Notices and Announcements

Volume 16, Issue 8

2021 TCAA Fall Conference in Houston

The Texas City Attorneys Association (TCAA) Fall Conference will be held in conjunction with the TML Annual Conference and Exhibition on October 7 at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston.

Topics include:

  • Leasing Considerations for Cities
  • Role of City Attorneys in Risk Management
  • Regulatory Takings
  • Implicit Bias
  • Statutory Interpretation
  • Public Improvement Districts
  • Platting
  • Flooding Liability
  • Ethics Commission

CLICK HERE FOR INFORMATION about registration and housing. Note: The schedule for the TCAA program is under “Affiliate Programs,” and most attorneys who will not be attending the entire TML Annual Conference and Exhibition will want to choose the “one-day registration” option, starting at $185.

TCAA to Fill Board Position on October 7, 2021

Those interested in applying for a place on the board of the Texas City Attorneys Association should fill out an application and return it via email to Evelyn Njuguna at evelyn@tml.org.  Application forms are available here and under the “About TCAA” tab, “Board of Directors” section, on the TCAA website at https://texascityattorneys.org.  Applications must be received by 5:00 p.m. on August 30, 2021.

TCAA Statement on Racism and Equity

In February 2021, the TCAA Board appointed a subcommittee to examine whether TCAA should issue a statement on racism and equity.  The subcommittee developed a statement on racism and equity for consideration by the TCAA Board.  On August 4, 2021, the TCAA Board unanimously approved the TCAA Statement on Racism and Equity.

New TCAA-Affiliate

TCAA is excited to announce that the Central Texas City Attorneys Association (CT-CAA) has been approved as a TCAA-affiliated group! Details about the group are available here.

Regional attorney groups are a great way to meet and network with other city attorneys within close geographic proximity. These groups also create opportunities and time to learn about legal issues facing cities and gain insight into solutions that can be applied across all city organizations.

For more information about the Central Texas Attorneys Association, please email Charla Thomas, CT-CAA President, at charla.thomas@templetx.gov

S.B. 2 Tax Rate Setting Resources

A pre-recorded TML webinar addressing the city property tax rate setting process following the passage of S.B. 2 in 2019, with additional insight into the impact of state legislation passed in 2021, is available here. (MCLE credit is not available for this session.)  Tax and budget deadline memos and an updated explanatory Q&A are available here.

State and Local Legal Center- Upcoming Webinar

Supreme Court Preview Webinar 2021-22

While the abortion and guns cases will very likely put the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2021-22 term in the history books, the Court has agreed to hear numerous cases of interest to states and local governments. On the docket already are three First Amendment cases including a sign case, a board member censure case, and a school choice case; a Medicaid case; and an “unreasonable seizure pursuant to legal process” case. Join Sarah Harris, Williams & Connolly, and Rick Simpson, Wiley, both counsel in cases involving the Rehabilitation Act, and Ken Jost, author of Supreme Court Yearbook and Jost on Justice, in a discussion of the most important cases the Supreme Court is planning to decide so far this upcoming term for states and local governments.

Date: September 15
Time: 1-2:15 P.M. EST

Register here.

TCAA Online Membership Directory

Looking to find the contact information for a fellow TCAA member? You can find it using the TCAA membership directory, available here.

IMLA Membership

Membership with IMLA doesn’t just mean discounts to their events. It’s much more than that. Click here to view a quick video about IMLA membership.

Continuing Legal Education

2021 TCAA Fall Conference

This TCAA online seminar is FREE, allowing TCAA members who are city attorneys, assistant city attorneys, or attorneys who regularly practice municipal law to view the video from the conference in a singlesession format.  Viewing a session allows attorneys to receive participatory CLE credit with the State Bar. To view this seminar, please visit tcaaonlineseminars.org. (Use the case-sensitive password “FreeCLE” to gain access to the sessions.)

If you would like to have an article considered for publication in the TCAA newsletter, please send your request to Evelyn Njuguna at evelyn@tml.org.