DRDER N0. 27576 RF'F'ROVRL RUTHORIZING MEMBERSHIP' OF THE ASSOCIATION OF RURRL COMMUNITIES IN TEXAS On this the 28th day of May 2002, ~.~pon motion made by Commissioner Letz, seconded by Commissioner- Griffin, the Court unanimously approved by a vote of 4-0-0, to authorize membership in the Association of Rural Communities in Texas, subject to the budget process for next year identifying the X300. QO d~.~es. COMMISSIONERS' COURT AGENDA REQUEST PLEASE FURNISH ONE ORIGINAL AND NINE COPIES OF THIS REQUEST AND DOCUMENTS TO BE REVIEWED BY THE COURT. MADE BY: Fred He ~ OFFICE: MEETING DATE: May 28, 2002 SUBJECT: (PLEASE BE SPECIFIC) TIME PREFERRED: Consider and discuss becoming member of Association of Rural Communities in Texas. EXECUTIVE SESSION REQUESTED: (PLEASE STATE REASON) NAME OF PERSON ADDRESSING THE COURT: ESTIMATED LENGTH OF PRESENTATION: IF PERSONNEL MATTER -NAME OF EMPLOYEE: County Judge County Judge Time for submitting this request for Court to assure that the matter is posted in accordance with Title 5, Chapter 551 and 552, Government Code, is as follows: Meeting scheduled for Mondays: THIS REQUEST RECEIVED BY: THIS REQUEST RECEIVED ON: All Agenda Requests will be screened by the County Judge's Office to determine if adequate information has been prepazed for the Court's formal consideration and action at time of Court Meetings. Your cooperation will be appreciated and contribute towards you request being addressed at the eazliest opportunity. See Agenda Request Rules Adopted by Comnussioners' Court. 5:00 P.M. previous Tuesday. RCIT ASSOCIATIO C3F t'~URAL COMMUNITIES IN TEXAS A Strong Voice For Rural Texas 13776 U.S. HIGHWAY 183 SUITE 122-334 AUSTIN, TX 78750-1811 (512) 331-1354 (512) 331-1462 FAX GOVERNING BOARD Jim Dunaway City Manager City of Elgin President Danny Fryar City Manager City o/ Stanton Secretary Emmett Alvarez Executive Director Bay City Community Development Corporation The Hon. Lori Berger Mayor, City of Flatonia The Hon. Mike Brown Tom Green County Judge The Hon. Richard Evans Bandera County Judge Jesus "Chuy"Garcia City Manager City of Fort Stockton The Hon. Mike Maultlin Mayor, Cityolldalou Sunny Philip City Manager Ciry o/ La Feria The Hon. Arnoldo Saenz Jim Wells County Judge Executive Director Donna Chatham donna @arcit. org To: Rural Leaders From: Jim Dunaway, President City of Elgin, City Manager It is my pleasure to introduce you to the Association of Rural Communities in Texas (ARCIT) and invite you to join us. Our motto is A Strong Voice for Rural Texas. ARCIT was founded in response to an unprecedented level of attention focused on the development needs of rural Texas by the Texas Legislature during the 2000 interim. It is an exciting time for rural Texas. There are already opportunities forming that will affect rural Texans. We want to have a unified voice to express our needs, desires and dreams to the State Legislature and State agencies. ARCIT's Board of Directors exemplifies a strength of rural Texas leadership, repre- senting over 100 years of cumulative service in our rural communities. The Board understands that self-reliance has long been a hallmark of rural Texas, but depen- dence is becoming a way of life for many small communities as our youth and our dollars flee to larger cities. We feel that we must join together on those issues that are clearly in the best interests of rural communities so that we have a say in where resources are allocated, how regulations are changed, and what we want our com- munities to become. We have recently hired an Executive Director, Donna Chatham, who has a combined 20 years of experience in city management, city planning, grant management, lead- ership development, marketing and most recently as the Policy Director for a House Committee in the Texas Legislature. Donna brings a level of expertise to ARCIT that will help serve the board and its membership by bringing an heightened awareness of rural needs to the State Legislature and State agencies such as the Office of Rural Community Affairs and the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs. The enclosed example of Rural Edition, ARCIT's newsletter, will give you additional information as to the services we will be providing to rural Texans. Just take a few minutes to fill out the enclosed membership application form. Once you return it to us in the enclosed self addressed envelope, we will send you a mem- bership packet that will include a rural community needs survey in order to keep the legislature informed of your needs. The