Texans for
State Parks Board to Meet August 18
The Texans for State Parks
Board of Directors will meet August 18, 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. in the conference
room at the Heritage at Gaines Ranch, 4409 Gaines Ranch Loop, in south Austin, off loop 1 between
360 and 290. The meeting is open to all
members. If you wish to attend, contact Linda Evans, e-mail leevans@texas.net, ph.
512.444.8079, for the agenda and lunch plans.
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Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission Annual Public Hearing
Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission will
hold the annual Public hearing Wednesday, August 22, 2007 at 2:00 pm. The
Commission will hear Public Testimony on any Issue Related to the Texas Parks
and Wildlife Department. The hearing will be held in the Commission Hearing
Room at Parks and Wildlife Austin Headquarters, 4200 Smith School Road, Austin,
TX 78744.
Committee hearings will be begin at 8:00 am
Wednesday, August 11. For committee
items, see http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/business/feedback/meetings/2007/0823/agenda/. The committee hearings are open to
observation, but not comment.
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Texas State Parks Seek Qualified Job Applicants
Thanks
to recent appropriations by the Texas Legislature, the Texas Parks
and Wildlife Department is seeking qualified applicants to fill about 200 new
employee positions in Texas State Parks. This is the first major infusion of
new staffing for state parks in many years.
Texas
State Parks will be filling new positions at sites across the state in
September and October. Each position will be advertised independently
throughout August and September on the TPWD Web site (link provided below). The
closing deadline to apply for jobs will vary by position, so applicants need to
check the Web site on a regular basis for new job postings and closing dates.
Some
job openings are entry level positions for which many people might qualify. But
most of the state park jobs require special skills and experience, so
applicants need to look closely at the job descriptions to make sure they
qualify before applying.
“We’re
looking for people who are really excited about helping take care of some of
the most special places in our state, folks who are interested in a long-term
career with Texas State Parks,” said Walt Dabney, TPWD state parks director.
“We’re looking for a broad spectrum of skills for different kinds of jobs,
ranging from people with strong maintenance skills to help repair facilities,
folks with the ability to explain and interpret park natural resources and
history for visitors, and experienced professionals who can help manage and
administer these sites, just to cite a few examples.”
Types
of positions include Park Specialists (Interpreters, Park Police Officers,
Resource Management; Park Superintendent Trainees, Park Superintendents),
Program Specialists (Regional Law Enforcement Coordinators, Regional Natural
Resource Specialists, Regional Cultural Resource Specialists), Architects, an
Interpretation & Exhibits Planner, Park Rangers (Maintenance, Utility Plant
Operators, Interpreters), Maintenance Assistants, Maintenance Technicians,
Administrative Assistants, Clerks, and Food Service Workers.
Applicants
must submit a completed State of Texas
job application separately for each position of interest. Copies of application
will be accepted as long as the different posting number and location
preference is identified. www.tpwd.state.tx.us/business/jobs/postings/?page=sp [TPWD News]
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Recap of Parks Legislation
By now everyone has likely heard the good news that significant funding
was provided for parks by the 80th legislature. The legislation providing funding for parks
finally got approval in literally the final hours of the session and it has taken
some time to work through all the provisions involved. Some of the funding will come from future
bond sales, some is from the sale of existing park land, and TPWD
has to comply with a number of recommendations resulting from the State
Auditor’s “An Audit Report on Financial Processes at the Parks and Wildlife
Department Report No. 07-021”. The
legislation includes little funding for new acquisitions, and results in the
transfer of 18 Historic Sites and the Texas State Railroad out of the State
Park system.
TPWD Management Requirements: HB 12 requires TPWD to practice certain park
management-related provisions, including development of an annual Equipment
Review System, Facility Reservation System Evaluation; and a Maintenance
Provider Review System
TPWD must
submit by January 15 of each legislative session, a Management Plan and
Priorities List to the governor, the Speaker of the House of Representatives,
the Lieutenant Governor, and the chair of each House and Senate standing
committee with relevant jurisdiction.
The Management Plan and Priorities List must include a prioritized list
of TPWD facilities in need of repair, renovation, expansion, or maintenance; an
itemized list explaining additional funding requested to accomplish a project
on the prioritized list; and the results of the annual Equipment Review,
Maintenance Provider Review, and Facility Reservation System Evaluation.
HB 12 provides for TPWD to promote visits and
enhance revenues; establish and operate staff concessions on park sites;
purchase products for profitable resale or rental; and enter into leased
concession contracts as necessary, as well as to establish criteria for
determining the eligibility of land that was donated for inclusion in the state
parks
HB 1 Funding Provisions
Texas state
and local parks were granted $182 million in additional funding for the 2008-09
biennium when all was said and done.
