San Jacinto County Honored by TAC Leadership Foundation
San Jacinto Newstimes , September 2007

AUSTIN  --  San Jacinto County was honored by the Texas Association of Counties Leadership Foundation on August 16 for an innovative program that saves taxpayers’ money and provides better public service.
San Jacinto County’s prestigious award is among 13 presented to nine counties through the Leadership Foundation’s 8th Annual “Best Practices” awards for extraordinary innovations, achievements and effective management in county government.  The Texas Association of Counties (TAC) is a statewide organization whose members are county government officials in Texas.  Its Leadership Foundation serves as an educational resource for county officials.
“These award-winning programs have shown a marked increase in customer service or productivity, performances that go the extra and county leadership in the best of terms,” said retired Randall County Tax Assessor-Collector Carol Autry, chair of the foundation board and a TAC board member. “These dedicated county officials and staff have displayed enormous creativity, persistence and commitment.”
Autry and Harris County Constable Bill Bailey, former TAC president, presented the awards during a special ceremony in Austin.
San Jacinto County’s award is for Outstanding Achievement in Public Safety and Corrections for its emergency response facility.
When Hurricane Rita hit in 2005, San Jacinto County was on its own.  The hurricane shut down the Deep East Texas Council of Governments facility, and the Texas Department of Public Safety didn’t have the resources to operate locally (DPS was assigned to Lufkin during the hurricane). San Jacinto County saw an obvious need for a centrally located multi-use facility to serve as the point of response for law enforcement and other support functions during times of emergency or disaster.
At the same time, The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and Texas Forest Service (TFS) were closing their shared facility in San Jacinto County.  The county applied for and acquired this facility through available grant resources.  The USFS expedited a Special Use Permit to allow time for the county to purchase the facility.  San Jacinto county and the TFS made a Mutual Aid Agreement still in effect today (one of only two in the state) allowing responders to use TFS equipment during emergencies.  Texas DPS established a regional office in the facility in 2006.
The end result is a centralized facility which supports local, regional and state response to emergencies in the Deep East Texas area, while at the same time providing an increased and improved law enforcement presence in the area.
The TAC Leadership Foundation’s board of directors consists of Autry, chair; Kaufman County Judge Wayne Gent; Harris County Constable Ron Hickman; Navarro County Justice of the Peace Connie Mayfield; Tarrant County Tax Assessor-Collector Betsy Price; Tom Green County Treasurer Dianna Spieker; and ex-officio members Marc Hamlin, TAC president and Brazos County district clerk and Former Dallas County Commissioner Roy Orr.