OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE TEXAS MUNICIPAL LEAGUE SEPTEMBER 21 VOLUME CVIII NUMBER 9 Building Fun Since 1981! Kraftsman Commercial Playgrounds & Water Parks 800.451.4869 | www.kraftsmanplay.com commercial playgrounds | splash parks | shade & shelter | fitness | interactives | & more! Building Fun CONTENTS H FEATURES Since 1981! Official Publication of the 18 36 Texas Municipal League. Get Active in the League’s Legislative Policy From Mindset to Mindsight: Live Life Development Process Inspired This publication assumes no responsibility for statements made by contributors 24 39 in signed articles. It is not operated for Letter from Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner TML Insider’s Guide to Houston pecuniary gain. 26 44 Editor Christina Corrigan Preliminary Agenda for the 109th TML Special Thanks to Our Sponsors Creative Manager Jennifer Stamps Annual Conference and Exhibition Designer Will Bowling 46 Advertising Sales Gray Bulman 28 2021 TML Village of Vendors Brings You Printing Publication Printers Corp. Affiliate Programs for the 109th TML Annual Aisles and Aisles of Texas! Conference and Exhibition Texas Town & City (ISSN 1084-5356) is 47 published monthly except October for $30 32 2021 TML Greenhouse: Homegrown per year ($3.00 per single copy) by the Looking for the Conference Program? Solutions in Under 30 Minutes Texas Municipal League, 1821 Rutherford There’s an App for That! Lane, Suite 400, Austin, Texas 78754-5101. 48 Periodicals Postage Paid at Austin, Texas 34 2021 TML Exhibitors and additional mailing offices. Frequently Asked Questions About the TML Annual Conference and Exhibition POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Texas Town & City, 1821 Rutherford Lane, Suite 400, Austin, Texas 78754-5101. CONTENTS H IN EACH ISSUE Section 305.027, Government Code, requires legislative advertising to disclose certain 5 12 information. Message from the President Legal Q&A 6 20 A person who knowingly enters into a TML News Small Cities’ Corner contract or other agreement to print, publish, or broadcast legislative advertising that 7 56 does not contain the required information Risk Pool News Career Builder commits a Class A misdemeanor offense. Texas Town & City contains material which 8 58 is legislative advertising as defined by law in Health Pool News Instagram Highlights the state of Texas. 10 City Lights Mr. Bennett Sandlin has entered into an agreement with Publication Printers Corp. for the printing of Texas Town & City magazine. Mr. Sandlin represents the ABOUT THE COVER member cities of the Texas Municipal League. The Texas Municipal League and City of Houston are excited to welcome you to the 109th TML Annual Conference and Kraftsman Commercial Playgrounds & Water Parks Exhibition on October 6-8, 2021. 800.451.4869 | www.kraftsmanplay.com commercial playgrounds | splash parks | shade & shelter | fitness | interactives | & more! TEXAS TOWN & CITY • 3 SEPTEMBER 2021 ABOUT H TML BOARD OF DIRECTORS H TML The Texas Municipal League exists solely TEXAS MUNICIPAL LEAGUE BOARD OF DIRECTORS to provide services to Texas cities. Since its formation in 1913, the League’s mission PRESIDENT AFFILIATE DIRECTORS Amanda Campos, City Secretary, Martha Castex-Tatum, Burleson has remained the same: to serve the needs Lee Battle, Director of Community Vice Mayor Pro Tem, Houston Enhancement, Allen Texas Municipal Clerks and advocate the interests of its members. American Planning Association Association, Inc. Membership in the League is voluntary PRESIDENT-ELECT Texas Chapter Lisa Norris, Human Resources/ David Rutledge, and is open to any city in Texas. From the Civil Service Director, Grand Prairie CMO, Mayor, Bridge City Marissa Ximenez, Councilmember, original 14 members, TML’s membership has Texas Municipal Human Resources Floresville grown to more than 1,150 cities. Over 16,000 Association IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT Association of Hispanic Municipal Officials mayors, councilmembers, city managers, Holly Gray-Moore, Mayor Pro Tem, Maria Redburn, Library Director, Bedford city attorneys, and department heads are Roanoke Texas Municipal Library Directors Selso A. Mata, Director of Building Association member officials of the League by virtue of Inspections, Plano PAST PRESIDENTS Building Officials Association of Texas their cities’participation. Michael Thane, Director of Utilities, Mary M. Dennis, CMO, Mayor, Live Oak Round Rock Clifford Blackwell, CGFO, Assistant Leonard Reed, CMO, Mayor, Willis Texas Municipal Utilities Association The League provides a variety of services City Manager, Bedford Henry Wilson, Mayor, Hurst Government Finance Officers to its member cities. One of the principal Brian Frieda, City Manager, Ballinger Dock Jackson, CMO, Councilmember, Association