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Commissioners consider putting lobbyist in Austin: Collin County included with Parkland in regional health plan
By Kelley Chambers, kchambers@starlocalnews.com
As it continues to feel the heat from state agencies, the Collin County Commissioners Court discussed the possibility of hiring a lobbyist to represent the populace when it comes to certain hot-topic legislative items.
The proposal came at a time when the court has been grappling over the possibility of Collin County sharing a regional health partnership (RHP) with Dallas County through a Medicaid overhaul plan.
Commissioner Duncan Webb brought up the idea of hiring a lobbyist at Monday's meeting. Webb said the idea was originally brought up by state representatives Jodi Laubenberg and Ken Paxton, both of whom had mentioned a need to engage a lobbyist to the court, specifically with regard to the RHP and Medicaid 1115 waiver, the healthcare reform measure expected to be adopted by October that could couple Collin County with Parkland Hospital.
Fairview resident Roy Serpa was one of several residents who spoke during the public comment period at the meeting. While Serpa expressed his appreciation for bringing up the topic, he was not in favor of it.
"My feeling is that there are lobbyists right here, that when there's something that is going to affect our county I expect our commissioners to go to the state capital and represent us, not a third party," Serpa said. "I'm very concerned about anybody within the government hiring a third party to represent the taxpayer. That's part of what you folks are compensated for."
Plano resident Wayne Richard asked why commissioners would consider the extra expense of hiring a lobbyist.
"As a citizen, I believe we have very good representation down in Austin, and somehow there must have been a weak link in that communication conduit for us to feel as though a lobbyist is required," Richard said. "What will a lobbyist be able to accomplish that we aren't getting accomplished today? What can they do that you all can't do as far as our representatives, I don't understand that. When you hear the word 'lobbyist,' it automatically raises red flags."
Webb said he wanted to weigh the pros and cons of having someone physically representing the county in Austin on a fulltime basis. He asked County Administrator Bill Bilyeu to pull out the county's past two legislative agendas to see how effective the commissioners court has been in achieving its goals at the state level.
While he said hiring a full-time lobbyist seems like a "complete waste of money," Webb said it might be a money saver if such a person can be used on a piecemeal basis for specific issues like the Medicaid waiver.
"If we're not effective in what we're doing, maybe we need to look at other ways to do things," Webb said. "If we are going to put something on the list, let's be accountable in what we're trying to achieve. There's a lot going on here that we have to deal with."
Collin County is currently working with neighboring counties in an effort to form its own RHP with those that, they feel, more accurately mirror its own healthcare needs and resources. Dallas and Collin counties were included in the same RHP in a preliminary map provided to counties for feedback in February. In a HHSC survey administered to county representatives that same month, County Judge Keith Self indicated a list of potential counties that would be included in Collin County's RHP, which included 13 area counties like Cooke, Grayson, Rockwall and Denton. Dallas was not on the list.
The county hired a lobbyist over a decade ago for a single legislative session, something Commissioner Joe Jaynes -- who was on the court at the time --said he felt was a mistake. Self expressed similar views and wanted to know in what capacity such a person would be used for this time.
"The immediate cause for the lobbyist is the 1115 Medicaid waiver Regional Healthcare Partnership program, but the State decision is supposed to be made no later than early May, so we will barely have time to decide to hire the lobbyist before the decision will be made by the State," Self stated on his website on March 22. "And frankly, our job at this point is to knit together our recommended Regional Healthcare Partnership here in North Texas, not lobby in Austin."
Commissioner Matt Shaheen felt as if the county is capable of fighting against the proposed RHP with Dallas County on its own, stating that they've managed to keep such from happening in the past.
"I think the whole reason why we are even considering or having this on the agenda is because we are dealing with a very important issue," Shaheen said. "Historically, we've been successful at pushing back these types of issues with respect to Parkland's desire to encompass Collin County in their taxing district. Obviously this is a new approach and new dynamics."
Commissioner Cheryl Williams said considering a lobbyist should, in no way, be a means to replacing the duties of the commissioners, but added it might be something to consider since the county's budget is not designed for them to be in Austin for days or weeks at a time.
"I don't think anybody was talking about a fulltime position, that was not ever in the discussion," Williams said. "If we to do such a thing, it would be issue-driven. I view this more as something that would require full-court press--all of the commissioners court and potentially a lobbyist, as well, in order to use every tool we have, particularly if we have the potential for additional taxes being imposed. I think it's only responsible to use every tool you've got to prevent that from happening."
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