ATCOG Joint Agenda

JOINT AGENDA
NORTHEAST TEXAS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT AND ARK-TEX COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING

DECEMBER 12, 2019

The Northeast Texas Economic Development District (NETEDD) and Board of Directors of the Ark-Tex Council
of Governments (ATCOG) will meet at 10:00 a.m., Thursday, December 12, 2019, at the Hopkins County Courthouse, 118 Church Street, Sulphur Springs, Texas.

Item 1. Call to order.

Item 2. Invocation.

Item 3. Self-introductions.

NETEDD Agenda Items

Item 4. Approve the minutes as submitted of the NETEDD meeting held Thursday, September 26, 2019, in Mt.
Pleasant, Texas. (See page 3)

Item 5. Review and consider approval of the transfer of an Economic Development Administration (EDA)
Revolving Loan Funds (RLF) portfolio from Central Texas Economic Development District (CTEDD) to
NETEDD. (See page 8 and addendum page 1; to be presented by Executive Director Chris Brown.)

Item 6. Review and consider approval of a Memorandum of Understanding to facilitate the transfer of the EDA
RLF portfolio between CTEDD and NETEDD. (See page 9; to be presented by Executive Director Chris
Brown)

Item 7. Review and consider approval of revisions to the NETEDD RLF plan to include additional counties. (See
page 13; to be presented by Executive Director Chris Brown)
This concludes all NETEDD agenda items.

ATCOG Board of Directors Agenda Items

Item 8. Review and consider consent agenda items (See page 15; to be presented by Executive Director Chris
Brown):
• Approve the minutes as submitted for the Ark-Tex Council of Governments Board of Directors meeting held Thursday, September 26, 2019, in Mt. Pleasant, Texas. (Page 15)
• Approve the minutes as submitted for the Regional Criminal Justice Advisory Committee (RCJAC) meeting held on November 26, 2019, in Mt. Pleasant, Texas. (Page 20)

Item 9. Executive Directors Report (For information only – see page 22; to be presented by Executive Director Chris Brown)
• Program Statistics
• Homeland Security National Cybersecurity Review update.
Review and Comment

Item 10. Review and comment on environmental assessment to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
(TCEQ) for an amendment to air quality permit by Lone Star Specialty Products, LLC, which would authorize the continued operation of the Lone Star Specialty Products Facility located at 6412 U.S.
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Highway 259 South, Lone Star, Morris County, Texas. (See page 23; to be presented by a staff member Paul Prange)
Regular Business

Item 11. Review and consider approval of the renewal of the region-wide billboard advertising contract as part of
the Text-to-9-1-1 Public Education Campaign. (See page 24 and addendum page 19; to be presented by staff member Rea Washington)

Item 12. Review and consider approval of the region-wide transit advertising contract with TRAX Transportation as part of the Text-to-9-1-1 Public Education Campaign. (See page 26 and addendum page 25; to be presented by staff member Rea Washington)

Item 13. Review and consider approval of an assessment for a region-wide public safety grade fiber network. (See page 28 and addendum page 29; to be presented by staff member Rea Washington)

Item 14. Review and consider the approval of the Regional Criminal Justice Advisory Committee (RCJAC) local
priorities and the grant application scoring instrument. (See page 30; to be presented by staff member Patricia Haley)

Item 15. Review and consider approval of appointment of new Executive Committee Members and Officer
positions to fill vacancies created by recent elections. (To be presented by Nominating Committee Chair,
Ann Rushing)

Item 16. Review and consider approval of the revised FY2020 Indirect Rate as recommended by Texas Health
and Human Services. (See page 32; to be presented by Executive Director Chris Brown)

Item 17. Review and consider approval of revisions to the Homeland Security Advisory Committee (HSAC)
bylaws. (See page 35; to be presented by staff member Whitney Fezell)

Item 18. Review and consider approval of the Ark-Tex Council of Governments (ATCOG) Threat and Hazard
Identification and Risk Assessment (THIRA), State Preparedness Report (SPR), and the
Homeland Security Implementation Plan for 2020. (See page 47 and addendum page 57; to be
presented by staff member Whitney Fezell.)

Announcements
The next Executive Committee Meeting will be held Thursday, January 30, 2020, at the Titus County Extension Office, Mt. Pleasant, Texas.

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JOINT MINUTES
NORTHEAST TEXAS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT AND ARK-TEX COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING

SEPTEMBER 26, 2019

The Northeast Texas Economic Development District (NETEDD) and Board of Directors of the Ark-Tex Council of Governments (ATCOG) met at 10:00 a.m., Thursday, September 26, 2019, at Two Senoritas, located at 2601 W Ferguson Road, Mt Pleasant, Texas.

Item 1. L.D. Williamson, Judge, Red River County, called the meeting to order.

Item 2. Brady Fisher, Northeast Texas Resource Conservation & Development Area Inc., gave the invocation.

Item 3. At this time each attendee introduced themselves.
NETEDD Agenda Items

Item 4. The next order of business was to approve the minutes as submitted of the NETEDD meeting held
Thursday, August 29, 2019, in Mt. Pleasant, Texas. Motion to approve was made by Brian Lee, Judge, Titus County and seconded by Robert Newsom, Judge, Hopkins County. It was approved

Item 5. Chris Brown, Executive Director, presented for review and consideration approval of NETEDD’s portion
of ATCOG’s Financial Plan for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2020. The motion to approve was made by Judge Newsom and seconded by Judge Brian Lee. It was approved. ATCOG Board of Directors Agenda Items

Item 6. The next order of business was to approve the minutes as submitted of the ATCOG Board of Directors
Meeting held Thursday, June 27, 2019, in Mt. Vernon, Texas. Motion to approve was made by Scott Norton, CEO, TexAmericas Center and seconded by John Sellers, Councilman, City of Sulphur Springs. It was approved.

Item 7. Mr. Brown presented, for information only, the Executive Director report, which included program
statistics.
Executive Closed Session

Item 8. At this time, Judge Williamson announced that the Open Session would recess and go into Executive
Closed Session to discuss personnel matters, as allowed by the Texas Open Meetings Act, Section 551.074, Executive Director’s performance evaluation.
Open Session/Review and Comment

Item 9. The Board of Directors reconvened in Open Session. Due to the high ratings from board members on Mr. Brown’s performance evaluation, Judge Williamson moved that he, too, should receive the Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) of 2.5% to his salary.
Motion to approve was made by Travis Ransom, Mayor, City of Atlanta and seconded by Councilman
Sellers. It was approved.

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Item 10. Paul Prange, Environmental Resources Coordinator, presented for consideration an application by Atlas Roofing Corporation to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) for renewal of an air quality permit, which would authorize continued operation of the asphalt roofing manufacturing plant location at 1100 East Georgia Pacific Drive, Daingerfield, Morris County, Texas.
The motion to approve was made by Judge Brian Lee and seconded by Mayor Ransom. It was approved.

Item 11. Mr. Prange presented for consideration an application by the Federal Bureau of Prisons to the TCEQ
for renewal of an air quality permit which would authorize continued operation of a correctional institute located at 4001 Leopard Drive, Texarkana, Bowie County, Texas.

The motion to approve was made by Judge Newsom and seconded by Mr. Norton. It was approved.
Regular Business

Item 12. Mr. Brown presented for consideration approval of ATCOG’s Financial Plan for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2020.
He noted that this was not technically a budget because ATCOG does not have taxing or oversight authority. Therefore, this is a Work Plan and Financial Plan combined, and, as required by legislation, it presents each grant’s objectives, work tasks, performance measures, implementation schedules, human resource requirements, and budget information.
He went on to explain that within each State or Federal grant that ATCOG administers the funding the agency has complete oversight for the individual grant programs and that funding sources regulate the categories in which ATCOG is allowed to spend funds.
He explained the Plan included recommended merit step increases for some staff along with four-position reclassifications. Funding is provided for an across-the-board Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) of 2.5% to the Salary Schedule, which will go into effect October 1, 2019.
He stated that overall, ATCOG’s revenues will increase by $619,827. Mr. Brown explained that changes in funding from the prior year would include:
o A decrease of $149,481 in transportation revenue due to vehicle purchases causing some fluctuation in total revenue amounts in the past couple of years.
o An increase of $234,598 in housing revenue due to the direct award of TDHCA funding for the ESG Program and sustaining a high level of voucher utilization.
o An increase of $340,252 in AAA revenues; however, all revenues were not known prior to the presentation of the budget last year for Fiscal Year 2019.
o Revenues will be close to the same as the prior-year for the Criminal Justice, Homeland Security, and Environmental programs, but these will also have carryover funds from 2018.
o 9-1-1 Emergency Communications program revenues will increase for equipment replacement.
o Regional and Economic Development Programs funds have experienced some revenue decreases, although these programs have been restructured and new prospects are beginning to materialize.
He announced that ATCOG’s health care provider will continue to be Texas Municipal League (TMLIEBP) and that the premiums for the basic medical plan increased significantly again this year. To offset this increase, ATCOG will increase its defined contribution amount from $681.92 per month to $743.30, which is 100% of the employee premium. Employee dental insurance premiums will remain at $28.44 per month. Rates for life and AD&D did not change.

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Mr. Brown explained that the published Indirect rate will remain 5.6% or just under 27.5% based on Total Direct Personnel Cost. The Benefit rate will decrease slightly to 35.2%. He explained this is primarily due to a reserve that had built up and was reflected in the 2018 Audit.
The housing program is budgeted to maintain a three-month reserve balance and ATRDC will maintain a $20,000 reserve balance per contract. Lastly, he requested to utilize $192,098 of ATCOG Unrestricted Funds.
The Board of Directions did not have any questions. A motion to approve was made by Lowell Walker,
Mayor, City of DeKalb and seconded by Councilman Sellers. It was approved.

Item 13. Leslie McBride, Human Resources Manager, presented for consideration approval of the annual renewal of
the ATCOG Ethics Policy Manual.
The motion to approve was made by Mayor Ransom and seconded by Judge Brian Lee. It was approved.

