Term lengths, limits will be discussed for 37 local boards
By
Jaime Powell (
Contact)
Originally published 02:27 a.m., October 3, 2007
Updated 02:27 a.m., October 3, 2007
Nueces County commissioners will examine how the court appoints residents to county boards and start writing a policy that for the first time will lay out guidelines such as term lengths and limits.
Commissioners will discuss the details this morning in a workshop and are set to vote on a resolution on the matter during the county's regular meeting.
The county appoints members to 37 boards and commissions, including slots on the boards of the Port of Corpus Christi, the Nueces County Hospital District, the Regional Transportation Authority and the Christus Spohn Hospital System, said Tyner Little, assistant to County Judge Loyd Neal.
There have been improvements to the appointment process in recent years, Little said. Under former County Judge Terry Shamsie, the county started advertising openings on various boards and seeking applications from the general public.
"Before that, it was really the court would find people they wanted to appoint and basically say, 'OK, I am ready to appoint this person, and they would go to court and appoint. Now you submit a resume and a letter of interest. And that's really done a lot for getting more people in the public involved."
If there was a tendency to put friends on boards in the past, the application process has alleviated some of that, Little said.
"I think the commissioners court has an interest in putting the best people on those boards because they run better," Little said. "They really like to put in a financial person, sometimes a lawyer, somebody with experience in the field that allows them to perform and allows the organization to run smoother and perform a better service."
But the county has no formal policy on term lengths, term limits or replacing board members other than those set forth by statute, rule or interlocal agreements, Neal said.
For example, port commissioners are appointed by the county, city of Corpus Christi and San Patricio County to staggered three-year terms and are limited to four terms, based on state statute. Other agencies have different terms, such as the hospital district board, which has seven county-appointed members who are not bound by term limits.
"I'm not saying people have not served well," Neal said. "We need more people going through these boards so we get new ideas and new enthusiasm. There are a lot of fine people who want to serve on county boards or commissions. Right now there is no process that allows commissioners to appoint fresh new faces without it appearing that those already serving have gotten lifetime appointments."
But there has to be a balance, county officials and some local board members said, because some of the boards are highly technical and come with a serious learning curve.
Local attorney Van Huseman serves as the chairman of the Nueces County Hospital District board and has been a member for more than 10 years. His board oversees a $30 million budget and deals with the county's responsibility to provide indigent health care and a host of other issues, including contributions to HALO-Flight air ambulance service, diabetes programs and teenage pregnancy programs.
"The complexities of what we do are such that it takes years before someone gets up to speed on what is going on," Huseman said. "This is not particularly a fun job. It's one where most of our members are on because they have some sense of duty. It does not make you popular, you don't get anything out of it at all except for criticism. Most people in the county don't have a clue what the hospital district is about, but it deals with a lot of money and affects a lot of people's lives."
Nueces County Board Appointments
- Air Quality Services Monitoring Committee
- Christus Spohn Health Board of Trustees
- Citizens’ Advisory Health Board
- Coastal Bend Council of Governments
- Coastal Bend Housing Finance Corporation
- Coastal Bend Workforce Development Board
- Intergovernmental Commission on Drug and Alcohol Abuse
- Loss Control Committee
- Animal Control Advisory Committee
- Bail Bond Board
- Beach Management Advisory Committee
- Bishop Driscoll Drainage District No. 3
- Child Welfare Board
- Civil Service Commission
- Community Action Agency Board
- Grants Review Committee
- Historical Commission
- Hospital District Board of Managers
- Housing Finance Corporation
- Juvenile Advisory Council
- Library Advisory Board
- MHMR Community Center Board
- Park Board Commissioners
- Purchasing Board
- Rural Rail Transportation District
- Emergency Services District No. 1
- Emergency Services District No. 2
- Emergency Services District No. 3
- Emergency Services District No. 4
- Special Task Force of Adult Protective Services
- Tax Appraisal District
- Veterans Local Land Board Committee
- Port of Corpus Christi Authority
- Regional Health Awareness Board
- Regional Transportation Authority
- Salary Grievance Committee
- South Texas Water Authority
Contact Jaime Powell at 886-3716 or powellj@caller.com