of Texas purposes of the League is to advocate Texas Police Chiefs Association Bastrop municipal interests at the state and federal Terry Henley, Board of Adjustment Robin Mouton, Mayor, Beaumont Timothy Slifka, Purchasing Manager, levels. Among the thousands of bills Texas Association of Black City Council Member, Meadows Place Southlake introduced during each session of the Texas Members Texas Public Purchasing Association Legislature are hundreds of bills that would DIRECTORS-AT-LARGE Sid Hudson, Chief Information Officer, Erin Hart, Assistant Director of Parks, affect cities. The League, working through its Jim Ross, Mayor, Arlington McKinney Arts and Recreation Department, Texas Association of Governmental Legislative Services Department, attempts Steve Adler, Mayor, Austin Grand Prairie Information Technology Managers to defeat detrimental city-related bills Paulette Guajardo, Mayor, Corpus Christi Texas Recreation and Parks Society and to facilitate the passage of legislation Eric Johnson, Mayor, Dallas Steve Rockey, Councilmember, designed to improve the ability of municipal Claudia Lizette Rodriguez, Friendswood EX-OFFICIO NON-VOTING INVITED Representative, El Paso Texas Association of Mayors, REPRESENTATIVES governments to operate effectively. Councilmembers and Commissioners Mattie Parker, Mayor, Fort Worth TML Health Benefits Pool Blake Petrash, Mayor Pro Tem, Martha Castex-Tatum, Vice Mayor Steve Killen, Director of Development The League employs full-time attorneys who City of Ganado Pro Tem, Houston Services, Stephenville are available to provide member cities with Ron Nirenberg, Mayor, San Antonio Texas Association of Municipal Health information on municipal legal matters. On a Officials TML Intergovernmental Risk Pool Jeffrey Snyder, City Manager, Plainview daily basis, the legal staff responds to member REGIONAL DIRECTORS Will Hampton, Communications cities’ written and oral questions on a wide 2-Doyle Robinson, CMO, Mayor, and Marketing Director, Round Rock variety of legal matters. The League annually Panhandle Texas Association of Municipal conducts a variety of conferences and 3-Latrelle Joy, Councilmember, Information Officers Lubbock training seminars to enhance the knowledge Robert Upton, Director of Engineering and skills of municipal officials in the state. In 4-Jack Ladd, Councilmember, Midland and Public Works, Pearland addition, the League also publishes a variety 5-Bill Lindenborn, Commissioner, Texas Chapter of American Public Works Burkburnett Association of printed materials to assist member cities 6-Robert Brown, Alderman, Menard in performing their duties. The best known Charles E. Zech, City Attorney, 7-Suzanne de Leon, CMO, Mayor, of these is the League’s monthly magazine, Pflugerville, Bee Cave, Wimberley, Prairie Balcones Heights View, Rollingwood, Santa Fe, Leon Valley, Texas Town & City. Each issue focuses on a 8-Tito Rodriguez, Councilmember, and Fair Oaks Ranch variety of contemporary municipal issues, North Richland Hills Texas City Attorneys Association including survey results to respond to 9-Ray O’Docharty, Mayor, Groesbeck Hugh R. Walker, Deputy City Manager, member inquiries. 10-Connie Schroeder, CMO, Mayor, Bryan Bastrop Texas City Management Association For additional information on any of 11-Patrick R. Rios, CMO, Mayor, Rockport 12-Ricardo Villarreal, Mayor, Palmview Jennifer Bozorgnia, Court Services these services, contact the Coordinator, Irving 13-Rick Grady, Councilmember, Plano Texas Municipal League at 512-231-7400 Texas Court Clerks Association 14-Andy Brauninger, Mayor, Huntsville or visit our website, www.tml.org. 15-Merlyn Holmes, Councilmember, Victor Conley, Fire Chief, Irving Kilgore Texas Fire Chiefs Association 16-Larry Wallace Jr., Mayor, Orange TEXAS TOWN & CITY • 4 SEPTEMBER 2021 BOARD OF DIRECTORS H TML MESSAGE H FROM THE PRESIDENT MARTHA CASTEX-TATUM Vice Mayor Pro Tem, City of Houston TML President Dear Texas City Official, It’s nearly that time—TML Annual Conference and Exhibition in Houston, Texas! I can’t wait to host you here in my hometown. Houston is a vibrant, diverse, and cultural city, and one that I’m very proud to play a part in leading. After I host you, I’m looking forward to visiting many of your hometowns as I travel to regional and training meetings over the next year as your President. The most beautiful cities in the world are truly here in our state. This conference is loaded with dozens of great concurrent educational sessions and some world- class keynote speakers at the general sessions. And when you’re not in sessions, you can take in the massive exhibit hall where you’ll learn from hundreds of organizations that proudly partner with Texas cities to provide services to our citizens. There are even some educational sessions scheduled in the new exhibit hall Greenhouse.