HR Focus
Summer/Fall 2009 -- Contents
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President's Message
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Articles of Interest aka News You Should Use
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TMHRA archives HTML versions of previous newsletters.
| Fall 2007 | Winter 2008 | |
| Spring 2008 | Summer 2008 | Fall 2008 |
| Winter 2009 | Spring 2009 |
OUTGOING PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
What a ride this year has been! It seems to have flown by in no time at all! This has been the year of Cs: Conferences, Committee Hearings, and Commitment.
The conferences were outstanding this year, with excellent speakers, generous sponsors, and good attendance from members and non-members alike. Your TMHRA Board elected to rename the Mid-Year Conference to the Annual Conference. It also decided to establish several annual awards for our members. Be on the lookout for more details.
This was a busy legislative session for TMHRA. Many thanks to Tadd Phillips, Miguel Ozuna, Bettye Lynn, and other members of the legislative committee, as well as members of TCMA, Police Chiefs’ Association, County Sheriffs’ Association, and others for their efforts this session. They worked very hard calling on other associations, disseminating information about our points of view, and testifying before the Legislative Committee against establishing state collective bargaining for public safety employees prematurely. Their efforts were integral to the bills not being voted out of Committee.
This year was also an excellent year for membership in TMHRA. Our membership increased by almost 100 people, bringing our association to more than 300 members! Thanks to the Board, speakers, sponsors, and members, who continue to see the value in the professional development and networking opportunities provided by TMHRA and are committed to supporting our efforts for continued growth.
This year has been a great one for me as your president. It has provided me the opportunity to work with some of the best professionals, the classiest people, I have ever known. Many thanks to the TMHRA Board and Lonne Parent-Smith. Their work and commitment to the organization is special. Our group is replete with truly outstanding people, some of whom I have the privilege to call friends. My wish for the members of TMHRA is continued growth, development prosperity, and FUN! Let us continue to strive for excellence in ourselves, our respective cities, and TMHRA. With that, I bid you Adios, Vaya Con Dios, Ciao, Sayonara, Aloha, Auf Wiedersehen, Happy Trails….
INCOMING PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Greetings from West Texas! I am honored to be the president of YOUR association for the coming year. I know I have big shoes to fill; however, with the great Board of Directors in place, I believe we will be able to continue the positive trend of Bonita’s administration. We have had a record increase in membership to more than 300, and I hope to continue building it by encouraging more participation, especially by the smaller Texas municipalities.
As a profession and as a human resource association, we are facing many monumental challenges. We must be vigilant and prepared to participate in, and contribute to, the federal and state legislative processes. It is imperative that our profession have a role in crafting the laws that will impact our daily duties, such as collective bargaining, civil service, the Public Employer-Employee Cooperation Act, and health care reform, among others.
As I mentioned, we have a very strong Board of Directors. Janie Mehrens is the vice president and chairs the Nominating and Legislative Committees. Debbie Maynor is secretary/treasurer and fills a key role in keeping the association’s financials in order. Shante’ Jordan heads the Program Committee, ensuring our conferences are first rate. Martha Butz is the Technology Committee and New Member Committee chair and will keep the positive trend we have in those areas. Tadd Phillips is the Sponsorship chair and brings us sponsors who offer our membership quality HR-related products and services. Dick Hodapp chairs the TxPelra/Civil Service Committee, an evolving committee that spearheads our efforts to be proactive in legislative matters. Melinda Galler is the TML Salary Survey Chair and assists with the newsletter, both of which offer good tools for our members. Miguel Ozona, our newest Trustee, heads the Newsletter Committee to keep information flowing. George Mones returns as our TML Board representative, and Bonita Hall is our immediate past president, whose sage wisdom is sought and respected. Last and certainly not least is our TML contact, Lonne Parent-Smith, on whom the Board relies to keep us on an even keel. I encourage each member to contact the chair of a committee to support and contribute to the efforts in whatever area you are interested and/or have expertise.
At the Board meeting last month, three new committees were authorized: TMRS, Civil Service, and Awards. Barry Robinson, HR director in Greenville, will chair the TMRS Committee in working with our TMRS Liaison, Jim Parrish, ACM in McKinney. Both Barry and Jim graciously volunteered to spearhead TMHRA’s efforts to participate in ensuring that our interests in the monumental developments in our retirement system are heard. Tadd Phillips will launch the Awards Program and will develop and operate this new program recognizing annually outstanding professionals in HR. Please be prepared to nominate worthy candidates for awards. The Civil Service Committee is “under construction,” and the Board will give further direction in the near future.