Following are some ballpark figures from HB 1, to show what TPWD was
appropriated in ‘07 vs. what they will get in ‘08:
‘07 ‘08
Salaries/Operating $53 million $68.5 million
Equipment $0.25
million $4.8 million
Capital
Repair $18 million
in bonds $68
million in bonds
Land
Acquisition $2.1
million $16 million
Local Parks $5.7
million $38.3 million
Acquisition: Land
acquisition and development funding for FY 06-07 was $2.1 million. TPWD’s Legislative Appropriations Request for
FY 08-09 was $30 million. The
approximate appropriation for land acquisition in HB 1 is $11.7 million for FY
08-09. However, the $11.7 million comes
from the land sale proceeds of Eagle
Mountain Lake
($9.6 million) and other TPWD lands ($2.1 million). $6.4 million of the $11.7 million can only
be used to acquire adjacent tracts or in-holdings of TPWD lands.
Other provisions in HB 12:
Sporting Goods Sales Tax: HB 12 requires 94 percent of sporting good
sales tax collections each biennium to be credited to the Texas Parks
and Wildlife Department and 6 percent to the Texas Historical Commission, in
conformity with Tax Code, sec. 151.801
HB 12 also calls for a joint legislative task
force to study the use of the sales tax on sporting goods. The task force will be composed of 8 members,
4 from the House of Representatives and 4 from the Senate. The task force shall:
— review the items that
are included in the definition of “sporting goods”
— determine the amount
of sales tax revenue that must be generated from the sale of “sporting goods”
to fund at a minimum, the appropriations of the 80th Legislature
regarding state parks, local parks, historic sites, coastal management
programs, and water planning.
— prepare and present to
the legislature a report of their findings by December 15, 2008.
Historic Sites: HB
12 establishes a Historic Site Account that will be used to administer,
operate, preserve, repair, expand, or maintain historic sites.
HB 12
transfers the following historic sites and all associated obligations and
liabilities, un-obligated and unexpended funds, equipment and property, rules,
and files from TPWD to THC on or after January 1, 2008:
· Acton
State Historic Site;
· Caddoan Mounds State
Historic Site;
·
Casa
Navarro State Historic Site;
· Confederate Reunion Grounds
State
Historic Site;
· Eisenhower Birthplace State
Historic Site;
· Fannin Battleground State
Historic Site;
· Fort Griffin State
Historic Site;
· Fort Lancaster State
Historic Site;
· Fort McKavett State Historic Site;
· Fulton Mansion State
Historic Site;
· Landmark Inn State
Historic Site;
· Levi Jordan State
Historic Site;
· Magoffin Home State
Historic Site;
· Sabine Pass Battleground
State
Historic Site;
· Sam Bell Maxey House State
Historic Site;
· San
Felipe State Historic Site;
· Starr Family Home
State
Historic Site; and
· Varner-Hogg Plantation State
Historic Site.
HB 12 requires THC to prepare a management plan
for each historic site before initiating a transfer. TPWD will continue to operate and maintain
the site until the transfer takes place.
Employees with more than 50 percent historic site-related duties will be
transferred to THC, and no transferred employee can be dismissed without cause
before the first anniversary of the transfer.
HB 12 provides for the appointment of an interim
study subcommittee to review the base operating plans. Not later than September 1, 2008, the interim
study subcommittee shall report to the House Committee on Culture, Recreation,
and Tourism the results of the study.
THC can
establish fees at all historic sites under its jurisdiction and THC can enter
into an agreement with a non-profit entity for the expansion, renovation,
management, operation, or financial support of any site. This bill allows THC to seek and accept
grants and donations for historic sites.
All funds collected from fees, grants, or donations have to be credited
to the Historic Site Account.
Bonds for Maintenance, Repair and
Construction:
Senate Bill 2033 and Senate
Joint Resolution 65 as passed and enacted, calls for the issuance of an amount
not to exceed $1 billion in general obligation bonds should Texas voters approve the measure on November
6, 2007. The Legislature intends to use
$52 million of the bonds for park maintenance, improvement, repair and
construction.
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Selected
news items from various sources are edited and forwarded by Texans for State
Parks. If you have news or an event you
would like forwarded to Texans for State Park members, send to leevans@texas.net.
TEXANS FOR STATE PARKS
invites you to join with us in protecting our Texas treasures. Whether you are an individual, family, school
group or represent a small business or a major corporation, our membership
categories provide a way for you to become involved. For information and a membership application,
see www.texansforstateparks.org or e-mail
leevans@texas.net.