Item 14. Ms. McBride presented for consideration approval of updates to the Equal Employment Opportunity
Plan as required by the Texas Department of Transportation.
Motion to approve was made by Councilman Sellers and seconded by Judge Newsom. It was
approved.

Item 15. Ms. McBride presented for consideration approval of the adoption of the ATCOG Flexible Benefits
Cafeteria Plan for FY 2020, as authorized under Section 125 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.
The motion to approve was made by Mayor Wims and seconded by Mayor Ransom. It was approved

Item 16. Patricia Haley, Criminal Justice Coordinator, presented for consideration approval of revisions to the
Regional Criminal Justice Advisory Committee (RCJAC) Bylaws.
The motion to approve was made by Judge Brian Lee and seconded by Councilman Estes. It was
approved.

Item 17. Ms. Haley presented for consideration approval for ATCOG’s Executive Director to enter into a 2-Year
contract with East Texas Police Academy/Kilgore College (ETPA), based on the 2-Year grant period and the proposal submitted by ETPA.
The motion to approve was made by Judge Newsom and seconded by Mr. Fisher. It was approved.

Item 18. Ms. Haley presented for consideration approval of the updates/requirements related to ATCOG’s law
enforcement training tuition funding.
Motion to approve was made by Councilman Sellers and seconded by Councilman Estes. It was approved.

Item 19. Lisa Reeve, Area Agency on Aging Manager, presented for consideration approval of the appointment
of one new member to the Area Agency on Aging Regional Advisory Council.
The motion to approve was made by Mr. Fisher and seconded by Mayor Wims. It was approved.

Other Business

Mr. Brown recognized ATCOG advisory committee members and ATCOG Board member longevity and thanked everyone for their service to the region. He also recognized staff achievements and service awards. Mr. Brown presented the ATCOG 50th anniversary promotional video and announced ATCOG’s Employee of the Year.

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Announcements

Judge Williamson announced that the next Executive Committee Meeting will be held Thursday, October 31, 2019, at 10:00 a.m., at the Titus County Extension Office in Mt. Pleasant, Texas. He also announced that the 4th Annual Northeast Texas Transportation Summit will be held at the Sulphur Springs County Club on October 30, 2019. The keynote speaker will be Vince Haggard with the Federal Railroad Administration.

He also announced that Judge James Carlow, Bowie County, will be retiring September 30, 2019, and that ATCOG appreciated his many years of service on the ATCOG Board of Directors. Judge Carlow was not able to attend this meeting, so Judge Williamson and Mr. Brown honored him with a plaque of appreciation at the Bowie County Commissioner’s Court meeting on September 23, 2019.

Lastly, he announced that round 2 of public meetings for the TxDOT TTP-2050 will occur Tuesday, October 8, 2019, in Tyler, Texas and on Wednesday, October 9, 2019, in Arlington, Texas.

There were no other announcements, so Judge Williamson adjured the meeting.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT

L.D. Williamson, Judge, Red River County
Brian Lee, Judge, Titus County
Robert Newsom, Judge, Hopkins County
Brandon Bell, Judge, Lamar County
Travis Ransom, Mayor, City of Atlanta
Brady Fisher, Northeast Texas Resource Conservation & Development Area Inc.
Teresia Wims, Mayor, City of Mt. Vernon
Scott Norton, President/CEO, TexAmericas Center
Marc Reiter, Councilman, City of Hooks

BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT

Robert Douglas, President, Delta County Municipal Utility District
Frank Estes, Councilman, City of Avery
John Sellers, Councilman, City of Sulphur Springs
Dale Vickers, Councilman, City of Nash
Jean Matlock, Councilwoman, City of Texarkana
George Moore, Board Trustee, Texarkana College
Lowell Walker, Mayor, City of DeKalb

NETEDD MEMBERS PRESENT

L.D. Williamson, Judge, Red River County
Brian Lee, Judge, Titus County
Robert Newsom, Judge, Hopkins County
Marc Reiter, Councilman, City of Hooks
Brady Fisher, Northeast Texas Resource Conservation & Development Area Inc.
Travis Ransom, Mayor, City of Atlanta

GUESTS PRESENT

Alex Ackley, City of Avery
Barbara Williams, Texas Silver-Haired Legislature
Rhonda Rogers, Texas Silver-Haired Legislature
Jenny Johnson, Paris Small Business Development Center

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Phil Hayes, Cass County Juvenile Probation Department
Brian Brockett, Texas Division of Emergency Management
Diane Newsom, Franklin County Chamber of Commerce
Reece DeWoody, Office of United States Senator John Cornyn
Jason Ross, Office of United States Representative John Ratcliffe
Sherry Edwards, Red River County Juvenile Probation Department
Theretha Johnson, Focused Care at Mt. Pleasant/Clarksville
Lezley Brown, Sulphur Springs Chamber of Commerce

STAFF MEMBERS PRESENT

Chris Brown, Executive Director
Mary Beth Rudel, Deputy Director
Melinda Tickle, Finance Director
Leslie McBride, Human Resources Manager
Steve Flowers, Executive Assistant
Paul Prange, Environmental Resources Coordinator
Whitney Fezell, Homeland Security Coordinator
Mae Lewis, Housing Manager
Rea Washington, 911 Program Manager
Patricia Haley, Criminal Justice Coordinator
Bobby Williams, Transportation Operations Coordinator
Sheena Record, Regional Transportation Coordination
Toni Lindsey, Regional Development Coordinator
Melody Harmon, Regional Development Coordinator
Lymon Samis, TRAX Lead Driver
Richard Bates, TRAX Driver
Katina Johnson, TRAX Operations Dispatcher/Scheduler
Jewlia Maxwell, TRAX Operations Dispatcher/Scheduler
Earl McGrew, TRAX Driver
L.D. Williamson, President
Ark-Tex Council of Governments
ATTEST:
_________________________________
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RESOLUTION NO. BD19-043

RESOLUTION OF THE NORTHEAST TEXAS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT (NETEDD) BOARD APPROVING THE TRANSFER OF AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION (EDA) REVOLVING LOAN FUNDS (RLF) PORTFOLIO FROM CENTRAL TEXAS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT (CTEDD) TO NETEDD.

WHEREAS, the NETEDD Board supports a grant application for the discharge of RLF funds from CTEDD and replacement of recipient as NETEDD; and WHEREAS, the NETEDD Board hereby agrees to comply with all assurances executed in connection with the transferred award; and WHEREAS, the NETEDD Board approved the lending area to increase from 9 counties to 23 counties in Texas to include: Bell, Bosque, Bowie, Cass, Coryell, Delta, Ellis, Falls, Franklin, Freestone, Hamilton, Hill, Hopkins, Johnson, Lamar, Limestone, McLennan, Milam, Morris,
Navarro, Red River, Somervell, Titus.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE NORTHEAST TEXAS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT BOARD:
Section 1 – NETEDD will administer the transferred award.
Section 2 – NETEDD will assume CTEDD’s RLF Plan, including the lending strategy, borrower criteria, and lending service area.
Section 3 – All funds will be used in accordance with all applicable federal, state, local and programmatic requirements.
Section 4 – The NETEDD Board directs and designates the Executive Director as the NETEDD Authorized Representative to act in all matters in connection with this application/transfer.

REVIEWED AND APPROVED THIS 12TH DAY OF DECEMBER 2019.
___________________________________________
L.D. Williamson, Board President
Northeast Texas Economic Development District
ATTEST:
_________________________________
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MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN THE CENTRAL TEXAS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT AND NORTH-EAST TEXAS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT, INC.; TO FACILITATE A SUBSTITUTION OF GRANTEE REQUEST TO THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION (EDA), AND SUBSEQUENT TRANSFER OF FINANCIAL OVERSIGHT AND REPORTING REQUIREMENTS FOR A SMALL BUSINESS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT REVOLVING LOAN FUND (RLF) FROM THE CENTRAL TEXAS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT AND NORTHEAST TEXAS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT, INC.

WHEREAS, The Central Texas Economic Development District was awarded in December 1989 a $2 million-dollar grant from the Economic Development Administration (EDA Award Number 08-39-02685) to operate a revolving loan fund (“RLF”) intended to facilitate the creation of jobs and improve the local economy and was to be managed by Central Texas Economic Development District; and WHEREAS, the Central Texas Economic Development District has managed the EDA RLF since the inception of the program; and WHEREAS, the Central Texas Economic Development District has full responsibility for the EDA RLF and had a full operation and financial management of the EDA RLF; and WHEREAS, the loan fund has twenty-one active loans with a combined outstanding principal balance of $1,968,462.02 as of December 31, 2018; and WHEREAS, the Central Texas Economic Development District is responsible for all Federal EDA RLF program compliance and reporting; and WHEREAS, the Central Texas Economic Development District has agreed to facilitate and execute a Substitution of Grantee document to the EDA requesting assignment of the award and program oversight from Central Texas Economic Development District to North-East Texas Economic Development District, Inc., hereafter referred as North-East Texas Economic Development District, Inc. and WHEREAS, North-East Texas Economic Development District, Inc. agrees to manage the EDA RLF program; and WHEREAS, North-East Texas Economic Development District, Inc. is willing to
assume all Federal EDA RLF program compliance and reporting requirements of the grant as of the transfer date and onward.