It is an exciting time to be in the human resources business. In 2010, TMHRA will be offering several educational opportunities to its members. Our next scheduled event is the TxPelra/Civil Service Seminar in San Antonio in February. In March, the ever-popular Nuts and Bolts will be held in Round Rock. Our TMHRA Annual Conference, which is the old Mid-Year Conference, will be in Dallas in May. In September, our final conference, Employment Law, will be in Rockwall. The TML Annual Conference met in Fort Worth this past October and will be in Corpus Christi in October 2010. While we haven’t had affiliate meetings at TML for several years, it is an opportunity to network and keep up-to-date with TML happenings. This year, TMHRA members Harold Cates, Midlothian; Lisa Norris, Grand Prairie; and Gayle Sims, Waxahachie, presented a concurrent session on “Strategies for Addressing Your Compensation and Benefits in Uncertain Times.” If you are interested in reinstitution of TML affiliate meetings at future TML Annual Conferences, please let me or any Board member know.
Please support these events; and if you have suggestions for topics, speakers, etc., please contact Shante’ Jordan or any Board member. It is our goal to provide quality educational opportunities and have committees that keep us current on developments impacting our profession.
Finally, I must express my gratitude to Bonita Hall for her outstanding service and leadership as president of TMHRA for 2008-2009. I will continue to rely on her wisdom in our operations. Additionally, I am thankful to Lonne Parent-Smith for all that she does for TMHRA. Our association would not be the success it is without these two, the Board, and you, our members.
Don Byrne, PHR, IPMA-CP
UPCOMING EVENTS
| 2010 | ||
| SEMINARS | DATE | LOCATION |
| TXPELRA/Civil Service | February 10-12 | Crowne Plaza, San Antonio |
| TMHRA Nuts and Bolts | March 26 | Marriott Austin North, Round Rock |
| TMHRA Annual Conference | May 5-7 | DoubleTree Campbell Center, Dallas |
| Employment Law | September 16-17 | Hilton Bella Harbor, Rockwall |
| TML Annual Conference | October 26-29 | Corpus Christi |
| 2011 | ||
| SEMINARS | DATE | LOCATION |
| TXPELRA/Civil Service | February 9-11 | Crowne Plaza Downtown, Dallas |
| TMHRA Nuts and Bolts | April 1 | Marriott Austin North, Round Rock |
| TMHRA Annual Conference | May 25-27 | Moody Gardens, Galveston |
| Employment Law | August 31-September 2 | Crowne Plaza, San Antonio |
| TML Annual Conference | October 11-14 | Houston |
If you have questions, you may contact TML staff at 512-231-7400 or tmhra@tml.org.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS NOW!!!
WELCOME, NEW MEMBERS
INTRODUCING…New Members to TMHRA
TMHRA will provide you with opportunities to participate in planning educational sessions and all the other activities sponsored by our organization. As a member, you will also have access to TMHRA e-Solutions – a great way to get advice or feedback from your colleagues.
The following human resource professionals have chosen to join our great organization, and the Board has unanimously approved their applications. Our newest members (June-September) are:
Lynn Burnett, Administrative Assistant, City of Pasadena
Danielle Hackbusch, HR/Risk Management, City of Lake Worth
Lori Harris, Assistant City Manager/HR Director, City of Windcrest
Riley Harvill, Vice President, The Harbeck Company, Inc.
Michelle Jenkin, HR Coordinator, City of Forney
Anna Kucera, Administrative Assistant, City of Ingleside
Tami Taber, Assistant to the City Manager/HR, City of Sanger
Audrey Seawright, HR Administrator III, City of Pasadena
Alicia Cano, Personnel/Accounting Supervisor, City of Alamo
Abbie Grillo, HR Generalist/Comp Administrator, City of Waco
Cara Hubbard, City Secretary, City of Reno (Lamar County)
Lisa Olmeda, City Secretary, City of Wharton
Sylvia Rasko, Human Resources Manager, City of Nacodoches
Sarah Ward, Accountant, Denton City Trans. Authority
Tammy Bell, City Secretary, City of Manvel
Codi Delcombre, Town Secretary, Town of Argyle
Georgene Goff, HR Analyst, City of Cleburne
Mary Ann Henline, HR/Accounting Coordinator, City of Decatur
Velma Garcia Hernandez, Personnel Coordinator, City of Hondo
Alison Pond, HR Director, City of College Station
Debra Powledge, Risk Manager, City of Cleburne
Lois A. Rockefeller, City Attorney, City of Breckenridge
Lee Ann Shackleford, Workforce Services Manager, City of Arlington
Susan Welbes, Director of Human Resources, The Woodlands Township
We appreciate your interest in helping TMHRA remain a tremendous professional resource throughout the State of Texas.
Welcome to the TMHRA team!
TMHRA Sponsors
2009-2010 SPONSORS
TMHRA is grateful for the continued support of our sponsors. The sponsorships allow us to keep all events reasonably priced and affordable for all members. Thank you to the following sponsors for their support and contributions throughout the year:
GOLD SPONSORS
Affion Public
CIGNA Healthcare
City of Irving
City of Rockwall
Holmes Murphy & Associates
ICMA Retirement Corporation
IPS Advisors, Inc.
