Governor Perry Appoints Mayor Parker to Task Force on Unfunded Mandates

UPDATE: I received several phone messages and emails about a mistake I made in this blog. I accidentally and unintentionally referred to Mayor Annise Parker as Mayor Sullivan. Due to a busy work and community involvement schedule in the past 24 hours, I have only now logged into my blog/listened to messages and read emails. I corrected it immediately.

Some have questioned whether it was intentional. Come on people. This blog is tied to my job at Channel 2. I have a wicked sense of humor, but I’m not going to jeopardize my employment(and ability to pay my mortgage and my dog’s grooming) by intentionally getting caught in a political battle between city council member Mike Sullivan and Mayor Parker.

My sincerest apology to Mayor PARKER.  I regret the error.

( BLOG POST)

We frequently hear local elected officials complain about unfunded mandates.

Those are  new regulations imposed by state lawmakers  onto local governments and school districts, but without the money needed to implement the changes. 

Those conditions create a big economic hardship during a time when many communities are dealing with budget problems.

Governor Perry announced today that he has appointed Houston Mayor Annise Parker and Houston city council member Mike Sullivan to a task force to identify burdensome mandates.

 (News Release From Governor’s Office) 

Gov. Perry Announces Formation of Task Force on Unfunded Mandates to

Identify Burdensome Mandates on Local Governments

Task force will issue report to the governor in March 

AUSTIN – Gov. Rick Perry has announced the formation of the bipartisan Task Force on Unfunded Mandates, which will identify burdensome unfunded mandates that have been passed down from the state to local governments, such as cities, counties and school districts. The task force will make their recommendations to the governor in March on how to best alleviate these burdens on local entities. 

“As we look for ways to streamline government and ensure the most prudent use of taxpayer dollars, we should also ensure we are not burdening local authorities with unfunded mandates as they face their own budget challenges,” Gov. Perry said. “I look forward to receiving the recommendations from this bipartisan task force featuring local officials who understand the needs of their communities, as removing these extra costs will help local governments better and more efficiently serve their constituents.”

 The task force members are as follows:

 Annise Parker – Mayor, City of Houston

John Cook – Mayor, City of El Paso

Bob Holder – Comal County Sheriff

Susan Narvaiz – former Mayor, City of San Marcos 

Mike Sullivan – Houston City Councilman

Carlos Cascos – Cameron County Judge

Keith Self – Collin County Judge

Brett Ligon – Montgomery County District Attorney 

Mary Ann Whiteker – Hudson Independent School District Superintendent