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing, Central Texas Economic Development District and North-East Texas Economic Development District, Inc. enter this Memorandum of Understanding to lay out the terms agreed upon by the Parties as follows:
a) Central Texas Economic Development District will comply with the following terms of the MOU, specifically:
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b) Central Texas Economic Development District will assign the RLF loans to NorthEast Texas Economic Development District, Inc.
c) To ensure FORGE has the proper liens in place, Central Texas Economic Development
District will:
i. File amendments to show North-East Texas Economic Development District, Inc. as lien holder on all collateral listed on these loans.
11. Central Texas Economic Development District will incur all preparation and filing costs of legal documents needed to effectuate the transfer of liens from Central Texas Economic Development District to North-East Texas Economic Development District, Inc.
iii. Central Texas Economic Development District will notify all customers via the US mail that his/her loan will be transferred to North-East Texas Economic Development District, Inc, effective the date directed by EDA in the Award. Central Texas Economic Development District will mail this letter and it will include the outstanding balance, amount due, and North-East Texas Economic Development District, Inc. contact information.
d) Central Texas Economic Development District will prepare the EDA report due for the reporting period ending December 31, 2019, any revisions required, and a final EDA RLF Financial Report that accurately reconciles the balance of funds to be transferred.
e) The Central Texas Economic Development District will not withdraw any more cash from the fund balances after __________.
f) The Central Texas Economic Development District will transfer the entire amount of the fund balances to the North-East Texas Economic Development District, Inc. Bank Account on or after the day or within the timeframe directed in North-East Texas Economic Development District, Inc. Award transfer date.
g) The Central Texas Economic Development District agrees to hold North-East Texas Economic Development District, Inc. harmless for any conduct, act, omission, or event that occurred prior to the transfer date.
h) North-East Texas Economic Development District, Inc. will acquire the Revolving Loan Fund (RLF)
i) North-East Texas Economic Development District, Inc. prepared an application to the EDA for financial assistance using Form ED-900 and completing all required attachments.
j) North-East Texas Economic Development District, Inc. will administer and manage the Revolving Loan Fund according to EDA guidelines.
k) North-East Texas Economic Development District, Inc. will establish a Loan Application and Review Process and identify an eligible lending area.
I) North-East Texas Economic Development District, Inc. will retain the right to any recoveries for the loans previously written off under the fund.
m) The Principal recovered will be added to the principal Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) minus direct and reasonable collection expenses, including but not limited to:
Direct legal and collection expenses incurred during any proceedings to collect on Page 10 of 48
accounts plus
i. North-East Texas Economic Development District, Inc. Staff time cost.
ii. North-East Texas Economic Development District, Inc. is entitled to deduct the expenses already incurred as part of this transfer process
n) North-East Texas Economic Development District, Inc. will send a letter to customers to coincide with said transfer date giving them notice of:
1. FORGE payment and collection policies and procedures (including the fact that we report to credit bureaus and escalation processes)
11. A six months’ timeframe for the customer to make payment arrangements and bring the account current and set up a new payment plan.
o) North-East Texas Economic Development District, Inc. will develop an updated Revolving Loan Fund Plan and send it to EDA no later than 30 days after the official transfer. The Fund plan must include the following:
i. Part I of the Plan shall be titled “Revolving Loan Fund Strategy” and will summarize FORGE ‘s economic development strategy and will incorporate policy and portfolio standards to include client targeting, job creation standards, and eligible uses of funds.
11. Part II of the Plan shall be titled “Operational Procedures” and will establish all internal marketing strategies, application processes, loan review functions, and closing activities to include Federal cross-cutting requirements, ongoing monitoring, loan servicing, and financial management systems controls.
p) The Central Texas Economic Development District and North-East Texas Economic Development District, Inc. agree that this Memorandum of Agreement shall be signed by the Central Texas Economic Development District Inc, Executive Director, and the Chief Executive Officer or equivalent fiduciary officers of North-East Texas Economic
Development District, Inc.
q) The Central Texas Economic Development District and North-East Texas Economic Development District, Inc. agree that upon final approval of the Substitution of Grantee by the EDA, all rights, title, and interest in assets, liabilities, and responsibilities presently held by The Central Texas Economic Development District shall be conveyed to NorthEast Texas Economic Development District, Inc. under this agreement; and that the
Grantee designation is permanently reassigned for the Grant from Central Texas Economic Development District to North-East Texas Economic Development District, Inc.
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BOTH PARTIES AGREE THAT THIS MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING IS NOT A CONTRACT AND CREATES NO LEGAL REQUIREMENTS UNDER THE LAW AND IS NOT ENFORCEABLE AS SUCH. THE PURPOSE FOR THIS DOCUMENT IS TO STATE THE TERMS OF THE AGREEMENT AND FACILITATE THE PREPARATION OF THE CONTRACT TO BE ENTERED INTO BY THE PARTIES.

APPROVED by the Central Texas Economic Development District Board of Directors on the ____ day of _____________ 2019 and signed by the Executive Director of Central Texas Economic Development District in Temple, Texas, this ___ day of _________ 2019.

ATTEST:
__________________________________________________________
_________________________, Executive Director CENTRAL TEXAS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT APPROVED by the Board of Directors of North-East Texas Economic Development District, Inc., on the _____day of _________ 2019 and signed by the Executive Director of the NorthEast Texas Economic Development District, Inc. in Texarkana, Arkansas, this _____ day of ________ 2019.

ATTEST:
__________________________________________________________
_________________________, Executive Director CENTRAL TEXAS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT

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NORTHEAST TEXAS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT REVOLVING LOAN FUND PLAN
May 2018
Revised 7/2/2019
Drafted to include CTEDD RLF portfolio transfer on 11/18/2019

INTRODUCTION
Under Title IX of the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1967, as amended, the Economic Development Administration, hereinafter called EDA, may assist distressed areas experiencing long-term economic deterioration or areas threatened or impacted by severe economic dislocation. The Revolving Loan Fund Plan was developed in accordance with EDA Directive No. 17.07 dated 7/10/89 and the updated EDA Guidelines dated March 14, 2018. As adopted, the RLF Plan has become the Standard Operating Procedure for North East Texas Economic Development District, Inc., hereinafter called NETEDD in administering a revolving loan fund program in areas experiencing long-term economic deterioration, and/or severe economic dislocation. Both exemplified in part by high or excessive unemployment rates relative to surrounding areas and the state. The Revolving Loan Plan is divided into two parts. The first covers the strategy of the RLF Plan and the second covers the operational procedures.

PART I. THE REVOLVING LOAN FUND STRATEGY
(i) Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy Overview
The North East Texas Economic Development District (NETEDD) consists of eleven counties in the “Right Corner of Texas” or the far northeastern part of the state. This eleven-county region including Bowie, Cass, Camp, Delta, Franklin, Hopkins, Lamar, Marion, Morris, Red River and Titus counties, covers a geographical area of almost 6,547 square miles and is home to approximately 304,748 people. NOTE: Both Camp and Marion counties are currently undergoing EDA approval for realignment from NETEDD to East Texas Economic Development District (ETEDD). This action is being pursued because both of these counties are geographically contiguous to the ETEDD and currently operate under the East Texas Council of Governments (ETCOG) and have requested the aforementioned realignment. Consequently, the NETEDD region will be reduced to nine counties upon approval by the EDA. In addition to the original counties of NETEDD, pending approval from EDA for a transfer of RLF Funds from CTEDD, an additional 14 counties will be added to our service area for RLF Funding. These 14 counties include Bell, Bosque, Coryell, Ellis, Falls, Freestone, Hamilton, Hill, Johnson, Limestone, McLennan, Navarro, Milam, and Somervell. The aforementioned counties are served

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by three different CEDS. In an effort to maintain the purpose of the funding, NETEDD staff will review the CEDS and annual updates for each of the areas covered.

In consideration of the size of the district, the Board and staff relied on a variety of resources and partners to obtain input into the 2018 Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) Report. Meetings with partners were used as a springboard to evoke discussion of economic development issues affecting the region. These partners provide the information that is an integral part of this report and includes:
Community and Private Sector Participation
• Members of the North East Texas Economic Developers Roundtable (NETEDR) were vital to the initial planning process. A Roundtable is a group of professionals interested in economic development in North East Texas. The professionals come from city, county, and state governments, private developers and consultants, utilities, non-profits, and quasi-governmental units such as Councils of Governments and River Authorities. The regular, open meetings are held in different communities in the district and serve as a forum for the exchange of ideas and information related to economic development in North East Texas. The Roundtable’s website http://therightcorner.com/ contains information about available sites for development and community profiles for the region, • Elected officials from counties and cities in NETEDD region were involved in the process,
• City managers/Economic Development Administrators/Chambers of Commerce staff and Board members were involved,
• Northeast Texas Workforce Commission Staff and Board members were primary contributors,
• The Ark-Tex Council of Governments staff and board members were an essential source of information,
• Local Community Leaders from Educational and Religious organizations provided information concerning their communities,
• Major Business Owners from various areas within the Region gave input and information.

STRENGTHS
The strengths that were reported for the NETEDD region in the 2013 CEDS Report continue in 2018 as strong attributes for the region:
• Affordable housing,
• Good water resources,
• Available land for development,
• Available workforce,
• Existing educational institutions such as universities, community colleges, and technical

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JOINT MINUTES
NORTHEAST TEXAS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT AND ARK-TEX COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING SEPTEMBER 26, 2019
The Northeast Texas Economic Development District (NETEDD) and Board of Directors of the Ark-Tex Council of Governments (ATCOG) met at 10:00 a.m., Thursday, September 26, 2019, at Two Senoritas, located at 2601 W Ferguson Road, Mt Pleasant, Texas.
Item 1. L.D. Williamson, Judge, Red River County, called the meeting to order.
Item 2. Brady Fisher, Northeast Texas Resource Conservation & Development Area Inc., gave the invocation.
Item 3. At this time each attendee introduced themselves.
NETEDD Agenda Items
Item 4. The next order of business was to approve the minutes as submitted of the NETEDD meeting held
Thursday, August 29, 2019, in Mt. Pleasant, Texas.
Motion to approve was made by Brian Lee, Judge, Titus County and seconded by Robert Newsom,
Judge, Hopkins County. It was approved
Item 5. Chris Brown, Executive Director, presented for review and consideration approval of NETEDD’s portion
of ATCOG’s Financial Plan for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2020.
The motion to approve was made by Judge Newsom and seconded by Judge Brian Lee. It was approved.
ATCOG Board of Directors Agenda Items
Item 6. The next order of business was to approve the minutes as submitted of the ATCOG Board of Directors
Meeting held Thursday, June 27, 2019, in Mt. Vernon, Texas.
Motion to approve was made by Scott Norton, CEO, TexAmericas Center and seconded by John Sellers, Councilman, City of Sulphur Springs. It was approved.
Item 7. Mr. Brown presented, for information only, the Executive Director report, which included program
statistics.
Executive Closed Session
Item 8. At this time, Judge Williamson announced that the Open Session would recess and go into Executive
Closed Session to discuss personnel matters, as allowed by the Texas Open Meetings Act, Section 551.074, Executive Director’s performance evaluation.
Open Session/Review and Comment
Item 9. The Board of Directors reconvened in Open Session. Due to the high ratings from board members on
Mr. Brown’s performance evaluation, Judge Williamson moved that he, too, should receive the Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) of 2.5% to his salary.
Motion to approve was made by Travis Ransom, Mayor, City of Atlanta and seconded by Councilman
Sellers. It was approved.

