NORTH TEXAS HOMEBUILDERS ASSOCIATION
4410 Fairway Boulevard Wichita Falls, TX 76308
Volume 10, No. 10 • October 2017
P: 940.692.2211 F: 940.692.2214
www.nthba.com
From the President It never ceases to amaze me how quickly time passes. My son Luke recently turned 2, and my wife Andrea and I welcomed the arrival of our daughter Emma, who is already 3 months old. As I write this article, my 1st term as association president is coming to an end. I certainly appreciate my supporting cast, the Board of Directors and all the Committees. It has been a pleasure working for the association and everyone involved. I’m extremely grateful the North Texas Association of Builders is made up of so many quality professionals who are passionate about the industry they represent and continue to graciously support our association. The dedication and commitment you put forth is what makes us successful. This past year has seen many accomplishments. Our advocacy for the industry and open lines of communication with our city officials has enabled the NTHBA builders to once again be a part of some very important decision making. Last year it was the 2015 Energy Codes under the leadership of Eddie Holcomb and recently the proposed changes to the subdivision development ordinance. Working together as one team has made a difference. Our concern and outreach on the proposed Wind Farms encouraged our State Legislature to pass a bill in the 85th Legislative Session that will keep the State from allowing any tax incentives to companies who want to erect wind farms within a 25 mile radius of a military facility. This is a crucial accomplishment for the Wichita Falls economy. These are some of the local items the NTHBA has been involved in, but we also assisted our fellow TAB members Continues on pg 2
Special Thanks to our 2017 NTHBA Partners: Diamond Atmos Energy Platinum Union Square Credit Union Gold First National Bank of Wichita Falls
What’s
INSIDE • Dates To Remember • 2017/2018 Officers & Directors • GM Luncheon with Rep. James Frank • City of Wichita Falls Announces Hiring Decisions • Workforce Hosts 8th Grade Career Fair
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at the State level. Several from the NTHBA attended Rally Day at the State Capitol during the 85th Legislative Session and fellow TAB members from builder association’s all over Texas gathered together to voice their concerns to our States Senate and House members. With the help of our TAB lobbyist’s, government relations committee, and members attending the session as vested parties, the majority of the legislative items concerning our industry that we favored passed and those we opposed failed. Members also made the trip to Dallas to attend the State’s largest home product show, The Sunbelt Builders Show. While learning about new items on the market, they also attended many of the State meetings to keep up to date on what the industry is facing from workforce shortages, regulations, and taxes. Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedules to make a difference. I am pleased to say this year’s events held by NTHBA association were also successful. The Parade of Homes attendees increased by 22%, the golf tournament maxed out with 30 teams, and the Young Professional Council Clay shoot doubled its number of participants. With such a fantastic year, I am excited to serve a 2nd term and work to make next year even better!
2017 Calendar of Events
September Birthdays Michael Grassi..................................8 Bryan Waggoner............................18 Tom Nichols.....................................25 Chet Hooper...................................25 Happy Birthday!
Renewals ABC Supply.................................Felix Castillo Jacksboro National Bank..........Jerry Phillips Lantern House..............................O.W. Ayers Lance Friday Homes................Barney Brock Longo Landscape & Lawn......Donnie Long Lowe’s...................................John Thompson Stan Mountain Const............Stan Mountain Thanks for Renewing!
Welcome New Members Texoma Foam Insulation...............Blake Seyler Texoma Foam Insulation.............David Merrell Welcome!
2017 Dates to Remember
Membership, Meetings & Education...................Oct. 10 Nov. 2, General Membership Meeting Committee Meeting...........................................10:00AM Nov. 16-17, TAB Committee & Board Meetings, Austin, TX. Parade of Homes & Special Events ....................Oct. 11 Nov. 23, Thanksgiving Committee Meeting...........................................10:00AM Dec.7, Annual Christmas Party, Coyote Ranch Resort Dec.24, Christmas Eve Publications & Communications .........................Oct. 12 Dec.25, Christmas Day Committee Meeting...........................................10:00AM Government Affairs ..............................................Oct. 12 Committee Meeting..............................................2:00PM Budget & By-Laws..................................................Oct. 18 Committee Meeting...........................................10:15AM Board of Directors..................................................Oct. 18 Meeting................................................................11:00AM
