KINGSVILLE — Texas AgriLife Extension Service is hosting its annual Continuing Education Conference for County Officials Dec. 14 at the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Conference Center, 1730 W. Corral Ave., in Kingsville.
“While this meeting targets the 20 county commissioners’ courts in AgriLife Extension’s District 12 in extreme South Texas, we welcome any county commissioners or judges who wish to attend,” said Dr. Ruben Saldana, the AgriLife Extension district administrator in Weslaco.
The conference has been planned to address topics of interest to South Texas while trying to keep the program practical and cost-effective for court members, he said.
“We offer continuing education units for commissioners and we always strive with these conferences to provide the information and networking that is of greatest benefit to those who attend,” Saldana said.
The continuing education units are awarded by the V.G. Young Institute of County Government.
The conference begins at 9 a.m. with registration, followed at 9:30 a.m. by a welcome and opening comments by Dr. Steve Tallant, president of Texas A&M University-Kingvsille, and Kleberg County Judge Juan Escobar.
Other speakers and their topics include: Mary Ann Saenz, Texas Association of Counties, strategies to reduce risk and liabilities in county employment; Dr. Elaine Fries, AgriLife Extension regional program director, and Ashley Mathews, V.G. Young Institute of County Government, program updates on each of the two entities; state Senator Eddie Lucio and state Rep. J.M. Lozano, reflections on the latest legislative session; and James Allison, legal counsel for the County Judges and Commissioners Association of Texas, issues and legislation of importance to South Texas counties.
The afternoon session will include two panel discussions.
The first discussion will be on revenue sources and cost savings for law enforcement in South Texas and a question-and-answer session. Panelists include Cameron County Sheriff Omar Lucio, Webb County Sheriff Martin Cuellar, Brooks County Chief Deputy Benito Martinez and a representative to be named of the Hidalgo County sheriff’s office.
The second panel discussion will address border security considerations for county government as it pertains to the safety and security of the public. Invited panel members include representatives of the Houston office of Homeland Security, the U.S. Border Patrol and the Texas Rangers.
For more information, contact Saldana at 956-968-5581or email rjsaldana@ag.tamu.edu.