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Item 10. Paul Prange, Environmental Resources Coordinator, presented for consideration an application by
Atlas Roofing Corporation to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) for renewal of an air quality permit, which would authorize continued operation of the asphalt roofing manufacturing plant location at 1100 East Georgia Pacific Drive, Daingerfield, Morris County, Texas.
The motion to approve was made by Judge Brian Lee and seconded by Mayor Ransom. It was approved.
Item 11. Mr. Prange presented for consideration an application by the Federal Bureau of Prisons to the TCEQ
for renewal of an air quality permit which would authorize continued operation of a correctional institute located at 4001 Leopard Drive, Texarkana, Bowie County, Texas.
The motion to approve was made by Judge Newsom and seconded by Mr. Norton. It was approved.

Regular Business
Item 12. Mr. Brown presented for consideration approval of ATCOG’s Financial Plan for the fiscal year ending
September 30, 2020.
He noted that this was not technically a budget because ATCOG does not have taxing or oversight authority. Therefore, this is a Work Plan and Financial Plan combined, and, as required by legislation, it presents each grant’s objectives, work tasks, performance measures, implementation schedules, human resource requirements, and budget information.
He went on to explain that within each State or Federal grant that ATCOG administers the funding agency has complete oversight for the individual grant programs and that funding sources regulate the categories in which ATCOG is allowed to spend funds.
He explained the Plan included recommended merit step increases for some staff along with four-position reclassifications. Funding is provided for an across-the-board Cost of Living Adjustment
(COLA) of 2.5% to the Salary Schedule, which will go into effect October 1, 2019. He stated that overall, ATCOG’s revenues will increase by $619,827. Mr. Brown explained that changes in funding from the prior year would include:
o A decrease of $149,481 in transportation revenue due to vehicle purchases causing some fluctuation in total revenue amounts in the past couple of years.
o An increase of $234,598 in housing revenue due to the direct award of TDHCA funding for the ESG Program and sustaining a high level of voucher utilization.
o An increase of $340,252 in AAA revenues; however, all revenues were not known prior to the presentation of the budget last year for Fiscal Year 2019.
o Revenues will be close to the same as the prior-year for the Criminal Justice, Homeland Security, and Environmental programs, but these will also have carryover funds from 2018.
o 9-1-1 Emergency Communications program revenues will increase for equipment
replacement.
o Regional and Economic Development Programs funds have experienced some revenue decreases, although these programs have been restructured and new prospects are beginning to materialize.
He announced that ATCOG’s health care provider will continue to be Texas Municipal League (TMLIEBP) and that the premiums for the basic medical plan increased significantly again this year. To offset this increase, ATCOG will increase its defined contribution amount from $681.92 per month to $743.30, which is 100% of the employee premium. Employee dental insurance premiums will remain at $28.44 per month. Rates for life and AD&D did not change.

Page 16 of 48
Mr. Brown explained that the published Indirect rate will remain 5.6% or just under 27.5% based on Total Direct Personnel Cost. The Benefit rate will decrease slightly to 35.2%. He explained this is primarily due to a reserve that had built up and was reflected in the 2018 Audit.
The housing program is budgeted to maintain a three-month reserve balance and ATRDC will maintain a $20,000 reserve balance per contract.
Lastly he requested to utilize $192,098 of ATCOG Unrestricted Funds.
The Board of Directions did not have any questions. A motion to approve was made by Lowell Walker, Mayor, City of DeKalb and seconded by Councilman Sellers. It was approved.
Item 13. Leslie McBride, Human Resources Manager, presented for consideration approval of the annual renewal of
the ATCOG Ethics Policy Manual.
Motion to approve was made by Mayor Ransom and seconded by Judge Brian Lee. It was approved.
Item 14. Ms. McBride presented for consideration approval of updates to the Equal Employment Opportunity
Plan as required by the Texas Department of Transportation.
Motion to approve was made by Councilman Sellers and seconded by Judge Newsom. It was
approved.
Item 15. Ms. McBride presented for consideration approval of the adoption of the ATCOG Flexible Benefits Cafeteria Plan for FY 2020, as authorized under Section 125 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.
The motion to approve was made by Mayor Wims and seconded by Mayor Ransom. It was approved
Item 16. Patricia Haley, Criminal Justice Coordinator, presented for consideration approval of revisions to the
Regional Criminal Justice Advisory Committee (RCJAC) Bylaws.
Motion to approve was made by Judge Brian Lee and seconded by Councilman Estes. It was approved.
Item 17. Ms. Haley presented for consideration approval for ATCOG’s Executive Director to enter into a 2-Year
contract with East Texas Police Academy/Kilgore College (ETPA), based on the 2-Year grant period and the proposal submitted by ETPA.
The motion to approve was made by Judge Newsom and seconded by Mr. Fisher. It was approved.
Item 18. Ms. Haley presented for consideration the approval of the updates/requirements related to ATCOG’s law enforcement training tuition funding.
Motion to approve was made by Councilman Sellers and seconded by Councilman Estes. It was
approved.
Item 19. Lisa Reeve, Area Agency on Aging Manager, presented for consideration approval of the appointment
of one new member to the Area Agency on Aging Regional Advisory Council.
The motion to approve was made by Mr. Fisher and seconded by Mayor Wims. It was approved.

Other Business
Mr. Brown recognized ATCOG advisory committee members and ATCOG Board member longevity and thanked everyone for their service to the region. He also recognized staff achievements and service awards. Mr. Brown presented the ATCOG 50th anniversary promotional video and announced ATCOG’s Employee of the Year.

Page 17 of 48
Announcements
Judge Williamson announced that the next Executive Committee Meeting will be held Thursday, October 31,
2019, at 10:00 a.m., at the Titus County Extension Office in Mt. Pleasant, Texas.
He also announced that the 4th Annual Northeast Texas Transportation Summit will be held at the Sulphur
Springs County Club on October 30, 2019. The keynote speaker will be Vince Haggard with the Federal Railroad Administration.
He also announced that Judge James Carlow, Bowie County, will be retiring September 30, 2019, and that
ATCOG appreciated his many years of service on the ATCOG Board of Directors. Judge Carlow was not able
to attend this meeting, so Judge Williamson and Mr. Brown honored him with a plaque of appreciation at the
Bowie County Commissioner’s Court meeting on September 23, 2019.
Lastly, he announced that round 2 of public meetings for the TxDOT TTP-2050 will occur Tuesday, October 8,
2019, in Tyler, Texas and on Wednesday, October 9, 2019, in Arlington, Texas.
There were no other announcements, so Judge Williamson adjured the meeting.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT
L.D. Williamson, Judge, Red River County
Brian Lee, Judge, Titus County
Robert Newsom, Judge, Hopkins County
Brandon Bell, Judge, Lamar County
Travis Ransom, Mayor, City of Atlanta
Brady Fisher, Northeast Texas Resource Conservation & Development Area Inc.
Teresia Wims, Mayor, City of Mt. Vernon
Scott Norton, President/CEO, TexAmericas Center
Marc Reiter, Councilman, City of Hooks

BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT
Robert Douglas, President, Delta County Municipal Utility District
Frank Estes, Councilman, City of Avery
John Sellers, Councilman, City of Sulphur Springs
Dale Vickers, Councilman, City of Nash
Jean Matlock, Councilwoman, City of Texarkana
George Moore, Board Trustee, Texarkana College
Lowell Walker, Mayor, City of DeKalb

NETEDD MEMBERS PRESENT
L.D. Williamson, Judge, Red River County
Brian Lee, Judge, Titus County
Robert Newsom, Judge, Hopkins County
Marc Reiter, Councilman, City of Hooks
Brady Fisher, Northeast Texas Resource Conservation & Development Area Inc.
Travis Ransom, Mayor, City of Atlanta

GUESTS PRESENT
Alex Ackley, City of Avery
Barbara Williams, Texas Silver-Haired Legislature
Rhonda Rogers, Texas Silver-Haired Legislature
Jenny Johnson, Paris Small Business Development Center

Page 18 of 48
Phil Hayes, Cass County Juvenile Probation Department
Brian Brockett, Texas Division of Emergency Management
Diane Newsom, Franklin County Chamber of Commerce
Reece DeWoody, Office of United States Senator John Cornyn
Jason Ross, Office of United States Representative John Ratcliffe
Sherry Edwards, Red River County Juvenile Probation Department
Theretha Johnson, Focused Care at Mt. Pleasant/Clarksville
Lezley Brown, Sulphur Springs Chamber of Commerce

STAFF MEMBERS PRESENT
Chris Brown, Executive Director
Mary Beth Rudel, Deputy Director
Melinda Tickle, Finance Director
Leslie McBride, Human Resources Manager
Steve Flowers, Executive Assistant
Paul Prange, Environmental Resources Coordinator
Whitney Fezell, Homeland Security Coordinator
Mae Lewis, Housing Manager
Rea Washington, 911 Program Manager
Patricia Haley, Criminal Justice Coordinator
Bobby Williams, Transportation Operations Coordinator
Sheena Record, Regional Transportation Coordination
Toni Lindsey, Regional Development Coordinator
Melody Harmon, Regional Development Coordinator
Lymon Samis, TRAX Lead Driver
Richard Bates, TRAX Driver
Katina Johnson, TRAX Operations Dispatcher/Scheduler
Jewlia Maxwell, TRAX Operations Dispatcher/Scheduler
Earl McGrew, TRAX Driver

L.D. Williamson, President
Ark-Tex Council of Governments
ATTEST:
_________________________________
Page 19 of 48
ARK-TEX COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS (ATCOG) REGIONAL CRIMINAL JUSTICE ADVISORY COMMITTEE (RCJAC)
November 26, 2019
Mt. Pleasant Public Library
Mt. Pleasant, Texas

MINUTES
The Ark-Tex Council of Governments (ATCOG) Regional Criminal Justice Advisory Committee (RCJAC) met November 26, 2019 10:00 a.m., at the Mt. Pleasant Public Library in Mt. Pleasant, Texas.
Darrell Bruce, 1st Vice Chairman, called the meeting to order.

