 On March 26, Sen. Judith Zaffirini provided an impactful opening before sharing why Senate Bill 42 should become law. The bill, known as the "Judge Julie Kocurek Judicial and Courthouse Security Act of 2017," was heard during testimonies in front of the Senate Committee on State Affairs. Zafferini shared that following the attempted assassination of Judge Kocurek, the Office of Court Administration conducted a court security survey to court justices throughout Texas. The findings showed that nearly two-thirds of the judges did not know of a court security plan, had no security training in the courthouse and were unaware of existing statutory security incident reports being a requirement. More than 30 percent of them were aware of a security incident prior to completing the survey.
"Members, this is not a new issue," said Zaffirini. "In 2006 the Texas Judicial Council called for statutory changes to improve the security requirements for courts and judges. Unfortunately, some of the recommended changes were not included in the Legislation past then." Last year Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court Nathan Hecht formed a court security committee of the Texas Judicial Council. SB42 was developed by this committee. "There are serious deficiencies in the state's security posture including a lack of security best practices, training and funding," said Zaffirini. "These changes would improve court safety for judges, employees and everyone who visits the courthouse."
Called to testify during the hearing was Hecht, Kocurek, her 17-year-old son Will and family members who stood behind them for support. Will spoke about the incident. "I am proud of the work my mom has done helping the community and helping victims of crime. I always thought that the violence she saw would stay in her courtroom, but I know that on Nov. 6, 2016, that all changed," said Will. On the night of the incident he was driving his mom, cousin and aunt home from a football game to the Kocurek residence. As Will pulled up to the gated driveway the passengers noticed a garbage bag blocking the gate's entrance. Will got out to remove the bag when he was confronted by a man, wearing a hoodie and mask, who proceeded to pull out a gun.
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TxDOT approves $1.32B for ten highway projects in five counties
 The Texas Transportation Commission approved $1.32 billion to realign Interstate 45 through downtown Houston and nine other highway projects in Brazoria, Fort Bend, Montgomery and San Jacinto counties. The funding is included in an update of the state's Unified Transportation Plan that includes almost $9 billion in new funding for 230 highway projects throughout the state.
Construction on the first of seven projects is expected to begin in late 2020 and will realign I-45 along the east side of the central business district of Houston and parallel to Interstate 69, said Quincy Allen, the district engineer in Houston. The work begins with reconstruction on I-69, also known as U.S. 59 in Houston, between Spur 527 and I-45, including its intersection with Texas Highway 288. The work will then move to rebuild I-45 where it meets with I-69. These projects are estimated to cost about $1.7 billion, more than half of the $3 billion cost of rerouting I-45 around downtown Houston, Allen said.
The Texas Department of Transportation also plans to open bids in April for a project to widen I-45 in League City between Houston and Galveston; and in June to begin work on widening westbound Interstate 10 into three lanes in Brookshire to the Brazos River. Construction on a project to improve the area where I-69 crosses Loop 610 in uptown Houston and rebuilding Loop 610 through that intersection is set to begin construction by the end of this year. These earlier projects should be completed in 2021, the time when work on the downtown interchanges is scheduled to begin.
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Hidalgo County to receive $218.2M to fund transportation projects
 The Texas Transportation Commission (TTC) allotted $218.2 million to fund transportation projects in Hidalgo County, including $150 million to pay for the Pharr Interchange Expansion project at Interstate 69/Interstate 2.
The funding is from the 2017 Unified Transportation Program of the Texas Department of Transportation, which authorizes planning, development and funding for highways, aviation, public transportation and state waterways. TTC commissioners also authorized $163.5 million for transportation projects in Nueces County, $70 million for Jim Wells County and $58.2 million for Brooks County transportation projects.
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Interlocal agreement begins process for $23M construction project
Fort Worth has agreed to an interlocal agreement, in the amount of $23 million, with Tarrant County. The funds will be used for construction on the Hemphill Street Connector Project from Lancaster Avenue to West Vickery Boulevard. The work will include a four-lane street and pedestrian tunnel connecting Lamar Street from Lancaster Avenue on the south end of downtown, to Hemphill Street at Vickery Boulevard.