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What came out of the 85th legislative session was the topic of the September 7th General Membership Meeting Along with a short history lesson, members of the NTHBA were enlightened on many issues Texas faced in the 85th legislative session. Representative James Frank honored the NTHBA as the guest speaker at September’s luncheon. As an ice breaker he began asking the crowd a few questions about the Texas Legislature. With much disappointment, there were very few in the audience who knew the answer to the few basic questions he asked, such as how many days does the legislative session consist of – (answer 140 days), how often do they meet – (answer every 2 years in the even numbered years) and how many members make up the House – (150 state representatives). Dennis Probst was the lucky recipient of a Flag flown over the capitol by answering the final question correctly, on how does the Lt. Governor become the Lt. Governor – (answer – he is elected by a statewide vote). After getting the attention of the audience, Representative Frank began with his overview of the 85th legislative session. He said there was really only one thing that absolutely had to be done during the session and that was pass a balanced budget. Unlike the Federal Government, Texas constitution requires the budget to be balanced. You will not leave Austin until it is. The tax revenue is down in Texas due to the drop in oil prices but the cost of living continued to grow. Therefore they had to dip into the rainy day funds in order to pass a balanced budget and as well as find ways to keep the budget down. Representative Frank said he didn’t vote for the budget his first year as a freshman but has voted for the last two. Aside from the budget, there were 4 emergency items declared by Governor Abbot that were addressed: CPS Reform, Sanctuary Cities, Government Ethic Reform and support changing the U.S Constitution to rein in federal power. CPS was given a pretty big makeover with 9 policies that Protect Texas Families. Specific reforms passed includes:
2017 /2018 Officers & Directors President – Michael Grassi Vice President – Justin Holcomb Associate Vice President – Scott Flinn Treasurer – Steve Lane Secretary – Kolter Lukert Past President – Eddie Holcomb Builder Directors Stan Mountain 1yr David Bedingfield 1yr Doug McCulloch 2yr Sean Snyder 2yr
Associate Directors Dennis Probst 1yr Brandon Litteken 2yr
State Director - Barney Brock Alternate State Director - Steven Hinson Life Director - Chuck Dennis Life Director - Jose Garcia Executive Vice President - Teri Gibson
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Enforcing the current one-year deadline on CPS cases, Preventing CPS from removing a child based on the parents decision to home school or decline a vaccination, requiring that all cases involving the same children and the same CPS incident be heard by the same court. Lawmakers also provided $509 million in new funding for CPS and foster care providers. This funding should help CPS keep good employees. The changes will be rolled out over the next 4 years and phase out the program being state run to being run by local organizations. They will allow for better regulation and training for the program. To see an overview of how Texas Children Fare in the 85th Legislative session visit this link. http://tffa.org/2017/08/how-did-texas-children-fare-i n-the-85th-legislative-session/ SB 4 – is in regard to Sanctuary Cities that would require local law enforcement to cooperate with federal immigration authorities and bans those cities from writing policies that would prevent their officers from asking about the immigration status of people they lawfully detain. It would also allow cities to be punished for not following these federal laws. Representative Frank said immigration and controlling the borders needs to be addressed but the biggest problem is there are 11 million who have been here for a very long time and do not have a country to go back to. SB 14 - Government Ethics Reform - four major pillars to the bill are: felon politicians losing their pension and office; disclosure of government contracts, bond counsel, and legal referral fees; shining light on lobbyist wining and dining; and establishing a clear line between elected officials and lobbyists. It is said it represents the largest ethics reform in a generation. SB-21 – which called for a new U.S. constitutional convention. The bill invokes Article V of the U.S. Constitution to enact what supporters refer to as a “convention of states,” with the aim of enacting a series of amendments to limit the power of the federal government, including a balanced budget amendment and congressional term limit. Although those were called emergency items by Governor Abbott, one bill that local citizens would consider an emergency item was the Wind Farm Bill, it basically says the state will not use economic development money to help put up wind energy within 25 miles of any military facility. He said he did not realize how huge wind energy was until this session. There were 25 lobbyist in attendance during the session fighting on behalf of the wind energy companies. Continues on page 5
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Other important items on the agenda were School Finance, Tax reform and Forced Annexation. Representative Frank mentioned getting a bill passed is just the starting point. It takes time and resources to help implement it that can sometimes be a larger challenge. Mr. Frank said, he puts out a newsletter if anyone is interested in receiving it to keep up with what is happening, you can go to his Facebook page and click on Join my list to sign up. He is always willing to speak for anyone would like to have him as a guest speaker if his schedule allows. In conclusion he mentioned he was very lucky. Over the years he has noticed his peers talking about how they are always getting calls from constituents complaining all hours of the night and day. He said he must live in the best district because he doesn’t have to deal with a lot of that. NTHBA members were also thanked by the 363rd Training Squadron, Lt. Col. Thomas Thorpe, MSgt. Louis Stukes and SSgt. Kyle Liverman, for their monetary for their annual Hotter’n Hell Rest stop. MSgt. Stukes explained the many volunteer hours they put in making their rest stop stand out from others. Each year they have a theme, this year it was Star Wars, he and SSgt Liverman were the artist for the 20’ backdrop that was the focal point of their theme. Others dressed up as Star War characters. He said the 363rd TRS take pride in giving back to the community and the Hotter’n Hell Rest is just one way they are able to do just that. During the meeting the NTHBA took care of the annual housekeeping business by voting for the slate of officers for 2017-2018, listened to reports from recent activities and learned of other events for the upcoming months all while enjoying a great meal from Bistro Express.