The minutes from the September 13, 2019 meeting were reviewed. A motion was made by Phillip Hayes and seconded by Harold Martin to approve the minutes as amended.
The motion carried.

Patricia Haley gave a review of the updated bylaws that were approved at the previous meeting.

The local priorities, as recommended by the strategic planning focus groups that met on November 19, 2019, were reviewed and a motion was made by Vivian Rhoades and seconded by Dominic Crescimanno to approve the local priorities. The motion carried.

The scoring instrument was reviewed and a motion was made by Phillip Hayes and seconded by Robert McGee to approve the scoring instrument. The motion carried.

A “save the date” announcement was made by Patricia Haley regarding April 7, 2020 scoring meeting to be held at the Mt. Pleasant Civic Center.
A motion to adjourn was made by Vivian Rhoades and seconded by Dominic
Crescimanno. The motion carried.

The meeting adjourned at 10:19 a.m.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT
Robert McGee, Queen City Police Department
Harold Martin, City of Queen City
Scott Cass, Lamar County Sheriff’s Office
Eugene Swift, Bowie County Sheriff’s Office
Terri Giles, Bowie County CSCD
Steve Agan, Titus County
Dominic Crescimanno, Titus County Concerned Citizen
Bob Hundley, Paris Police Department
Page 20 of 48
Trice Lawrence, Hopkins County Concerned Citizen
Deanna Nickerson, Lamar County CPS
Phillip Hayes, Cass County Juvenile Probation
Vivian Rhoades, Franklin County Concerned Citizen
Tom Whitten, Bowie County Commissioner
Darrell Bruce, Lamar County Juvenile Probation

STAFF PRESENT
Patricia Haley, ATCOG staff

Page 21 of 48
Page 22 of 48
— ARK-TEX COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS APPLICATION / PROJECT STAFF REVIEW FOR ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
Project SAI No: N/A Date Received: 11-26-19 Staff Assignment:
Paul Prange
Applicant: Lone Star Specialty Products, LLC
Project Description: This application by Lone Star Specialty Products, LLC to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) is for an amendment to Air Quality Permit No. 56304, which would authorize the
continued operation of the Lone Star Specialty Products Facility located at 6412 U.S. Highway 259 South, Lone Star,
Morris County, Texas. The facility will emit the following contaminants: organic compounds and particulate matter
with diameters of 10 microns or less and 2.5 microns or less, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide and
organic compounds.

PROJECT/EA REVIEW:
Area to be served: Lone Star, Morris County, Texas
Does the project comply or furnish reasonable assurances of compliance with applicable federal, state, and
local laws, regulations, and ordinances? The TCEQ executive director has determined that the application is
administratively complete and will conduct a technical review.
Is the project consistent with state, area-wide, and/or local planning or does it contribute toward goals or
objectives identified at one or more of governmental levels? Yes, this permit application meets all statutory and
regulatory requirements.
Has this project been coordinated through the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality? Yes,
coordination is in progress.

Does the project address a clearly defined need and does the project take into account the preservation of the
environment? There is a clearly defined need for the production of specialty coatings in our region. This facility was
built around 1950 and produces coatings which are essential to many industries. All procedures required by TCEQ to
protect the environment are being followed including filtration of airborne contaminants.
Is the project likely to produce any significant adverse effects on the environment? No. The amendment to
the Air Quality Permit will allow an increase in production to take place at this facility.
Do the anticipated accomplishments of the project justify the disruption to the environment? Yes. This facility
provides employment for approximately 21 citizens of our region and produces coatings that are used in the water
and oil/gas industries to prevent corrosion of pipelines. Asphalt sealers are produced for roadways and airport
runways. Other products are used to create anodes, cathodes, brushes for electric motors, and heat shields for
sensitive equipment. These products have been used on the locks in the Panama Canal and on the Mars Rover.
The disruption of the environment is minimal compared to their accomplishments.
STAFF ASSESSMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT: The permit amendment will not create any significant
detrimental impact to the environment as determined by TCEQ.
RECOMMENDED COMMENT: Staff recommends support of this permit amendment application by Lone Star
Specialty Products, LLC.

Page 23 of 48
BRIEFING PAPER
ITEM 11:
Review and consider approval of the renewal of the region-wide Billboard Advertising contract
renewal as part of the Text-to-9-1-1 Public Education Campaign.

BACKGROUND
The Commission on State Emergency Communications (CSEC) Program Policy Statement 036:
Text to 9-1-1 Implementation deems Text-to-9-1-1 is a critical enhancement to 9-1-1 service and
requires that the service and CSEC approved deployment plans be implemented by all Regional
Planning Commissions. The CSEC approved the deployment plan for the ATCOG Text-to-9-1-1
Public Education Campaign includes Outdoor/Billboard, Transit, Cinema, and News publication
advertising.

DISCUSSION
The Billboard Advertising Campaign costs a total of $92,300 for a 13-month region-wide campaign.
The costs are based on total impressions of 13 billboards placed throughout and entering the
ATCOG Texas counties. Lindmark Outdoor Media has acquired all Fairway Outdoor advertising
properties and will honor the cost-saving route for region-wide outdoor advertising with an average
of $546.00 per month per billboard.
The ATCOG Procurement Policy states that all purchases of $50,000 and above require ATCOG
Board approval.

RECOMMENDATION
In adherence to ATCOG Procurement Policy staff requests approval of the region-wide outdoor advertising campaign purchase (as part of the CSEC approved Text-to-9-1-1 Public Education deployment plan).

Page 24 of 48
RESOLUTION NO. BD19-044
RESOLUTION OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF ARK-TEX COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS APPROVING THE PURCHASE OF REGION WIDE BILLBOARD ADVERTISING.
WHEREAS, the Ark-Tex Council of Governments (ATCOG) approved the ATCOG Procurement Policy and Procedure Manual on December 14, 2017; and WHEREAS, ATCOG Procurement Policy, and Procedure Manual states ATCOG Board approval is required for all purchases of $50,000 and above; and WHEREAS, Texas Local Government Code Ch. 252, Section 252.002(a) exempts certain purchases from the competitive requirements of the chapter – including advertising; and WHEREAS, the 9-1-1 Program, wishes to contract with Lindmark Outdoor Media to continue the use of billboard space for thirteen (13) locations for a term of 13 months at total region-wide cost of $92,000 for the purpose of public education and public safety awareness of Text-to-9-1-1 service availability and other 9-1-1 Public Education services; and WHEREAS, the funding for the purchase is approved and available through 9-1-1 Local Funds allocated to the Ark-Tex Council of Governments 9-1-1 Program by the Texas Commission on State Emergency Communications.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE ARK-TEX COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS:
Section 1 – That the Board approves the purchase of Billboard Advertising for the Text-to-9-1-1 Public Education Campaign.
Section 2 – That the Executive Director, Chris Brown, has full signature authority to act on behalf of the ATCOG Board relating to the aforementioned purchase.
Section 3 – That this resolution is approved by majority vote in accordance with the bylaws of Ark-Tex Council of Governments and applicable law, and shall be in effect immediately upon its adoption.

REVIEWED AND APPROVED THIS 12TH DAY OF DECEMBER, 2019.
____________________________________
L. D. Williamson, President
Ark-Tex Council of Governments
ATTEST:
__________________________________
Page 25 of 48
BRIEFING PAPER
ITEM 12:
Review and consider approval of the region-wide transit advertising contract with TRAX
Transportation as part of the Text-to-9-1-1 Public Education Campaign.

BACKGROUND
The Commission on State Emergency Communications (CSEC) Program Policy Statement 036: Text to 9-1-1 Implementation deems Text-to-9-1-1 is a critical enhancement to 9-1-1 service and requires that the service and CSEC approved deployment plans be implemented by all Regional Planning Commissions. The CSEC approved the deployment plan for the ATCOG Text-to-9-1-1 Public Education Campaign includes Outdoor/Billboard, Transit, Cinema, and News publication advertising.

DISCUSSION
The Transit Advertising Campaign costs a total of $59,877 for a 12-month region-wide campaign. The
costs include production and contract for 18 vehicles that transport within the ATCOG region. The ATCOG Procurement Policy states that all purchases of $50,000 and above require ATCOG Board approval.

RECOMMENDATION
In adherence to ATCOG Procurement Policy staff requests approval of the region-wide transit advertising campaign purchase (as part of the CSEC approved 9-1-1 Public Education plan).

Page 26 of 48
RESOLUTION NO. BD19-045
RESOLUTION OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF ARK-TEX COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS APPROVING AN AGREEMENT WITH TRAX TRANSPORTATION TO PROVIDE TRANSIT ADVERTISING FOR THE ATCOG REGION.

WHEREAS, the Ark-Tex Council of Governments (ATCOG) approved the ATCOG Procurement Policy and Procedure Manual on December 14, 2017; and WHEREAS, ATCOG Procurement Policy, and Procedure Manual states ATCOG Board approval is required for all purchases of $50,000 and above; and WHEREAS, Texas Local Government Code Ch. 252, Section 252.002(a) exempts certain purchases from the competitive requirements of the chapter – including advertising; and WHEREAS, the 9-1-1 Program, wishes to continue the contract with TRAX Transportation for transit advertising for the 9-1-1 Public Education plan at total cost of $59,877 which includes
production costs and 12-month contract for 18 vehicles; and WHEREAS, the funding for the purchase is approved and available through 9-1-1 Local Funds allocated to the Ark-Tex Council of Governments 9-1-1 Program by the Texas Commission on State Emergency Communications.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE ARK-TEX COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS:
Section 1 – That the Board approves the contract for transit advertising for the ATCOG region.
Section 2 – That the Executive Director, Chris Brown, has full signature authority to act on behalf of the ATCOG Board relating to the aforementioned purchase.
Section 3 – That this resolution is approved by majority vote in accordance with the bylaws of Ark-Tex Council of Governments and applicable law, and shall be in effect immediately upon its adoption.

