendent by July.

Baytown eyes citywide newsletter

Baytown city officials are discussing publication of a two-page, four-sided newsletter about city programs and services to be included periodically in mailed utility bills.

Council members would be allowed to write an article of 200 words or less in each edition about activities in their districts, with Mayor Stephen DonCarlos addressing citywide news.

The newsletter would be mailed twice a year, first in June and again in November. City staff is working to have the first newsletter distributed next month.

TASB to assist with Central ISD search

The Central ISD board approved the selection of the Texas Association of School Boards to conduct the search for a new superintendent to replace Vernis Rogers, who is retiring in June. TASB will set the date the selection process is to begin.

UTSA gets $2 million gift

The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) received a donation of $2 million from local businessman Carlos Alvarez.

The donation will provide scholarships for high school children in low income San Antonio districts and UTSA students who run into financial stumbling blocks on their way to attaining their degree or pursuing study abroad programs.

Alvarez was honored at a fundraising Gala where he was presented with the Tom C. Frost Award for community leadership.

Harris leaves Hill Country Village

David Harris, HilI Country Village's third City Administrator, has resigned to become the new city manager of Schertz.

Kirk Francis, Hill Country Village's mayor, complimented Harris' organizational skills in improving the city's budgets and accounting systems. Harris served as city administrator for the past four years.

Governor Rick Perry has made the following appointments:

Kelley Martin Stalder, of Parker, to the Texas Commission on Fire Protection;
Les Bunte, of Austin, to the Texas Commission on Fire Protection;
Juanita "Jane" Solis Burch, of Arlington, to the Texas Commission on Fire Protection;
Elroy Carson, of Ransom Canyon, to the Texas Commission on Fire Protection;
Chris Connealy, of Cedar Park, to the Texas Commission on Fire Protection;
Yusaf Elias Farran, of El Paso, to the Texas Commission on Fire Protection;
John Kelly Gillette III, of Frisco, to the Texas Commission on Fire Protection;
John W. Riddle, of Willis, to the Texas Commission on Fire Protection;
G. Kent Worley, of Fort Worth, to the Texas Commission on Fire Protection;
Vandy Anderson, of Galveston, to the Board of Pilot Commissioners;
Edgar Allen Bircher, of Galveston, to the Board of Pilot Commissioners;
Elizabeth A. Iles, of Galveston, to the Board of Pilot Commissioners;
The Honorable Edward A. Janek, of Sante Fe, to the Board of Pilot Commissioners;
Diane Hemmig Kerkhove, of League City, to the Board of Pilot Commissioners.

Ask the experts

Q: When can lawmakers begin filing bills to be considered in the 80th legislative session, which begins in January?

A: The rules of both the House and Senate specify that lawmakers can begin filing bills "the first Monday after the general election preceding the next regular lesgislative session." In case you're wondering, that means legislators can begin filing bills Nov. 13. It is also interesting to note that the rules of both houses state that bills will be numbered in the order in which they are received, and are public record upon filing.

-Lynn Nabers,
Senior Consultant, Strategic Partnerships, Inc.

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The Texas Government Performance Summit

The Texas Performance Summit, to be held Dec. 4-6 at the Hyatt Regency in Houston, will feature as speakers Billy Hamilton, Texas Deputy Comptroller; Charles Bacarisse, Board of Directors of the Texas Department of Information Resources; and Mary Scott Nabers, CEO, Strategic Partnerships, Inc. For more information, please click here.

TML gearing up for annual conference

More than 4,000 municipal officials, spouses and exhibitors will be on hand for the 2006 Texas Municipal League (TML) Annual Conference slated for Wednesday through Friday, Oct. 25-27 at the Austin Convention Center. This year's theme is "Cities, Citizens: Partners for the Greater Good." Texas Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst has been invited to speak at Wednesday's Opening General Session, which will also feature the presentation of Municipal Excellence Awards to 10 Texas cities. The conference will also feature five half-day workshops, which are separately ticketed events, planned on Wednesday before the conference officially opens. Other keynote addresses on Thursday and Friday will be presented by such nationally known speakers as Steve Gilliland, Bryan Dodge, Howard Prince, James Hunt, Dorothy Burton, John Alston and Trudy Bourgeois. Educational sessions are scheduled to cover a number of timely, city-related topics, like ethics, grassroots advocacy, effective communication, leadership principles, technology resources and strategic planning. TML is a voluntary association of more than 1,080 Texas cities. To learn more about the League and to register for the conference online, click here.

World Ports Conference inviting corporate sponsors

The Port of Houston Authority is hosting the 25th International Association of Ports and Harbors World Ports Conference, which will be held at the Hilton Americas Hotel in Houston from April 27-May 4. The port authority is currently seeking corporate sponsors for the event, which will draw represenatatkives from more than 400 ports and top executives from major industry corporations in nearly 90 countries around the world. More information about the International Association of Ports and Harbors can be obtained at www.IAPHworldports.org.

Deadline approaches for environmental award

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the Office of the Governor are seeking nominations for the Texas Environmental Excellence Awards, the highest distinction of environmental honor in the state of Texas. The awards recognize outstanding contributions in 10 diverse categories. Anyone who has been a part of an environmental effort that is new, noteworthy or something Texans ought to hear about, should apply for a 2007 Texas Environmental Excellence Award. Enter online today at www.teea.org. For questions or a printed application, call Dana Macomb at 512/239-4745 or e-mail awards@tceq.state.tx.us. The deadline to submit is November 10, 2006.