The tunnel will go under Interstate 30 and the Union Pacific Railroad tracks. Bids are expected to be received by May and the council is expected to give final authorization of funding in June. Money for the project will come from the Regional Transportation Council's transportation planning body and will progress to the city through Tarrant County.
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Maintenance and repairs for city streets could cost $377.17M for Abilene
 An engineering consultant informed Abilene City Council members that the city would need to spend about $377.17 million to perform the repairs and maintenance on city streets to provide good pavement conditions throughout the city. Performing regular maintenance on arterial and collector streets should be a priority as those roads usually have higher speed limits, more traffic and more accidents, the engineering consultant said.
If not repaired and maintained, roads deteriorate at a higher rate than maintained roads, he added. The engineering consultant also urged city officials to set aside some funding to repair and maintain residential streets and focus on one area at a time and to allot some funding for emergency repairs. Spending $5 million a year on pavement repair such as fixing potholes would slow down, but not stop deteriorating pavement conditions. City officials now set aside about $700,000 to pay for materials to repair pavement and potholes. Council members plan to study the best method to increase the street repair budget to about $5 million a year.
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Lubbock City Council seeks $7.25M loan for Loop 88 project
Lubbock City Council members agreed to seek $7.25 million in state loans to help pay their required 10 percent contribution for acquiring right-of-way within the city limits for the first segment of the proposed Loop 88. The first segment will follow the route of 130th Street, or FM 1585, from U.S. 62/82 near Wolfforth to U.S. 87. Planned as a four-lane, divided freeway through the southern and western sections of Lubbock, the proposed Loop 88 is expected to cost about $145 million, down from the original $175 million estimate, said Steve Warren, the district engineer in Lubbock for the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT).
Agency staff are close to completing the environmental impact study and holding public hearings to present their finalized plan for the first segment of Loop 88, Warren said. Once public hearings are held and the environmental impact statement is completed, city and state officials can begin acquiring right-of-way and utility adjustments.
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Johnson County submits RFP for new ambulance service
 Johnson County is searching for a replacement ambulance provider to begin service Oct. 1. Johnson County Commissioners Court will submit a request for proposals (RFP) for an ambulance provider. The current provider submitted a letter of intent to end ground ambulance service for the county as of Sept. 30. The termination will not affect in-flight medical emergency service for the county.
Under the current contract, the ambulance service can provide written notice 180 days before the termination date if their monetary losses meet or exceed $500,000 within the fiscal year. The current ambulance provider received a $300,000 taxpayer funded subsidy last year after re-negotiating their contract. Once the county accepts a bid they will allow the next provider ample time to set up before the October start date.
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Strategic Partnerships salutes Texas' Lone Stars
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| | John Thomaides |
John Thomaides, Mayor, City of San Marcos
Career highlights and education: 14-year member of the San Marcos City Council. Elected five times as Mayor Pro Tem. Elected Mayor in December 2016.
What I like best about my job is: A different challenge every single day. As Mayor, I get to make a real difference for people just by asking.
The best advice I've received for my current job is: Just lead and don't worry about what people say or think about you. Sometimes they will agree and sometimes they won't.
Advice you would give a new hire in your office: Be nice but be fearless. Don't let chronically negative people ruin your day.
If I ever left work early, I could probably be found: On a golf course somewhere within 40 miles of San Marcos.
People would be surprised to know that I: Ride a Vespa scooter to many of my city events.
One thing I wish more people knew about my city: A gin-clear river with four endangered species found nowhere else on the planet, 2,000 acres of pristine green spaces and 24 miles of hiking trails in the city limits. And, the fastest growing city in the nation for 3 of the past 4 years.
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Nueces County receives $163M to improve three highways
Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) Commissioners allotted $163 million, with the majority of the funding to be spent on improving three highways west of Corpus Christi in Nueces County. The largest project calls for spending nearly $104 million to build a relief route for U.S. Highway 77 around the town of Driscoll from County Road 28 to County Road 16.