REVIEWED AND APPROVED THIS 12TH DAY OF DECEMBER 2019.
____________________________________
L. D. Williamson, President
Ark-Tex Council of Governments
ATTEST:
__________________________________
Page 27 of 48
BRIEFING PAPER
ITEM 13:
Review and consider approval of an assessment for a region wide public safety grade fiber network.
BACKGROUND
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC or Commission) adopted rule FCC 13-158 to improve the reliability and resiliency of 911 communications networks nationwide by requiring that 911 service providers take reasonable measures to provide reliable 911 service, as evidenced by an annual certification. Providers can comply with this requirement by either implementing certain industry-backed “best practices” we adopt today, or by implementing
alternative measures that are reasonably sufficient to ensure reliable 911 service.

DISCUSSION
Mission Critical Partners is a leading consultant in the Public Safety Industry and has submitted a proposal for the needed assessment. The Fiber Assessment costs a total of $46,419 for executive consulting services. The assessment will help develop customized and operational solutions for ATCOG public safety communications. Attached you will find the Fiber Network Assessment proposal. The purpose of the assessment is to identify fiber assets in the ATCOG region that potentially could be used to build a public safety grade network to support a number of applications.

RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the approval of the Fiber Assessment plan.

Page 28 of 48
RESOLUTION BD19-046
RESOLUTION OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF ARK-TEX COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS APPROVING THE ASSESSMENT FOR A PUBLIC SAFETY GRADE FIBER NETWORK.
WHEREAS, the 9-1-1 Program, wishes to contract with Mission Critical Partners consulting services to identify fiber assets that potentially could be used to build a public safety grade network to support the 9-1-1 network and a number of other applications. WHEREAS, the funding for consultation services is approved and available through 9-1-1 Local Funds allocated to the Ark-Tex Council of Governments 9-1-1 Program by the Texas Commission on State Emergency Communications.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE ARK-TEX COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS:
Section 1 That the Board approves the fiber network assessment.
Section 2 That the Executive Director, Chris Brown, has full signature authority to act on behalf of the ATCOG Board relating to the aforementioned purchase.
Section 3 That this resolution is approved by majority vote in accordance with the bylaws of Ark-Tex Council of Governments and applicable law and shall be in effect immediately upon its adoption.

BACKGROUND:
The RCJAC conducts an annual review of the local priorities and the scoring instrument. The local priorities were established by the Regional Strategic Planning Focus Groups. Those recommendations, as well as the scoring instrument, were reviewed and approved by the RCJAC, to be incorporated into the application scoring process, as
required by the Criminal Justice Division of the Governor’s Office (CJD).

DISCUSSION:
The local priorities and the scoring instrument are very important tools used by the RCJAC to review and score the criminal justice grant applications from CJD. The local priorities have been reviewed and approved as recommended by the Regional Strategic Planning Focus Groups. The local priorities are also reflected on the scoring instrument
for each CJD funding source related to the applications that are reviewed/scored.

RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends the approval of the local priorities and the grant application scoring instrument.

Page 30 of 48
RESOLUTION NO. BD19-047
RESOLUTION OF THE ARK-TEX COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS TO ADOPT REVISIONS TO THE ARK-TEX COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS REGIONAL CRIMINAL JUSTICE ADVISORY COMMITTEE LOCAL PRIORITIES AND THE SCORING INSTRUMENT FOR CJD CRIMINAL JUSTICE APPLICATIONS.

WHEREAS, the Regional Criminal Justice Advisory Committee (RCJAC) is an advisory subcommittee of the ATCOG Board of Directors; WHEREAS, the local priorities, and the scoring instrument are very important tools used by
the RCJAC to review and score the criminal justice grant applications from CJD. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE ARKTEX COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS:

Section 1 – That the ATCOG Board of Directors approved the local priorities and scoring instrument as shown on the attachment and previously recommended/approved by the RCJAC; and
Section 2 – That all other previous local priorities and scoring instruments adopted by the ATCOG Board of Directors are now null and void.

REVIEWED AND APPROVED THIS 12TH DAY OF DECEMBER, 2019.
______________________________________
L.D Williamson, President
Ark-Tex Council of Governments
ATTEST:
______________________________
Page 31 of 48
BRIEFING PAPER
ITEM 16:
Review and consider approval of the revised FY2020 Indirect Rate as recommended by Texas Health and Human Services.

BACKGROUND
Ark-Tex Council of Governments (ATCOG) Board of Directors approved an Indirect Rate of 27.47% at the September Board meeting when the FY2020 Financial Work plan was presented. ATCOG had requested a state agency, Texas Health and Human Services (HHS), to review the indirect rate calculations and provide feedback. At the time of the September Board meeting, ATCOG had not discussed the rate calculations with the State.

DISCUSSION
Within the week following the Board meeting, ATCOG was contacted by HHS. HHS recommended that ATCOG not include the ¼ of Human Resource Expense from TUTD Contract or FY2019 Anticipated Indirect Cost (Over) Under Allocation in the calculation. HHS recommended using audited figures rather than estimated figures when calculating the indirect rate. Therefore, ATCOG should base the calculation on the Total Indirect Cost and the FY2018 Audited Indirect Cost Under (Over) Allocation figures only.

RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends approval of the revised Indirect Rate of 29.19%.

Page 32 of 48
Indirect Cost Pool
COST COST CNTR DESCRIPTION CENTER % COMMENTS # ALLOCATION ALLOCATION BY COST CENTER
17001 Aging 111,707.19 11.8
17002 ATRDC – Eco. Dev. 15,719 4.4
17003 HUD – Section 8 111,499 13.4
17004 Criminal Justice Dept. 15,783 2.0
17005 CSEC – 911 94,086 10.6
17006 Spec. Projects 1,310 0.0
17007 Regional Transportation Systems 427,897 53.0
17008 TCEQ – Environmental 15,968 1.9
17009 Homeland Security 13,376 1.9
17010 Regional Development 27,948 1.0
TOTAL INDIRECT COST ALLOCATED 835,293.90 100.0
INDIRECT COST ALLOCATION
Total Indirect Cost $835,294
Less: Prior Period Under Allocations 171,900 > FY ’18 Audited Indirect Cost Under (Over) Allocation
Less: Earned Contract Fees (18,980) > 1/4 HR from TUTD Contract
Less: Earned Acctng Fees
Plus: Current Period Over Allocations (40,592) > FY ’19 Anticipated Indirect Cost (Over)Under Allocation
TOTAL TO BE ALLOCATED $947,622
ALLOCATION BASE CALCULATION
Total Allocated Indirect Cost 947,622
Div by: Total Direct Personnel Cost 3,449,978 > Allocation Base: Total Net Salary plus Benefits (See pp 6 and 7).
ALLOCATION BASE 27.47%
INDIRECT RATE CALCULATION
Total Allocated Indirect Cost 947,622
Div by: Total Direct Expenses 16,835,234 > Indirect Rate: Total Direct Expenses (See pp 6 and 7) as required by SB 177
INDIRECT RATE 5.6% less capital expenditures 1,945,036 and pass-thru funds ATCOG Financial Plan – FY 2020
INDIRECT COST RATE CALCULATION APPROVED IN SEPTEMBER

Page 33 of 48
Indirect Cost Pool
COST COST CNTR DESCRIPTION CENTER % COMMENTS # ALLOCATION ALLOCATION BY COST CENTER
17001 Aging 111,707.19 11.8
17002 ATRDC – Eco. Dev. 15,719 4.4
17003 HUD – Section 8 111,499 13.4
17004 Criminal Justice Dept. 15,783 2.0
17005 CSEC – 911 94,086 10.6
17006 Spec. Projects 1,310 0.0
17007 Regional Transportation Systems 427,897 53.0
17008 TCEQ – Environmental 15,968 1.9
17009 Homeland Security 13,376 1.9
17010 Regional Development 27,948 1.0
TOTAL INDIRECT COST ALLOCATED 835,293.90 100.0
INDIRECT COST ALLOCATION
Total Indirect Cost $835,294
Less: Prior Period Under Allocations 171,900 > FY ’18 Audited Indirect Cost Under (Over) Allocation
Less: Earned Contract Fees
Less: Earned Acctng Fees
Plus: Current Period Over Allocations
TOTAL TO BE ALLOCATED $1,007,194
ALLOCATION BASE CALCULATION
Total Allocated Indirect Cost 1,007,194
Div by: Total Direct Personnel Cost 3,449,978 > Allocation Base: Total Net Salary plus Benefits (See pp 6 and 7).
ALLOCATION BASE 29.19%
INDIRECT RATE CALCULATION
Total Allocated Indirect Cost 1,007,194
Div by: Total Direct Expenses 16,665,049 > Indirect Rate: Total Direct Expenses (See pp 6 and 7) as required by SB 177
INDIRECT RATE 6.0% less capital expenditures 2,405,036 and pass-thru funds
ATCOG Financial Plan – FY 2020
INDIRECT COST RATE CALCULATION PROPOSED REVISION

Page 34 of 48
BRIEFING PAPER
ITEM 17:
Review and approve revisions to the Homeland Security Advisory Committee (HSAC)
bylaws.
BACKGROUND:
The HSAC shall review the bylaws annually to keep the document current.
DISCUSSION:
The ATCOG Homeland Security Advisory Committee met on December 4, 2019, to review and approve a revision to the HSAC bylaws. The National Cyber Security Review has been added to the eligibility requirements under ARTICLE V. ATCOG’s previous allocation process has been removed and updated with ATCOG’s approved scoring process. Clarification was added regarding the priority of funding of LETPA projects. Additionally, under ARTICLE V, verbiage was added to state that the HSAC committee may increase the amount of LETPA projects to meet requirements, as well as ATCOG has the ability to make funding decision with the Office of the Governor regarding
reallocated funds under the amount of $5,000, and regarding OOG conditionally Approved Amounts of sub-recipients.

