Finance Committee

Wednesday, 9:00 am, May 21, 2008

Commissioner J. Robert Brown, Committee Chair
Gene McCarty, Committee Liaison

Approval of Previous Meeting Minutes

1. Land and Water Plan Update
   • Sunset Review
   • Senate Finance Committee
   • Budget Riders Implementation
   • Location of August Commission Meeting
   Staff: Carter Smith
2. Financial Overview
   Staff: Mary Fields, Julie Horsley
   • Strategic Plan Update
   • Legislative Appropriations Request
3. Internal Audit Report
   Staff: Carlos Contreras
4. Survey of Organizational Excellence
   Staff: Al Bingham, Jim Lopp
5. Facility Use Fees at Parrie Haynes Ranch (Action Item No. 5)
   Staff: Ernie Gammage

Committee Agenda Item No. 1
Presenter: Carter Smith

Finance Committee
Land and Water Plan Update
May 2008

I. Executive Summary: Executive Director Carter Smith will briefly update the Commission on the status of the agency's efforts to implement the Land and Water Resources Conservation and Recreation Plan (the Plan).

II. Discussion: In 2001, the 77th Texas Legislature directed that the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) develop a Land and Water Resources Conservation and Recreation Plan (Tex. Park & Wild. Code §11.104). In November 2002, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission (the Commission) adopted the first Plan. A revised Plan was adopted by the Commission in January 2005. The Plan is available on the TPWD web site. Executive Director Carter Smith will update the Finance Committee on TPWD's recent progress in achieving the Plan's Goals and Objectives as they relate to the Finance Committee.

The Plan consists of 8 Goals and a total of 56 Objectives. The Goals stated in the Plan are as follows:

• Goal 1: Improve access to the outdoors.
• Goal 2: Preserve, conserve, manage, operate, and promote agency sites for recreational opportunities, biodiversity, and the cultural heritage of Texas.
• Goal 3: Assist landowners in managing their lands for sustainable wildlife habitat consistent with their goals.
• Goal 4: Increase participation in hunting, fishing, boating and outdoor recreation.
• Goal 5: Enhance the quality of hunting, fishing, boating and outdoor recreation.
• Goal 6: Improve science, data collection and information dissemination to make informed management decisions.
• Goal 7: Maintain or improve water quality and quantity to support the needs of fish, wildlife and recreation.
• Goal 8: Continuously improve TPWD business management systems, business practices and work culture.

Committee Agenda Item No. 2
Presenters: Mary Fields
Julie Horsley

Finance Committee
Financial Overview
May 2008

I. Executive Summary: Staff will present a financial overview of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD).

II. Discussion:

• Staff will update the Commission on revenue collected by TPWD for FY 2008, including state parks receipts, boat titling and registration revenue, and license sales revenue as well as the number of licenses sold.
• Staff will review revenue collected by fund (Game Fish and Water Safety Fund, State Park Fund, Local Park Fund, and Other).
• Staff will compare the FY 2008 budget to FY 2008 expenditures and summarize recent budget adjustments.
• Staff will review status of the development of the 2009-2013 Strategic Plan (Natural Agenda) and the FY 2010-11 Legislative Appropriations Request (LAR).

Committee Agenda Item No. 3
Presenter: Carlos Contreras

Finance Committee
Internal Audit Report
May 2008

I. Executive Summary: Staff will provide the Commission with the current status of the Internal Audit FY08 Audit Plan.

II. Discussion: Staff will also update the Commission on the recently completed audits, the active audits and the planned audits.

Committee Agenda Item No. 4
Presenters: Al Bingham
Jim Lopp

Finance Committee
Survey of Organizational Excellence
May 2008

I. Executive Summary: Human Resources Division Director, Al Bingham and Deputy Director Jim Lopp will provide a briefing on the results of the Survey of Organizational Excellence, which was administered to TPWD Employees during the period December 3 to December 25, 2007. Employee perceptions of the department improved in 17 out of 20 survey constructs since the last survey in 2005.

II. Discussion: The Survey of Organizational Excellence (SOE), which is administered by the UT School of Social Work, was begun in 1979 to assess how the average state employee felt about working for the state. The survey has since evolved into a strategic planning tool and is used as a means to assess organizational strengths and opportunities for improvement from the perspective of agency employees. The survey looks at five workplace dimensions and constructs capturing the total work environment and broadly profiling organizational strengths and areas of concern so that interventions may be targeted appropriately.

For 2007, 1,548 out of 2,838 TPWD employees (55 percent) responded to survey. Overall responses indicated improvements in 17 of 20 construct areas since the last survey was administered in 2005. Areas of perceived strengths include: the department's strategic orientation, its focus on quality principles, the flow of information into and out of the organization, the relative lack of burnout among staff, and the availability of information needed by staff in performing their duties. Areas of perceived concerns include: fair pay, team effectiveness, the flow of information within the organization, the department's readiness to change course based on new information or ideas, and a relative lack of cultural diversity. A Natural Leader project team is working with division leaders to identify and implement appropriate interventions to alleviate areas of concern.