The project is an effort to complete the last section of the Interstate 69 corridor between Corpus Christi and Kingsville, said Chris Caron, district engineer in Corpus Christi. Current plans are to spend almost $80 million for construction, with the remaining funding to be used for engineering services and acquiring land for the highway improvements, Caron said.
TxDOT officials also approved $46 million to widen 2.5 miles of Interstate 37 from the overpass at Red Bird Lane to the crossing of the Nueces River to relieve traffic congestion in that area. Bidding is expected to take place for this project in summer 2020. This project also involves building a new bridge over the Nueces River to improve hurricane evacuation for the Coastal Bend and the Rio Grande Valley, Canon said. In an effort to remove more high-speed traffic from urban areas, TxDOT officials also allotted $37 million to build overpasses and new lanes on U.S. 77 south of Driscoll to Farm-to-Market Road 3354. TxDOT officials plan to seek bids for the upgrades to U.S. 77 in 2018.
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Mission and McAllen approve study on feasibility of new bridge
 The Anzalduas International Bridge Board, in a public-private partnership with the cities of McAllen and Mission, approved $699,000 to pay for an engineering company to study the feasibility of building a new Madero International Bridge, most likely in Mission. The two cities currently participate in a bridge system that operates the McAllen-Hidalgo International Bridge and the Anazalduas International Bridge.
The Hidalgo bridge does not allow truck traffic and the Anzalduas bridge carries only empty truck traffic southbound, according to supporters of the new bridge. Backups at the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge, the only bridge to handle both truck and vehicle traffic in and out of Mexico, has become so congested that some perishable goods lose their freshness before crossing the border into the United States. Bridge board members agreed to pay for the study, but if that group withdraws from the project, city officials in Mission have agreed to bear the cost.
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Kingsville needs $2.4M to enhance the downtown business district
 Kingsville City Commissioners are expected to vote at their next meeting whether to authorize City Manager Jess Garza to apply for federal grants to help pay for a $2.4 million project to improve the downtown business district. The redevelopment plan, a joint effort between the city, University of Texas-San Antonio Center for Urban and Regional Planning Research and the Rural Business Program, calls for creating a "museum cluster" featuring the King Ranch Museum, a historic train depot, the Mother Julia Museum and improved tree-lined walkways to attract more visitors to the downtown area.
The Kingsville Downtown Vision calls for developing a new civic center, rehabilitating a historic theater and improving connectivity of the business district with the campus of Texas A&M University-Kingsville. City commissioners previously set aside $1 million in funding from certificates of obligation to help, but plan to use some grant funding to complete about $2.4 million in upgrades to the downtown area if funds are awarded, Garza said.
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Blinn College proposes P3 for student housing
 Trustees for Blinn College agreed on a new resolution to authorize financing for a proposed public-private partnership (P3) to provide student housing at their campus in Brenham. The original resolution, adopted in February of last year, authorized the college to enter into the P3 to build student housing for about 465 students using a loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). A non-profit National Campus and Community Development called Blinn College Properties was created to provide tax-exempt financing for the student housing project.
The agreement calls for the non-profit group to have a 40-year lease on the student housing facility with the college retaining ownership once the lease expires. Due to uncertainties about the federal budget and the delay of the USDA in processing and approving funding requests, trustees approved up to $2 million to secure favorable interim financing terms for the project. The funds would be repaid using proceeds from the USDA loan or in a series of revenue bonds if the USDA loan is unavailable. The new housing facility is projected to be open for the Fall 2018 semester.
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Waco ISD applies for $9M grant to create magnet school
 Waco Independent School District officials applied for a $9 million federal grant to pay for creating a new fine arts and humanities magnet school at Waco High School and expanding the Greater Waco Advanced Manufacturing Academy and the Greater Waco Advanced Health Care Academy. The grant application must be submitted to the Magnet Schools Assistance Program of the U.S. Department of Education by April 11, Superintendent Bonny Cain said.
