Membership Renewal
Members can renew their membership online at www.tcma.org. Simply
click on the “About TCMA” link and select “Dues
Renewal.” Dues can be paid with a credit card, and member
profiles can also be updated from this link.: Dues
Renewal.
The Texas City Management Association is pleased to
send you this month’s edition of the Management Messenger.
It features recent changes in city management positions around the
state, current job listings, names of new members, information about
upcoming educational events, and news about our colleagues. The newsletter
and past issues are also posted at http://www.tcma.org/newsletter.htm.
You play an important role in the ethics process. Acquaint
yourself with the Code
of Ethics and its Rules
of Procedure for Enforcement .
Please remember to browse through YOUR Web
site, http://www.tcma.org.
Join the Texas City Management Association during the
Texas Municipal League Annual Conference and Exhibition on
Friday, November 9
Dallas Convention Center
Room D-163 (Level 1)
9:00 – 10:15 a.m.
Growing Our Successors
Speaker: Frank Benest, City Manager, City
of Palo Alto, California
10:30 – 11:45 a.m.
Texas Department of Transportation Pass-Through Cost-Sharing
Program
Speaker: Bill Eisen, City Manager, City of Pearland
Coaches and mentees will have the opportunity at the TML Annual
Conference in Dallas to meet with their mentor, mentee, and other
program participants. Mentors can use the conference time to introduce
their mentees to other managers, directors, and elected officials.
This is a prime opportunity to show them the ropes of maneuvering
around a TML Annual Conference.
In addition, on Friday, November 9, a Coaching and Mentoring
Program Update will be provided at the conclusion of the
TCMA session. Additional information about the program and the
opportunity to sign up as a mentor will be available.
For more information on the coaching and mentoring program, please
contact Dr. Troy Coleman at The Waters Consulting Group (at 1-800-899-1669
or tcoleman@watersconsulting.com)
or Linda Groomer (at 214-202-3199 or lgroomer@tx.rr.com).
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Gary Beverly is the interim city manager for the
City of Freeport.
Steve Clark is the new city manager for the City
of Lumberton, effective November 1.
Mike Jez will no longer be the city manager for
the City of Webster beginning November 8. He will be the new police
chief for the City of League City. Jamie Galloway,
current fire chief for the City of Webster, will be the acting city
manager for the City of Webster.
Gus Pappas is no longer the city manager for the
City of Ferris.
Ken Pfeifer is the new city manager for the City
of Aledo.
Jeff Radke is the new city manager for the City
of Mountain City.
Philip Sanders is the new city manager for the
City of Anna.
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The
City of Plano will celebrate the grand opening of the Tom
Muehlenbeck Center on Friday, November 2. The recreation
center and swim facility has been named in honor of Tom for 20 years
of service as city manager for the City of Plano.
Dan O’Leary, city manager for the City of
San Marcos, announced his retirement. Dan has served as the city
manager since 2002. His last day will be December 13, 2007.
Rickey Childers was appointed by the ICMA Executive
Board to serve a four-year term as a director of the Vantage Trust
Company Board of Directors. The company approves investment policies
and expenses for the ICMA Retirement Corporation, which provides
retirement programs for public employees.
A ceremonial ground-breaking on October 23 marked the start of the
largest municipal project ever undertaken for the City of Waxahachie.
The new water treatment plant was named in honor of Robert
W. Sokoll, the city’s former city manager. Bob is
now retired.
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At its March 30, 2007, meeting, the TCMA Board approved a recommendation
that names of new member applicants be published each month in the Management
Messenger. Any written objection during a subsequent 30-day
period will be reviewed by the TCMA Membership Committee. If no objections
are received during this time, the names will be submitted for Board
approval at the next scheduled Board meeting. Written objections
can be mailed to: TCMA, Attention: Membership Committee, 1821 Rutherford
Lane, Suite 400, Austin, TX 78754. Applications received for the
month of October:
Full: Darla A. Jones, Assistant
City Mananger, La Feria; George Olson, City Manager,
Sherman; Arturo F. Prida, City dministrator, Rio
Hondo
Associate: Alison Ortowski, Assistant
to the City Manager, Southlake; Danny Steven Batts II,
Management Assistant, Sugar Land
Cooperating: Arnolda Perez, Assistant
Human Resources Director, Brownsville; David R. Rodriguez,
Membership Development Manager, TMRS
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Technology is affecting the way local government serves citizens.
For one West Central Texas city, ABILENE411 is the means to building
and improving good relationships with citizens living in a non-stop,
information-rich society.
Abilene City Manager Larry Gilley explained, "This
Internet-based initiative we're dubbing Citizen Relationship Management,
or CRM, will aid us in providing better and more individualized service
to residents." ABILENE411 is the name city employees chose out of
more than 100 entries, submitted by coworkers, to represent the CRM
section of the City of Abilene Web site. This is where citizens can
make service requests, such as notifying the correct division about
a pothole, with the click of a mouse. They'll also easily find answers
online to common questions that range from “When can you water
outside?” to “Where can you purchase a pet license?” All
employees with computer access will be able to answer citizen questions
and input service requests with the same consistent response.
Learning the new ABILENE411 technology will come later for city
staff. Assistant City Manager David A. Vela, who
heads the CRM committee, stressed the importance of employee involvement
at the beginning of a major project like this. "It is getting the
people part right that will foretell how successful ABILENE411 is
in the organization," Vela noted.
As the City of Abilene gets closer to unveiling ABILENE411, the
emphasis is on educating staff on what this technology can do, how
it will affect them on the job, and why it will improve what they're
already providing to citizens. Employees will have ample time to
use the system and make adjustments before it's available to the
public. Gilley is optimistic about how ABILENE411 is shaping up.
He emphasized, "Through teamwork and communication, ABILENE411 has
the potential to not only streamline the way staff handles service
requests, but also to provide the framework for one-stop service
for citizens." ABILENE411 is expected to launch to the public early
next year.
The City of Bee Cave opened its new city hall in the Hill Country
Galleria on Friday, October 25. City Hall is the center of a 1.3-million-square-foot
lifestyle center. James Fisher is the city manager
for the City of Bee Cave.
Application deadline for the Clarence E. Ridley
and Barney L. Knight Texas CPM Scholarships is Friday, December
14. Please visit Ridley
Scholarship or CPM
Scholarship for more information and an application.
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The Professional Development Committee met October 18-19 at the
Sheraton Arlington Hotel.
The Public Relations Committee met at the Texas Municipal Center
on October 26.
Please visit the TCMA Web site at www.tcma.org for the most recent
committee meeting minutes.
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Please make a note of TML’s upcoming educational events:
Texas Municipal League Annual Conference and Exhibition,
November 6-9, Dallas Convention Center, Dallas
Connecting Citizens’ Expectations with Service Results:
Budgeting for Performance, February 15, 2008, Texas Municipal
Center, Austin
We also encourage you to visit the entire TML Web site at http://www.tml.org.
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