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Ensuring their voice is heard: Local governments differ in how they work with legislature
By Bill Conrad, bconrad@starlocalnews.com, @Bill_PlanoStar on Twitter
The 83rd Texas Legislature is now in session, which means government entities across Collin County are doing what they can to ensure their voices are heard in Austin.
Many cities pass legislative agendas, detailing issues that are important to them and encouraging their representatives to support their causes.
For instance, Plano's agenda includes support for a regional transportation funding option, while McKinney and Frisco ask that no restrictions be placed on how cities spend 4A and 4B funds, which go toward economic development.
"We don't use lobbyists," said Mark Israelson, director of policy and government relations with the city of Plano. "I am the staff coordinator, and my primary responsibility is making sure our delegation knows how bills might affect Plano."
Israelson and his staff track hundreds, if not thousands, of bills each legislative session and present reports to the city council and city manager about the impact those bills could have on the city.
His office is also responsible for helping the city council come up with its legislative agenda.
"We coordinate with the Texas Municipal League a lot on our legislative program," he said. "We look at what issues are affecting cities from a statewide perspective ... and what regulations are coming about."
Collin County also has staff members dedicated to tracking the legislature, County Judge Keith Self said, adding that commissioners will travel to and from Austin as needed to testify on issues that affect the county.
One of the top things Self and his fellow commissioners are pushing for is a constitutional amendment banning the legislature from adopting any new unfunded mandates on local governments. Self pointed out the 2011 Fair Defense Act as an example, saying it doubled the cost of court-appointed attorneys, with the state reimbursing only 10 percent of the additional cost.
In Frisco, the city council has decided it is more cost effective to employ Austin-based HillCo Partners to represent their interests. HillCo is paid $8,000 per month year-round for its services.
"We use the tools available to us for specific reasons," Frisco Mayor Maher Maso said. "In this case we are dealing with some large issues that made it prudent to involve our representatives in Austin almost on a full-time basis."
Maso said issues such as the Exide battery recycling plant and buffer zones around dove hunting areas have been at the top of the list of concerns for Frisco residents over the past few years. With these complicated issues, having the added expertise that HillCo brings to the table is beneficial, Maso said.
"It is about more than just cost-effectiveness, it is also about someone who knows inside and out the hundreds of committee meetings and being able to react to things on short notice," he said. "It is just an additional resource that has translated into cost savings and maintaining local control for our citizens. It also helps us look out for [our residents'] best interests."
Like Frisco, the city of McKinney pays a consulting firm to work for them at the capitol. Red Media group is paid $5,000 a month, with the city and the McKinney Chamber of Commerce splitting the cost evenly. When reimbursable expenses are added in, documents provided by the city show the city will spend between $30,000 and $32,500 during the term of the one-year contract.
The McKinney City Council approved its agenda late last year, at which time Mayor Brian Loughmiller urged the legislature to give cities more control over their affairs.
"We want to continue to promote local control over how our tax dollars are managed and how we manage projects in McKinney," he said at a November work session. "That theme is throughout whether you are talking about economic development, education, transportation or health care."
The 83rd Legislative session was sworn in on Tuesday. The session continues until May 27.
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