pdf Version: TML Legislative Update Number 12

City Officials Offer Strong Rebuttal to Senate Property Tax Committee
On March 21, the Senate Select Committee on Property Tax Reform and Relief was in Lubbock for its third public hearing. Like the previous hearings, much of the public testimony and committee discussion centered on whether revenue caps are the best solution to provide property tax relief. ...read more

Proposed Rules: Animal Shelters and Veterinarians
The Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners (TBVME) is seeking feedback on a potential rule defining "designated caretaker" as it relates to veterinarians working for animal shelters. City officials can participate by: ...read more

TOMA and Campaign Season: Incumbents Beware!
As campaign season approaches, new candidates and incumbents seeking elected municipal positions will be asked to participate in a variety of political events. Candidate forums and fundraisers are two examples. ...read more

Eminent Domain Reporting: It's Required and It's Not Too Late
Senate Bill 1812, passed during the 2015 legislative session, requires cities to fill out a web-based form with the comptroller relating to each city's statutory eminent domain authority. The information was due by February 1, 2016, ...read more

TML Annual Conference Session Proposals Accepted Through April 1
The League's 2016 Annual Conference and Exhibition will take place October 4-7 at the Austin Convention Center. Delegate registration and housing will open in late-July.

The League is accepting presentation proposals for the 2016 Annual Conference through April 1 at www.tml.org/speaker-proposal-form. TML Annual Conference speakers come from all over the United States to voluntarily share their experience and expertise with conference attendees. Conference topics and speakers will be chosen through a careful review process; applicants will be notified in June of their selection.

Share Your Success Story: Submit a Municipal Excellence Award Application
TML's Municipal Excellence Awards celebrate a job well done by city staff and officials, and inspire municipal excellence and innovation. The awards competition is divided into two population categories - cities less than 25,000 in population and cities more than 25,000 in population. Within each of the two population categories, there are five subject categories - management innovations, communication programs, city spirit, public safety, and public works. The deadline to submit applications is June 3, 2016. For a list of past winners and to apply, visit the TML Municipal Excellence Awards page on the TML website.

Every City Official Needs to Know About Liability
State and federal laws regulate how you govern as a city official, and what happens if you do not govern correctly. Public official liability issues can come up whenever you are making decisions on your city's behalf. At the April 22 TML Public Officials Liability Workshop, you will learn about conflicts of interest, procurement, media relations, ethics, employment law, and other potential pitfalls.

Attend in person or by webcast.

Grant Writing Workshop for Cities
Discover how to win competitive grants at the TML Grant Writing for Municipal Programs and Projects Workshop in Dallas on May 12-13. In this day-and-a-half long class, grant writing instructor Jack Smith will review the different categories of grants, and teach time-saving techniques and shortcuts in the grant writing process. The workshop will help you increase your city's chances of winning competitive grants through a better understanding of the grant writing process, from planning through writing.

Learn more and register.

Develop Your Leadership Skills
Registration is open for the 2016 Leadership Academy - a two-part, six-day program designed to improve the leadership skills of officials who serve our Texas cities. Taking place May 18-20 and June 15-17 at the Austin Marriott North in Round Rock, the Leadership Academy features an impressive faculty of university professors and thought leaders who will teach you to critique your decisions and actions, and develop the competencies you need to succeed as a leader.

Attendance is limited to 75 participants for the two-course program. Learn more here.

Join the SolutionsNet Community
Need a sample job description? Interested in how other cities have structured their paid time off policy? Looking for a sample ethics policy? The SolutionsNet listserv makes it easy for you to access our most valuable resource - the experience and expertise of other member city officials. The TML listserv membership is open to all member city officials; all you have to do is complete a short online registration.

Once a member, you have access to archived discussion threads and documents. Most importantly, you can post questions and respond to requests from other city officials. By participating in SolutionsNet, you are solving problems with your peers, and building a catalog of resources for you and others. And because you can customize what and how much information you receive via the listserv, your email inbox won't be flooded with unwanted emails.

To join the SolutionsNet community, visit the SolutionsNet page of the TML website.

Show off Your City on Instagram!
TML is looking for recent photos you've taken that show off your city's programs or services, unique characteristics, or community events and celebrations. We'll feature these photos on Instagram and highlight the best each month in Texas Town & City magazine. Find the TML Instagram account by logging into your own Instagram account and searching "TML_Texas", or directly here. Send your photos with a brief photo description to Jennifer Stamps at jen@tml.org.