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Board of Directors Meets and Selects Chair and Forms Subcommittees

On March 1, 1996, the Board of Directors met at Love Field in Dallas. Janis Everhart was selected as Chair. Mr. William McGowan, II offered to serve as Secretary. The Board created subcommittees on telecommunications, electric, gas, and franchises. During March, each of the subcommittees met and selected subcommittee chairs (who would act as Vice Chairs to the Board of Directors), identified issues for the Board to consider studying, and estimated the cost of pursuing each issue. The Board then reconvened and determined the cost and manner for cities to joint and participate in the coalition. During the March 1 meeting, the Board of Directors discussed a number of different names for the coalition. Interested cities were invited to suggest possible names for the coalition for consideration at the next Board meeting.

May Meeting of Interested Cities

On May 3, 1996, representatives of interested cities met at the Texas Municipal League Building in Austin to learn about the formation of an organization to be known as Texas Coalition of Cities on Franchised Utility Issues. The meeting was called to report the progress of the Board in formation of the organization, in preparing a list of objectives and in adopting a budget to meet those objectives.

The Board, represented by its Chair, Janis Everhart, its Secretary, Wm. J. McGowan,II, its committee chairs, Paul Isham (Franchise), Ron Cox (Electric), and Paul Smolen (Telecommunications), and its former acting chair, Jay Doegey, answered the questions originally posed by city representatives in February and questions posed at the meeting.

The Board reported that indeed there existed a need and sufficient interest for cities to form a statewide coalition on utility matters. Those attending the May 3 rd meeting concurred and asked for greater coordination and information among cities. Several cities expressed a desire to know which cities shared similar problems, so that collective answers could be found. The Board recommended that one of its functions would be to network among cities to try to resolve similar problems.

A second function of the organization would be to analyze, monitor and participate in FCC rulemaking, PUC decision making and the Texas legislative process. Because of the vast influence these bodies exercise over the management of municipal right-of-way issues and the fees associated with the use of municipal rights-of-way, the Board recognized that only with a coordinated effort would cities be successful in presenting their issues before these bodies.

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