Lynn Pham & Ross, LLP
MetLife
Nationwide Retirement Solutions
Smith & Associates Consulting
The Waters Consulting Group, Inc.
TML Intergovernmental Employee Benefits Pool
United Healthcare
SILVER SPONSORS
Denton, Navarro, Rocha & Bernal, P.C.
Neogov
PARS
PeopleAdmin, Inc.
Texas Municipal Retirement System
BRONZE SPONSORS
Aetna
Public Sector Personnel Consultants
Standard Insurance Company
ARTICLES OF INTEREST aka NEWS YOU SHOULD BE AWARE OF
LEGAL BRIEF FOR HR – Audrey E. Mross
That’s Sick – A representative from California introduced a bill in Congress on November 3 to mandate up to five days of sick leave be paid to employees, if their employer (defined as having 15+ employees) sent them home or advised them to go home or stay at home because the employee has a contagious illness, like the H1N1 flu bug. Employees who decide, on their own, to stay home would not be eligible for the mandated pay. The bill would also prohibit employers from firing, disciplining, or retaliating against an employee for staying home due to illness. Hearings are set for the week of November 16 and, if passed, could take effect within 15 days of signing. (H.R. 3991 - No vote was taken by the Committee on November 16)
TMRS AD-HOC COMMITTEE
As many of you know, many cities are struggling to afford their TMRS contribution rate due to the recent changes in actuarial accounting methods for annually repeating COLA and updated service credit benefits. Under the existing statute, cities have very limited options to address the issue. TMRS has offered the current 8-year, phase-in program and extended the amortization period from 25 to 30 years. Still, many cities are faced with a fully funded rate that may not be sustainable.
The TMHRA Board has authorized the formation of an ad-hoc committee to review the situation and determine if other options could be offered to participating cities. Several options have been mentioned that would most likely require legislation, including additional COLA options, two-tier retirement systems, a further extended phase-in period, etc. If you have questions, please contact committee chair Barry Robinson, Human Resource Director, City of Greenville, at 903-457-3113, or e-mail brobinson@ci.greenville.tx.us.
Below are the committee members:
| Committee Members | City |
| Joan McKaughan | Corpus Christi |
| Cheryl Dunlop | Rockwall |
| Leeann Shackelford | Arlington |
| Julie O’Connell | New Braunfels |
| Baby Raley | Farmers Branch |
| Melinda Galler | Lewisville |
| Kathy Shields | Farmers Branch |
| Eddie Edwards | Borger |
| Darlene McAndrew | Plano |
| Edward Williams | Missouri City |
| Kathy Buehner | Mansfield |
| Lisa Norris | Grand Prairie |
| Marty Brennan | Richardson |
| Passion Hayes | Addison |
| Paula Kutchka | Sugar Land |
| George Mones | Mesquite |
| Jim Parrish | McKinney |
| Kevin Russell | Georgetown |
| Wendy Standorf | West University Place |
| JoAnn Franke | Brownwood |
| Jame Mehrens | Brenham |
| Don Byrne | Odessa |
| Barry Robinson | Greenville |
| Debbie Maynor | Killeen |
Please feel free to contact any of the members of this committee with suggestions and or information relating to TMRS.
LABOR RELATIONS LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE
TXPELRA and TMHRA have organized the Labor Relations Legislative Committee to represent the best interests of both organizations and their members. In brief summary, the committee will provide leadership, guidance, advice, and expertise on federal and state legislation relevant to labor relations and collective bargaining. The committee will monitor both Houses of Congress and the State Legislature and review any legislation, provide testimony, if necessary, and provide alternate legislative language to counter any negative legislation.
Below are the committee members:
| Committee Members | City |
| Tadd Phillips | McKinney |
| Patrick Hillis | North Richland Hills |
| Miguel Ozuna | Cedar Park |
| George Mones | Mesquite |
| Barry Robinson | Greenville |
| Debbie Maynor | Killeen |
| Alison Smith | League City |
| Jose Sanchez | Galveston |
| Bonita Hall | Pearland |
| Don Byrne | Odessa |
| Jane Mehrens | Brenham |
| Richard Hodapp | Fort Worth |
Should you have any suggestions, input, or information regarding federal or state labor relations legislation, please forward it to the committee chair, Richard Hodapp, Assistant HR Director, City of Fort Worth, at 817-871-7770, or e-mail richard.hodapp@fortworthgov.org.
NEWSLETTER INPUT NEEDED!!!
This is YOUR newsletter, and we want to ensure that it provides you with a valuable source of information from TMHRA. If you have any ideas, articles, or information you would like to see included in future newsletters, please submit them to the Newsletter Committee. The 2009-2010 Newsletter Committee Chair is:
Miguel Ozona
Newsletter Chair
Director of Human resources
City of Cedar Park
600 N. Bell Blvd.
Cedar park< TX 78613-2206
512-401-5254 (phone)
512-401-5255 (fax)
miguel.ozona@cedarparktx.us