RECOMMENDATION:
The Homeland Security Advisory Committee approved the plan on December 4, 2019, and recommends approval.
Page 35 of 48

BYLAWS OF THE
ARK-TEX COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS (ATCOG) HOMELAND SECURITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE (HSAC)
ARTICLE I – NAME, PURPOSE, RESPONSIBILITIES

The name of the Committee shall be the Ark-Tex Council of Governments Homeland Security Advisory Committee (HSAC). The Homeland Security Advisory Committee was created by Ark-Tex Council of Governments to advise the Board of Directors in all matters related to regional homeland security and to recommend to the Board of Directors plans and programs which improve the emergency response and recovery throughout the region which support and maintain the State of Texas Goals for Homeland Security in order to maximize effective and efficient use of resources.

HSAC promotes strategies to prevent terrorism and other catastrophic events and to prepare our local communities for the threats and hazards that pose the greatest risk to their security and resilience. Grant funding assists local jurisdictions in building, sustaining, and delivering core capabilities to further the National Preparedness Goal which is, “A secure and resilient Nation with the capabilities required across the whole community to prevent, protect against, mitigate, respond to, and recover from the threats and hazards that pose the greatest risk.”

Guided by the framework established in the Texas Homeland Security Strategic Plan, HSAC supports investments in homeland security planning, organization, equipment, training, and exercises. Grant funding is used to address gaps identified through the annual State Preparedness Report (SPR) in achieving capability targets set through the annual Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (THIRA). These assessments identify capability targets and Texas’ current ability to meet those targets. Precedence is given to high-priority core capabilities where significant gaps exist.

The Committee’s specific responsibilities are:
1. To assist ATCOG in carrying on a continuous planning program to identify Homeland Security problems; in determining the needs of the region; in analyzing the existing Homeland Security Regional Plan and available resources; and in establishing goals and priorities
2. To review and comment to the ATCOG Board of Directors on applications requesting state or federal homeland security funds
3. To advise ATCOG’s member cities, counties, and special districts, directly or through the ATCOG Board of Directors, on matters within their jurisdiction pertaining to homeland security.

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ARTICLE II – MEMBERSHIP
Representation
The Committee shall be composed of the following members appointed by the ATCOG
Board of Directors Chair:
One representative from each of the nine counties 9
One representative from the two largest cities in the region 2
One representative from both a city and a county law enforcement department 2
One representative from two different fire departments in the region 2
One representative from an emergency medical services provider 1
One representative from the Texas Forest Service 1
One Texas District Coordinator representing the ATCOG region 1
One Board of Directors Liaison 1
Total of 19
Members will be appointed by the ATCOG Board of Directors Chair. The Committee may make recommendations to the ATCOG Board of Directors Chair to fill vacant membership seats. An ATCOG staff member shall serve as HSAC liaison and shall attend each HSAC meeting.

Qualifications
To be eligible for membership on the HSAC, a member must reside in or be employed by the city/county/company the member is to represent unless otherwise designated by the ATCOG Board of Directors. Members must possess experience and/or training in disaster planning or response.

Term
1. The term of membership of the HSAC shall be two (2) years and shall begin on the date of appointment by the ATCOG Board of Directors Chair.
2. In the case of a vacancy, the ATCOG Board of Directors Chair may appoint a replacement to serve for the remainder of the unexpired term.
3. A member may be removed for good cause by the ATCOG Board of Directors Vacancy

A vacancy occurs when
1. a member dies: or
2. a member’s term expires; or
3. a member resigns (resignations shall be in writing to the ATCOG HSAC liaison or the HSAC chair); or
4. a member is removed; or

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5. a member no longer meets the qualification requirements Attendance
1. Members are expected to attend all meetings
2. Attendance records documenting HSAC member absences will be maintained by the ATCOG HSAC liaison. If a member is unable to attend a scheduled meeting, the notification must be provided to the HSAC liaison prior to the meeting. If a member is unable to attend a meeting, including funding prioritization meetings, the member may send a representative who assumes all but the voting rights and responsibilities of the member.
3. A member can be removed when, within one calendar year, he or she misses fifty percent (50%) of the regularly scheduled meetings held or two consecutive regularly scheduled meetings. The member will be notified in writing of such removal.
4. Members so removed may appeal in writing to the ATCOG Board of Directors Chair within two (2) weeks of the date of notification. Appeals will be dealt with in a timely manner and the member will be notified in writing of the decision.

ARTICLE III – OFFICERS

Election
The HSAC shall elect a Chair and Vice-Chair from among its members. Election of a Chair and a Vice-Chair will occur at the first meeting of the calendar year.

Term
Officers shall serve for a one-year period beginning on the date of the election. Officers may serve a maximum of two (2) consecutive terms.

Vacancy
In the event an Officer is unable to fulfill his or her term, the HSAC shall elect a replacement at a regular or specially called meeting, who serves for the remainder of the unexpired term.

Duties
1. The Chair shall preside at all meetings of the HSAC.
2. In the case of a tie during a vote at which a quorum is present, the Chair will be deemed to have the authority to break the tie.
3. The Vice-Chair shall perform all the duties of the Chair in the case of absence or disability and such other duties as may arise, from time to time, when required or requested by the HSAC.

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4. In case the Chair and Vice-Chair are absent or unable to perform their duties, the HSAC may appoint a Chair pro tem.

ARTICLE IV – MEETINGS

Regular
1. The HSAC shall meet at least quarterly on a day, time and place specified by the ATCOG Executive Director, the ATCOG HSAC liaison or the HSAC as a whole.
2. HSAC meetings can be conducted in person, via conference call, or via webinar as is allowable by the Texas Open Meetings Act.
3. Written notice, including an agenda, of each regular meeting, shall be prepared by the ATCOG HSAC liaison and electronically transmitted to each HSAC member at least five (5) business days before the meeting date.

Special
1. The HSAC shall meet especially if called by the ATCOG Executive Director, the ATCOG HSAC liaison, the HSAC Chair or requested in writing by at least one-third of the membership, excluding vacancies, of the HSAC.
2. A request by the membership for a special meeting must be in writing, addressed to the Chair, and describe the purpose or purposes of the meeting. Only that business reasonably related to the purpose or purposes described in the request may be conducted at a special meeting.
3. Notice of any special meeting shall be given at least seventy-two (72) hours prior to the special meeting.
4. Special meetings can be conducted in person, via conference call, or via webinar as is allowable by the Texas Open Meetings Act.

Quorum and Action
1. One-third of the total voting membership, excluding vacancies, constitutes a quorum for conducting HSAC business.
2. A majority vote of the members present at a meeting at which a quorum is present is necessary for action by the HSAC. During a meeting at which a quorum has been established, and then subsequently lost due to members
leaving, all remaining business items requiring an HSAC vote or action must be postponed until the next scheduled meeting at which a quorum is established.

Open Meetings and Records
1. All meetings of the HSAC shall be open to the public. The meetings are subject to the Texas Open Meetings Act and corresponding records are subject to the Texas Public Information Act. The HSAC Chair has the option of closing the

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meetings when homeland security tactical issues are being discussed or when deemed necessary for confidentiality purposes.
2. Minutes of the HSAC meetings, documents distributed and other records are the property of ATCOG. The HSAC liaison shall keep the recordings of all the HSAC meetings according to the Local Government Records Control Schedule. These materials are available for public view, at the ATCOG offices, upon receipt of a written request by the interested party.
3. Except where these bylaws require otherwise, Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern the conduct of HSAC meetings.
Conflict of Interest
1. An HSAC member who is a member of the governing body, an officer, or an employee of an applicant must abstain from voting on any grant application, other than the planning grant application submitted by the COG, during the
prioritization process if the member or an individual related to the member:
a. Is employed by the applicant agency and works for the unit or division that would administer the grant, if awarded;
b. Serves on any governing board that oversees the unit or division that would administer the grant, if awarded;
c. Owns or controls any interest in a business entity or other nongovernmental organization that benefits, directly or indirectly, from activities with the applicant agency; or
d. Receives any funds, or a substantial amount of tangible goods or routine services, from the applicant agency as a result of the grant, if awarded.

The member is counted in determining the existence of a quorum.
2. A vote cast in violation of this section is not counted.

Professional Conduct
HSAC members should maintain objectivity and professionalism when carrying out the business of the HSAC. In the event, an HSAC member acts in a manner that brings the work of the HSAC into question or controversy, it shall be the responsibility of the ATCOG Executive Director to address the incident with the Chair of the ATCOG Board
of Directors.

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ARTICLE V – Regional Grant Process

Grant Application Workshop. All grant applicants must attend the ATCOG Homeland Security Grant Application Workshop in order to be eligible for grant funding. Grant Application Workshops must be conducted at least 14 calendar days prior to any COG imposed application submission deadline and 30 calendar days prior to the PSO/HSGD application submission deadline.

The grant application workshop will include the following information:
a. Who can apply and what activities are eligible under each funding opportunity
b. Requirements for project problem statement with supporting data, goal statement, project activity explanations, current, and target output and outcome measures, and budget categories and line items
c. The project period for each funding opportunity
d. Applicable rules, regulations, and certifications required
e. Any prohibitions
f. Civil rights rules related to applicant employees and projects or activities
g. State strategies or funding preferences
h. Potential jurisdictional funding allocations based on risk-based funding allocation formula
i. Local policies and procedures that affect the COG’s prioritization process
j. Due dates for applicants to submit and certify applications Grant Application Eligibility Requirements.
I. National Incident Management System (NIMS) Implementation –
Grantees are required to implement NIMS. The NIMS uses a systematic approach to integrate the best existing processes and methods into a unified national framework for incident management across all homeland security activities including prevention, protection, response, mitigation, and recovery. Grantees must use standardized
resource management concepts for resource typing, credentialing, and an inventory to facilitate the effective identification, dispatch, deployment, tracking, and recovery of resources.