The grant funding would also help the district improve racial integration and diversity in student attendance by providing more magnet schools throughout the district as well as providing marketable vocational skills to students, Cain said. Board members also instructed principals throughout the district to submit ideas for the types of magnet schools that would benefit their campuses if additional magnet schools were built throughout the district.
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Texas Parks and Wildlife approves $4.6M for community recreation
 The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission has approved $4.6 million in local park grants for community projects like sports field, nature trails, urban gardens, playgrounds, dog parks and splash pads. The following are communities receiving grants in Central Texas:
- Austin: $1 million grant to improve Emma Long Metropolitan Park and $500,000 for Dove Springs Recreation Center;
- Florence: $319,550 for its city park pool renovation project;
- Granite Shoals: $500,000 for a multipurpose sports facility in Burnet County;
- Hutto: $500,000 for its Creekside and Fritz Park enhancement project;
- Lago Vista: $500,000 for its Lago Vista and open space project;
- Rockdale: $75,000 for Samuel Park;
- Taylor: $500,000 for its Heritage Park and skate park project;
- Williamson County: $750,000 for Williamson County interpretive center project.
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By Mary Scott Nabers, CEO of Strategic Partnerships, Inc.
Few individuals are clamoring to become the next mayor of a major city in the U.S. It is, without a doubt, one of the hardest jobs in the country. Funding is such a concern that positive economic projections are quickly overshadowed by the reality that state and federal funding assistance is being radically reduced or eliminated completely. City leaders, in the past, have relied on state and federal funds for all types of critical projects. That is no longer an option. According to a recent League of Cities report, most city officials have significant concerns.
In Texas, as well as many other state legislatures, municipal governing issues are a major focus of discussion. Texas legislators have introduced bills that would mandate many new restrictions and regulations on cities. Bills to cap local property taxes, revamp public school funding, regulate transportation programs and withhold millions from cities that reject state mandates have been introduced. It is a precarious time for city leaders.
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Midland seeks proposals for new hotel
 Midland city officials agreed to seek proposals from developers to build a hotel on the site of the old county courthouse. The decision followed the failure of a local group that had worked with the city on the hotel project to meet a deadline to submit their financial plans to the city, according to Midland Mayor Jerry Morales.
While the city originally planned to begin work on the Hotel Santa Rita project in October 2016, the local group of developers requested and received extensions that have now delayed the project to begin as late as 2019. City officials have also considered developing a park on the old courthouse square, but plan to decide quickly on the future of the property.
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Waco improving I-35 with $115M in funds
 A $300 million project to rebuild and expand Interstate 35 in Waco won approval of $115 million in funding from the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) with construction on the project expected to begin in 2019. The Waco district office of TxDOT plans to commit $105 million of its state funding to the project over several years and the Waco Metropolitan Planning Organization agreed to dedicate four years of state funding, a total of about $80 million, to the project beginning in 2018.
Plans call for expanding the main lanes of I-35 from six to eight lanes, replace several ramps and bridges in addition to rebuilding frontage roads. Other projects to receive funding are between $20 million to $25 million in upgrades to Hewitt Drive and a $20 million project to improve the frontage road and ramps on Loop 340, said Chris Evilia, director of the Waco Metropolitan Planning Organization.
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Austin parks need at least $700M for maintenance
Parks and recreation facilities in Austin need at least $700 million in work on deferred maintenance, according to Liana Kallivoka, who manages planning for the Parks and Recreation Department. Colin Wallis, chief operating officer of Austin Parks Foundation, however, said that Austin city officials would need to spend about $2.5 billion to keep more than 400 aging buildings and dozens of swimming pools in good shape.
Using funding approved in a 2014 bond election, city officials plan to spend $3.1 million each to replace two pools located in the east and central areas of the city, Kallivoka said. Other projects set to begin soon are remodeling the Montopolis Recreation and Community Center and renovating playgrounds at four city parks. Of the $78 million approved for parks and recreation projects in the 2012 bond election, city officials have only spent $17.9 million of that bond funding.
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McDaniel selected for Kerrville city manager
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Mark McDaniel
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Mark McDaniel was selected as a lone finalist for city manager in Kerrville. Currently an assistant city manager in Dallas since 2014, McDaniel will replace Todd Parton, the former city manager who resigned in October.