survey will be conducted on a regular basis and assist the ARCIT staff in communicating your needs to State Agencies and to the Texas Legislature. Join with us today make an even stronger voice for rural Texas. Rural ~diti~ F,cecutive Director/Donna Chatham • donna~arcit.org www.arcit.org 331-1462 The Rural Edition will be a four page newsletter forARCIT members to keep you informed what is happen- ing here in Austin regarding statewide rural policy issues. Initially, the newsletter will be reporting back to you regarding board actions of the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) and the Office of Rural and Community Affairs (ORCA), the decisions they are making that affect rural Texas, and the actions ARCIT will be taking on your behalf. As ARCIT's membership and staff grows, additional state agencies will be added such as the Texas Water Development Board and the Texas Department of Agriculture. Articles will also include insightful research on "tools" to assist you in the day to day manage- ment and leadership of your rural communities. This special issue of the Rural Edition is to give you a better understanding ofARCIT and the services we can provide to you and your rural community. Why ARCIT? Rural Texas is at a crossroads. Though a landscape of oil wells, cattle ranches, cotton fields and logging trails, held together by a network of good roads and small towns symbolizes Texas here and around the world, our heritage is fading for many. Development in hundreds of rural communities has slowed or re- versed, with job losses, business closing, declining infrastructure and aging housing stock. In some rural areas there is growth, but often it is uncontrolled and poor in quality. Hundreds of illegal or poorly developed subdivisions, including the Colonies of South Texas, present challenges in providing roads, water supply, and public services. Leaders in local government have long been on the front lines of these and other issues facing rural Texas. In concert with groups like economic development corporations and rural water and sewer utilities, they must work with limited resources to make life better for their communities. The Association of Rural Communities in Texas was founded by leaders from rural Texas to provide a new resource for preserving and improving our quality of life. ARCIT members have a voice that speaks not only as a representative of local governments or other development organizations but also as a representative of rural Texas, with our own issues and perspectives. Who is ARCIT? ARCIT is organized as a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization with aten-member board of directors representing local governments and development organizations. Qualified voting members of ARCIT include: 1) An incorporated city with a population of 50,000 or less; 2) A county with a population of 200,000 or less; ~RCITGoverning Board Jim Dunaway, Ciry Manager of Elgin • Danny Fryer, City Manager of Stanton • Emmett Alvarez, Executive Director of Bay Ciry Community Development Corporation The Hon. Lori Berger, Mayor of Flatonia • Tho Hon. Mike Brown, Tom Green County Judge • The Hon. Richard Evens, Benders County Judge Jesus "Chug' Garcia, Ciry Manager of Fod Stockton • The Hon. Mike Mauldin, Mayor of Idalou • Sunny Philip, Ciry Manager of La Feria The Hon. Amoldo Saenz, Jim Wells County Judge A Strong Voice for Rural Texas 3) Economic Development Corporations formed and controlled by a qualified city or county 4) A District or other entity formed under state law to provide water or sewer utility services in a qualified city or county Associate, non-voting members include those who service rural Texas such as engineers, architects, grant managers, Council of Governments, other statewide associations, community developers, and other rural stakeholders. What is the mission of ARCIT? Currently, our mission statement is to study, address, promote, communicate and report on issues and re- lated challenges confronting rural cities and counties in Texas, particularly regarding community resources, housing, infrastructure and economic development. What are some examples of services ARCIT will provide to Rural Leaders? Program development with State Agencies: ARCIT will be walking side by side the new Office of Rural and Community Affairs (ORCA) in order to give them your local rural input as they develop new programs and continue to administer the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program to assist rural Texas. We also will be