H-GAC Regional Focus
 
July 2017
In This Issue
July Board of Directors Meeting
Matagorda County Judge Receives TARC Nomination
Deidre Vick Retiring After 37 Years of Service
2017 Our Great Region Awards
H-GAC Solid Waste Funding Plan Public Meeting
2017 TML Region 14 Fall Meeting
Parks and Natural Area Awards
GIS Training Offered
2017 Regional Salary and Benefits Survey Report
Careers at H-GAC
Quick Links
Meetings and Events
H-GAC Board of Directors Meetings are held at 10:00 a.m. on the third Tuesday of each month. Agendas for all committees can be found on our website Please visit our  calendar  for upcoming meetings and events.

Unless otherwise listed, meetings are held on the second floor at H-GAC's office, 3555 Timmons Lane, Houston, TX 77027


July Board of Directors Meeting
At their July meeting, the H-GAC Board of Directors unanimously approved a Livable Centers Study for the City of Mont Belvieu in a joint effort with H-GAC.

In addition, the Board unanimously approved acceptance of additional Workforce funds to accommodate additional Vocational Rehabilitation staff and a resolution designating August as Commute Solutions Month.

Furthermore, the Board unanimously approved all other items placed on the agenda including the resolution for retiring H-GAC Director of Public Services, Deidre Vick.  
Matagorda County Judge Receives TARC Nomination

At the July H-GAC Board of Directors meeting, the members unanimously approved the nomination of Matagorda County Judge,  Nate McDonald for President of the  Texas Association of Regional Councils .  Judge McDonald currently serves as the representative for the Houston-Galveston Area Council and as the President-Elect of TARC.

H-GAC is honored to have Judge McDonald represent our COG as an officer and supports him in his effort to enhance the quality of life in our region.
Deidre Vick Retiring After 37 Years of Service
Deidre Vick, Director of H-GAC's Public Services Department was honored this month for her 37 years of service to the region.

Deidre began her employment in 1980 and provided exemplary leadership to nearly 30 staff members in the Public Services Department.  Her distinguished service can be felt throughout the Cooperative Purchasing, Energy Purchasing, Criminal Justice and Public Safety programs.  
During the interim, any questions regarding Public Service matters can be directed to Chief Operating Officer, Chuck Wemple at 713-627-3200.
2017 Our Great Region Awards - Deadline to Apply is Tommorrow
Does your organization have an outstanding local project for transportation, environment, economic development, resiliency, housing, or healthy communities? If so, consider applying for the annual Our Great Region Awards .
 
Our Great Region Awards recognize outstanding projects in the region that advance the goals and strategies identified in the Our Great Region 2040 plan.  Plans, programs, projects, or policies since January 1, 2014, that have furthered or implemented a strategy of the Our Great Region 2040 plan within the 13-county region are eligible to submit. Any organization may apply for the award(s).
 
Application information is available online at Our Great Region Awards. The deadline to apply is Tuesday, August 1.
H-GAC Solid Waste Funding Plan Public Meeting
H-GAC will host a public meeting from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, August 9, in H-GAC Conference Room B, Second Floor, to discuss the FY 2017--18 Solid Waste Management Funding Plan.

Each biennium, regional councils of government across the state (including H-GAC) are required by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to develop and present funding plans for their 
solid waste grant programs.

The purpose of the plan is to provide information on grant funds for the new funding cycle to all eligible entities of pass-through grant funding, interested private industry representatives, and interested members of the public.

For the 2017--18 biennium, H-GAC will award $1.2 million in implementation projects to local governments. The request for grant applications will be released Thursday, September 14. 

For more information, contact Erin Livingston at 832-681-2525.
2017 TML Region 14 Fall Meeting

The 2017 TML Region 14 Fall Meeting and Workshop will be held Friday and Saturday, August 11 - 12 at the Moody Gardens Hotel in Galveston, Texas. Click  HERE  for event details.

The event will begin on Friday at 6:00 p.m. with a Reception and a Surf and Turf dinner will follow at 7:00 p.m.  Saturday's schedule begins with a buffet breakfast from 7:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m., with the business meeting, workshop session s and lunch to follow, concluding by early afternoon.

Register  HERE for the meeting by  Monday, August 7th .  For additional information contact Cynthia Jones at 713-993-4591.

Workshop Guest Speakers:      

J. Shane Howard, CIC, CRM, MBA 
Sr. Vice President
Burditt Consultants, LLC

Shane's work centers on community planning to enhance sustainable economic development.



Dan Reilly
Warning Coordination Meteorologist
National Weather Service
  
Dan works with communities to coordinate emergency warnings and procedures for extreme weather events.              


Mary Dickerson, MBA, CISSP, CISM, PMP
Assistant Vice-President / Assistant Vice-Chancellor, IT Security
Chief Information Security Officer
University of Houston

Mary serves as a Cybersecurity expert who works with communities to identify threats and their economic impact.                         
H-GAC Accepting Applications for Parks and Natural Areas Awards
H-GAC Parks and Natural Areas (PNA) Awards  applications will be accepted through Thursday, September 7.
 
PNA awards honor projects in four categories: Projects $500,000 or more; Projects under $500,000; Planning Process; and Policy Tools. Winning entries serve as models for planning and project implementation for parks and natural areas in the region.
 
Winners will be notified in November, and the awards ceremony will be in January 2018. For more information, contact Andrea Tantillo at 832-681-2507.
GIS Training Offered
The  H-GAC Data Services GIS Program has once again partnered with TeachMeGIS to host a series of high quality, instructor led GIS trainings in the 2nd Floor Training Room at H-GAC. TeachMeGIS staff will be onsite to conduct seven different courses throughout 2017. The course dates, course topics, and pricing, which includes a 15% discount for H-GAC members, are all listed on the GIS Training page on the H-GAC website.

Detailed information on the course content for all seven trainings is available by clicking on the course name. If interested in attending one of these courses, just select the red "Register Now" button to register for a class on the TeachMeGIS website. When registering, please be sure to select
"H-GAC" under the location column of the desired class to receive the discount. For more information on GIS Training at H-GAC, please contact  Brooks Andrews at 713-993-4519.  
2017 Regional Salary and Benefits Survey Report Now Available
H-GAC has concluded its 2017 Regional Salary and Benefits Survey and its annual report is now available. This report includes a summary of all positions, the lowest and highest salaries reported, simple averages, number of cities and employees for each position surveyed for all the participating cities.

The survey covered seventy-four (74) job titles in seven (7) major job categories.

The 2017 H-GAC Regional Salary and Benefits Survey Report is now available for purchase and is offered in multiple formats.  Please click HERE to purchase your copy.  For any questions regarding the report, please contact Staci Stalarow at 832-681-2631.
Careers at H-GAC
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H-GAC offers opportunities in clerical, technical, and professional positions, when available. Qualified, motivated individuals are encouraged to view our current opportunities and apply.

H-GAC is currently seeking:
To learn more and stay up to date on all career opportunities at H-GAC click HERE and follow us on Linkedin
Rick Guerrero, Intergovernmental Relations
Houston-Galveston Area Council