During his 30 years in public service, McDaniel also has served as a city manager in Tyler and Woodway, an assistant city manager in Corpus Christi and Lake Jackson and a budget officer in Denton. Selected from a field of 40 applicants for the job in Kerrville, McDaniel has a bachelor's degree and a master's degree from North Texas University.
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Dowdy chosen as Nacogdoches ISD superintendent
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| | Sandra Dowdy |
Sandra Dowdy, who has served as interim superintendent for Nacogdoches Independent School District for several months, was selected as the lone finalist for the permanent job as superintendent for that district. After receiving her bachelor's degree from Texas A&M University, Dowdy began her career as a teacher for Tatum ISD.
Once she earned her master's degree from Stephen F. Austin University, Tatum served as a principal and assistant superintendent of curriculum for Del Valle ISD for 24 years. In 2011, Dowdy left that district to work as a consultant and teach education classes at Texas State University. She joined the Nacogdoches school district as the assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction in March 2015.
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Galyean promoted to provost at Texas Tech
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| | | Michael Galyean | |
Michael Galyean, Ph.D., has been selected as Provost and Sr. Vice President for Academic Affairs at Texas Tech University. Galyean has served as the university's interim provost since Aug. 1, 2016.
Galyean served on the faculty of New Mexico State University until 1996 and worked at West Texas A&M University until 1998. He joined the Texas Tech faculty in 1998 and was named a Paul Whitfield Horn professor in 2006. He is the Thornton Distinguished Chair in Animal Science and served as dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources from 2012 until becoming interim provost.
Galyean received his doctorate in animal nutrition from Oklahoma State University.
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Lyons to retire from Frisco ISD superintendent role
 Superintendent Jeremy Lyons of Frisco Independent School District notified trustees that he is retiring on June 30. Lyons, who joined the Frisco school district in 2013, said he has accepted a new position as the first president of Cooper Youth, a division of the Cooper Institute that is leading a national effort to improve preventive health services and practices for children.
Board members plan to hold a workshop meeting to discuss the selection process for a new superintendent.
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Dozens of public-sector jobs are available. New jobs added this week:
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On Our Website
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Gov. Greg Abbott has announced the following appointments from March 24-March 30:
- Clayton Black- Stanton, Texas Appraiser Licensing and Certification Board;
- James Jeffries- Georgetown, Texas Appraiser Licensing and Certification Board;
- Annie L. Sobel, M.D.- Lubbock, Texas Military Preparedness Commission;
- James Whitmore- New Braunfels, Texas Military Preparedness Commission;
- Tom Duncavage- League City, Texas Military Preparedness Commission;
- Woody Gilliland- Abilene, Texas Military Preparedness Commission;
- A.F. "Tom" Thomas- El Paso, The Texas Military Preparedness Commission;
- Kenneth Sheets- Mesquite, Texas Military Preparedness Commission;
- Garry Bradford- Corpus Christi- Texas Military Preparedness Commission;
- Felix Noel Padron, Jr.- San Antonio, Texas Commission on the Arts;
- Marci Roberts- Marathon, Texas Commission on the Arts;
- Mila Gibson- Sweetwater, Texas Commission on the Arts;
- Shawn Stephens- Houston, Texas Commission on the Arts;
- Kevin Yu- Dallas, Texas Commission on the Arts;
- Dale Brock- Forth Worth, Texas Commission on the Arts.
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Texas Government Insider is a free weekly newsletter detailing important happenings throughout the state and summarizing current political issues relevant to individuals interested in government.
Publisher: Mary Scott Nabers
Editor: Kristin Gordon
TGI is published by Strategic Partnerships, Inc. (SPI), a research and consulting firm. Founded in Texas in 1995 by former government executives and public sector experts, SPI has developed a national reputation as the premier marketing partner dedicated to helping companies secure contracts in the $1.5 trillion state and local government marketplace.
To learn more about SPI services, click here or contact our sales department at 512-531-3900.
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