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The City of Wichita Falls Announces Two New Executive Level Hiring Decisions The City of Wichita Falls has announced that Paul Menzies has been hired as an Assistant City Manager. This position was created after the retirement of Jack Murphy, Director of Parks and Recreation. The position will be responsible for general oversight of the Community Development Department, assisting with annual budget development, monitoring and reporting progress of the City’s strategic goals and objectives, performance measurements, and other special projects and programs. Paul is coming to Wichita Falls from League City, Texas, where he has spent the last 3 years as Director of Planning and Development for the City of League City. Prior to his service in League City, Paul spent 8 years in the City of Harlingen, Texas, serving 3 of those years as the Director of Public Services/Parks & Recreation and 5 years as Director of Planning and Development. Preceding his work in Harlingen, Paul spent 6 years as Director of Development Services for the City of Kerrville, Texas. Mr. Menzies received his Master of Public Administration degree from Grand Canyon University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Geography from the University of Texas at San Antonio. He will begin working for the City on October 16, 2017. "I'm both humbled and honored to be selected to serve my hometown of Wichita Falls, Menzies said. I would like to thank the City Council and the City Manager for the opportunity to be a part of an already great team, and I look forward to working with everyone in the community towards the advancement of the City's strategic goals." The City has also announced that Dana Schoening (pronounced “Shay-ning”) has been hired as the Director of Community Development. This position will be responsible for the day-to-day oversight of the Community Development Department, which includes Building Inspection, Code Enforcement, Section 6
8 Housing, Neighborhood Resources, Property Management/Lake Lots, and Planning and Zoning. Dana is coming to Wichita Falls from Abilene, Texas, where he spent almost 2 years as Director of Planning and Development Services for the City of Abilene. Prior to his service in Abilene, Dana spent 15 years in the City of Duncan, Oklahoma as Director of Community Development. Preceding his work in Duncan, Dana spent 5 years as Department Head/Community Resource Development Agent for the University of Wisconsin. Mr. Schoening received a Master of Science degree in Environmental Science and Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Planning from the University of Wisconsin. He also received a second Masters in Public Administration from Midwestern State University. Dana is a Certified Planner granted through the American Institute of Certified Planners. He will begin working for the City on October 9, 2017. "As a community development professional, I am a committed advocate for communities that build on quality of life opportunities for residents and visitors alike, Schoening said. I welcome the Continues on page 7
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opportunity to join the Wichita Falls team to provide assistance in those efforts designed to expand community growth opportunities, increase civic involvement and provide excellence in public service." Kathy Gregory Jerry Phillips The City will also be reorganizing the City 940.249.5293 940.249.5288 Manager’s Office slightly as Jim Dockery, Nicki Bomer Karen Anderson Deputy City Manager, will assume day-to-day 940.249.5291 940.249.5292 oversight of the Parks and Recreation 4245 KEMP BLVD., STE. 420 • WICHITA FALLS, TEXAS 76308 Department. One of Jim’s responsibilities has been to provide day-to-day oversight of the Community Development Department for the WINDOWS, DOORS last 2 ½ years. AND MORE! 522 Beverly Drive "The hiring of Paul and Dana, 723-1436 Wichita Falls, Texas 76309 along with the planned management reorganization, will help us fulfill the strategic goals and objectives the City with Council, Always Remember to do of Business Association Members! said Darron Leiker, City Manager. I BRYAN WAGGONER am excited to have them join our management team." 3907 Kell BoulevarE t WJDIJUB 'BMMT t Texas 76308
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Texas Workforce Host 8th Grade Career Fair The North Texas Home Builders Association was happy to do their part in helping educate area 8th graders on jobs in the construction industry. Wednesday, September 27th Texas Workforce Solutions hosted their 2nd Annual 8th Grade Career Fair at the Wichita Falls MPEC. Over 1000 students were bussed in from all over North Texas and as far away as Graham. Each student had the opportunity to choose four 30 minutes sessions to attend on various professions. Some professions included Criminal Justice, Nursing, Fine Arts, Communications and Construction along with many others.
President Michael Grassi, Jose Garcia, Steven Hinson, Justin Holcomb and Doug McCulloch volunteered to be presenters for the Construction industry. The number of children who attended each session varied but most of the sessions for the NTHBA were completely full. The children were shown a series of power point slides that showed fields such as carpentry, electricians, plumbers, masonry workers and painters which also gave the national average each skilled worker could make. Salaries ranged from $35k up to almost $70k. As mentioned by our presenters, these were just national average figures. They were
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told these wages could vary from area to area and based on experience. The builders expressed how the students could start with an internship for a company and someday own their own business. They were also told a job in the construction industry as an intern could allow them to pay their way to college to gain further knowledge and a degree to help them as a general contractor or an architect. The children were asked if any of them knew someone in any of the fields that were discussed and many raised their hands. Some even had parents working in some of the fields. When asked if any of them planned to go in the construction industry, several raised their hands but there were a lot more that raised their hands when asked if they planned to go to college. When asked if what you plan to do when you finish college, a surprising number said they would pursue a career in the construction industry. As we all know it isn’t easy trying to figure out what you plan to do when you’re in middle school but the NTHBA is helping to sow the seed with the hopes of generating enthusiasm, at a younger age, to help build the workforce for the construction industry. Thank you all who volunteered your time to participate.
The total number of new home permits pulled in the City of Wichita Falls through September is 63. September had 6 pulled. 45 of the permits pulled to date are from NTHBA Builders.
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