II. Emergency Management Plans (Intermediate Level) –
Cities and counties must have a current emergency management plan or be legally an established member of an inter-jurisdictional emergency management program with a plan on file with the Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM). Plans must be maintained throughout the entire grant performance period and must be at least at the Intermediate Level. If you have

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questions concerning your Emergency Management Plan (preparedness) level, contact your Emergency Management Coordinator (EMC) or your regional Council of Governments (COG). For questions concerning plan deficiencies, contact TDEM at tdem.plans@dps.texas.gov.

III. Criminal History Reporting –
Entities receiving funds from HSGD must be located in a county that has an average of 90% or above on both adult and juvenile dispositions entered into the computerized criminal history database maintained by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) as directed in the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, Chapter 60. The disposition
completeness percentage is defined as the percentage of arrest charges a county reports to DPS for which a disposition has been subsequently reported and entered into the computerized criminal history system.

IV. Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) –
Eligible applicants operating a law enforcement agency must be current on reporting Part I violent crime data to the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) for inclusion in the annual Uniform Crime Report (UCR). To be considered eligible for funding, applicants must have submitted a full twelve months of accurate data to DPS for the most recent calendar year. Applicants must at the bare minimum operate a law enforcement agency (Police Department or Sheriff’s Office) in order to comply with the Uniform Crime Reporting eligibility requirement.

V. National Cyber Security Review
Per the HSGP notice of funding, recipients and sub-recipients of HSGD grant awards will be required to complete the Nationwide Cybersecurity Review (NCSR), enabling agencies to benchmark and measure the progress of improving
their cybersecurity posture.

ATCOG Eligibility Requirements

I. Application Workshop –
All grant applicants must attend the ATCOG Homeland Security Grant Application Workshop in order to be eligible for grant funding. Grant Application Workshops must be conducted at least 14 calendar days prior to any COG imposed application submission deadline and 30 calendar days prior to the PSO/HSGD application submission deadline.

II. ATCOG Regional Repeater Testing –
In order to remain eligible, eligible applicants must participate in a Regional Roll Call over the ATCOG Repeater channel utilizing the jurisdiction’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) at least 9 out of 12 months. A jurisdiction applying for grant funds that do not have an EOC, but has an agreement with another jurisdiction to use its EOC
when needed, will still be considered eligible to receive funds as long as the jurisdiction

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possessing the EOC meets the participation requirement. A jurisdiction that is unable to participate in the roll call regardless of the reason but coordinates with ATCOG to complete the test individually within two (2) days will still be considered eligible to receive funds. All other situations resulting in a jurisdiction being unable to participate
will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

III. Applicants must be within the ATCOG region to be eligible to receive funding. The ATCOG region consists of Bowie County, Cass County, Delta County, Franklin County, Hopkins County, Lamar County, Morris County, Red River County, and Titus County. Applicants outside of the ATCOG region who wish to apply for funding will be directed to the Council of Governments in their respective regions for funding opportunities.

IV. Eligible colleges, universities, non-profit, and tribal organizations who wish to apply for Homeland Security funding through ATCOG will be directed to the Emergency Management Coordinator in their county or municipality for their emergency preparedness needs. Each applying county or municipality in the ATCOG region will be allocated a recommended funding amount based on ATCOG Homeland Security Risk Methodology and Allocation Formula.
Counties and municipalities within the ATCOG region can submit applications up to their recommended funding amount.

ATCOG Staff Review and HSAC Recommendation for Funding

Once all applications are received, the applications are reviewed by ATCOG staff to ensure completion and that all requested items are allowable. The HSAC reviews the projects to ensure all projects are in line with regional priorities (if applicable) and have met the regional eligibility requirement of 75% participation in the monthly ATCOG Communication Repeater Tests.

Applications are then scored via ballot in categories of risk, reasonableness, and priority level. The scoring process will allot additional points to applicants applying for regional projects, applicants who participated in the Regional Communication Exercise and Development of the THIRA/SPR/IP, and applicants who did not receive funding the previous year grant year. Each HSAC member has plans and reports in possession and may bring these documents to the meeting for reference, but are not required. The committee’s involvement provides an overarching knowledge of each jurisdiction within the region, which guides and aids the HSAC during the scoring of projects. Scores will be calculated and projects will be prioritized/ranked by scores and recommended for funding in that rank order.

ATCOG’s project will be ranked as number (1) in the prioritization process and shall receive full funding. Any other special projects approved by the HSAC committee will be ranked as number (2) and so forth. LETPA projects will have priority funding until the

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25% LEPTA threshold is met. Once met, the remaining LEPTA projects will resume ranking with the regular SHSP projects. In the event of a tie between two or more projects, the lowest rankings on each project involved will be dropped until the tie is broken. Any representative from the agency applying is prohibited from including his or
her agency’s project in the prioritization due to the conflict of interest policy in ATCOG’s HSAC bylaws. All projects must be scalable. If the amounts of LETPA projects submitted do not meet the 25% LETPA requirement, ATCOG HSAC can increase the LETPA projects’ amounts to meet the requirement. ATCOG has the ability to make funding decision with the Office of the Governor regarding reallocated funds under the amount of $5,000, and regarding OOG conditionally Approved Amounts of sub-recipients.

Final Project Allocation
Following the committee meeting, the project allocation recommendation and prioritization results will be presented to the ATCOG Board of Directors for approval. Once ATCOG receives official notification of State approved projects, all applicants will be notified via email within three (3) business days.

ARTICLE VI – AMENDMENT
By ATCOG Board of Directors

The ATCOG Board of Directors may amend these bylaws at a regular or special meeting. The written text of a proposed amendment must be included with the notice of the meeting at which the amendment will be considered.
By Homeland Security Advisory Committee The HSAC may amend these bylaws at a regular or special meeting. The written text of a proposed amendment must be recorded at the meeting at which the amendments are discussed and voted upon. The written text of a proposed amendment must be included with the notice of the meeting at which the amendment will be considered. An amendment adopted by the HSAC is not effective unless approved by the ATCOG Board of Directors.

Effective Date
An amendment to the bylaws takes effect when approved by the ATCOG Board of Directors unless the amendment specifies a later effective date. Copies of amended bylaws will be distributed to the HSAC members by the HSAC liaison.

Review
The HSAC shall review the bylaws annually to keep the document current. HSAC amendment recommendations shall be taken before the ATCOG Board of Directors for

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final approval. If upon review of the bylaws no amendments are deemed necessary, then no further action is required.

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RESOLUTION NO. BD19-048
RESOLUTION OF THE ARK-TEX COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS TO ADOPT REVISIONS TO THE ARK-TEX COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS HOMELAND SECURITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE BYLAWS.

WHEREAS, the Homeland Security Advisory Committee (HSAC) is an advisory subcommittee of the ATCOG Board of Directors; WHEREAS, the bylaws of the committee regulate committee affairs and the behavior of its members.
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE ARK-TEX COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS:
Section 1 – That the ATCOG Board of Directors approved the HSAC bylaw revisions as shown on the attachment; and
Section 2 – That all other previous bylaws adopted by the ATCOG Board of Directors are now null and void.

ITEM 18:
Review and consider approval of the Ark-Tex Council of Governments’ (ATCOG) Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (THIRA), State Preparedness Report (SPR), and the Homeland Security Implementation Plan for 2020.

BACKGROUND:
The State requires that each Council of Governments revise and submit their THIRA, SPR and Regional Implementation Plan annually. The three documents are all interrelated and provide an overview of the threats, risks, and resources in the ATCOG region. These documents ensure that ATCOG is fully integrated into the State of Texas Homeland Security Strategic Plan and has identified resources necessary to achieve homeland security preparedness goals for the fiscal year 2020.

DISCUSSION:
These documents do not replace any existing Regional Plans, Mutual Aid Agreements or strategies. Rather, it incorporates those existing plans, agreements, and strategies. Also, this plan does not preclude the use or activation of any existing plans or agreements that an individual county may have with an entity that is outside the boundaries of the ATCOG.

RECOMMENDATION:
The Homeland Security Advisory Committee approved the plan on December 4, 2019, and recommends approval.

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RESOLUTION NO. BD19-049
RESOLUTION OF THE ARK-TEX COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS WITH REVIEW, APPROVAL AND ADOPTION OF THE ARK-TEX COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS HOMELAND SECURITY THREAT AND HAZARD IDENTIFICATION RISK ASSESSMENT, STATE PREPAREDNESS REPORT AND IMPLEMENTATION PLAN FOR 2020.

WHEREAS, these documents align with and support the intent of the general homeland security strategy for the State established by the Governor in the Texas Homeland Security Strategic Plan.

These documents are for the fiscal year 2019 and mirrors the guidelines and goals of Texas Homeland Security Strategic Plan.

WHEREAS, these documents ensure that the Ark-Tex Council of Governments is fully integrated into the State of Texas Homeland Security Strategic Plan, and has identified the resources necessary to achieve homeland security preparedness goals for the fiscal year 2020. WHEREAS, these documents do not replace any existing Regional Plans, Mutual Aid Agreements or strategies. Rather, they incorporate those existing plans, agreements, and strategies. Also, these documents do not preclude the use or activation of any existing plans or agreements that an individual county may have with an entity that is outside the boundaries of the ATCOG.

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE ARK-TEX COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS:
Section 1 – That the purpose of the Ark-Tex Council of Governments Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment, State Preparedness Report and Implementation The plan is to set forth our homeland security preparedness and identify time, funds, equipment, organization, planning, training, and exercises required to implement the plan.
Section 2 – That the above-mentioned documents are representative of the entire region.

REVIEWED AND APPROVED THIS 12TH DAY OF DECEMBER, 2019.
_________________________________________
L.D. Williamson, President
Ark-Tex Council of Governments
ATTEST:
______________________________
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