working with the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) in such programs as HOME. Please continue to call us with any new program ideas or concerns you may have regarding state rural programs and policies. • Policy Advocate for Rural Texas: ARCITwill conduct "roundtables"with the State Legislature, State Agencies, Texas Economic Development Council, Rural Leaders and others to identify statewide policy issues that affect rural Texas. As a unified rural voice, we will be in Austin advocating on your behalf as to your desires, concerns and needs. • Rural Edition: ARCIT's newsletter will keep you informed as to what is happening here in Austin, leadership concepts and a "tool box" of ideas for rural communities. • Rural Community Needs Survey: We will regularly send you a survey that will take you 5-7 minutes to fill out and return to us. This is vital information that will be provided to the State Legislature and State Agencies as to your needs, concerns, and desires. • Coalition Building With Other Statewide Associations More questions regarding ARCIT? Please call Donna Chatham at theARCIT office in Austin, (512)331-1354 or email her at donna@arcit.org. ~1~RCIT ASSOCIATIO RURAL COMMUNITIES IN TEXAS A Strong Voice For Rural Texas MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION (SEE SCHEDULE ON REVERSE SIDE FOR MEMBERSHIP TYPE AND DUES) Name of Applicant: Type of Member ^ City ^ Economic Development Corp. Entity (Voting): ^ County ^ Utility District/Corp. Type of Associate Member (Non-voting): Type of Sustaining Member: Name of Contact Person Address for Notices Telephone Number Email Fax Number Alternate Contact Person Membership fee made payable to ARCIT. Please send payment to: ARCIT 13776 U.S. Highway 183 N., Suite 122-334 Austin, Texas 78750-1811 Questions? Please call Donna Chatham atARCIT (512) 331-1354 ARCIT Membership Dues Structure 2002 ELIGIBLE MEMBERSHIP VOTING MEMBERS DUES 20,001 to 50,000 $300 10,001 to 20,000 $300 5,001 to 10,000 $300 CITIES 4,001 to 5,000 $300 3,001 to 4,000 $300 2,001 to 3,000 $300 1,001 to 2,000 $300 501 to 1,000 $100 1 to 500 $100 OTHER Eligible Counties $300 ENTITIES EDC's $300 Utility Districts $300 ELIGIBLE ASSOC.MEMBERS (NON-VOTING I DUES Eligible Examples: Engineers, Architects, Grant Managers, COGs, Lenders,Community $500 Development Planners, etc. Non-Profits ~ $250 SUSTAINING es In "1001, AKCI I fOmed the texas Chapter of the American Planning Association, the Texas Association of Regional Councils and the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs in providing a series of training sessions for 180 planning commissioners and elected officials from 54 communities. In 2002, training sessions will again be held, and will include the following topics: • Texas Planning -What you Need to Know in 2002. • Being an Effective Planning Commissioner: Roles, Responsibilities, Ethics and Legal. • The Subdivision Ordnance: Its Fundamentals Including Statutory and Judicial Authority. • Impact Fees: How to Maximize Municipal Revenue. • Learn By Doing -An Exercise in Decision Making. • The Capital Improvements Program: Its Role in Comprehensive Plan Implementation. The workshops, where possible, have been scheduled at the offices of councils of governments throughout the State. The schedule and locations for the 2002 workshops is outlined below. • May 20 -Alamo Area Council of Governments, San Antonio. (210/362-5212) • May 22 -Brazos Valley Council of Governments, College Station. (979/775-4244) • June 21-Capital Area Planning Council, Austin. (512/916-6014) • July 25 -Golden Crescent Regional Planning Commission, Victoria. (361/578-1587) •August 2 -South Plains Association of Governments, Lubbock. (8061762-8721) •August 8 -Central Texas Council of Governments, Belton/Temple. (254/933-7075) •August 15 -TEXOMACouncil of Governments, Sherman. (903/813-3512) •August 15 -East Texas Council of Governments, Jefferson. (903/984-8641) • September 12 - Heart of Texas Council of Governments, Waco. (254/756-7822) • September 18 -Houston Galveston Area Council, Houston. (713/993589) • September 20 -APA Southmost Section, South Padre Island. (956/383-5661) For more information contact Dick Lillie, TCAPA Executive Administration, by phone/fax (512) 306-1674, or at dlillie@flash.net. ~RCIT Donna Chatham ~ Executive Director Assocretlon ofRUral Communitles N Texns 13776 U. S. Highwny 183 N. Sui[e 122-334 Austin, Texas 78750-1811 Office: (512) 331-1354 A Svung Voice for Rural Texas Faz: (512) 331-1462 Pager: (512)305-1180 donna@arcitorg