Speakers and sessions are subject to change. All events are at the hotel unless otherwise noted.
Wednesday | June 27, 2018
4:00-6:00 p.m.
Registration
6:30-8:30 p.m.
Welcome Networking Reception/Dinner
Reconnect with old friends and make new ones at the opening reception. There will be plenty of time to eat, drink, and network.
Thursday | June 28, 2018
7:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Registration
7:30–8:15 a.m.
Breakfast
8:15–8:30 a.m.
Welcome and Introduction
Glenn Dishong, President TMUA, Utility Director, City of Georgetown
8:30–9:15 a.m.
Key Elements of a Successful Safety Program
This session will discuss key items to help a municipal utility develop, implement, and maintain a successful safety program. Talking points will be management commitment and employee involvement, hazard prevention and control, worksite analysis, training, and safety performance tracking and improvement.
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Speaker: Casey Lane , Safety and Training Coordinator, City of Georgetown
9:30–10:15 a.m.
Leveraging Energy Infrastructure to Drive Revenue
Whether it is administrative actions, building automation or backup power systems, utilities can leverage these systems to ring their cash register.
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Speaker: Josh Coleman, Chief Operating Officer, 5
10:15–10:45 a.m.
Networking Break with Exhibitors
10:45–11:45 a.m.
Lessons Learned from Hurricane Harvey
This panel discussion will be actual accounts from water utilities in cities that were affected by Hurricane Harvey, the actions they took, how they are faring now, and what they will do differently the next time another “Harvey” hits their cities.
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Speakers: Mark LeBlanc, Assistant Director of Public Works, City of Baytown, Dan Grimsbo, Water Utility Executive Director, City of Corpus Christi, Mike Donoho, Director-Building & Development/Public Works, City of Rockport, and Donnie Stanton, Assistant Director of Utilities, City of Port Arthur
Moderator: David Medina, Damage Prevention Manager-Gulf Coast Region, Texas811
Noon–1:45 p.m.
Lunch and Keynote
Managing in a Time of Change and Growth
The opportunity to grow is both exciting and unsettling. Communication, transparency and establishing trust are key components for effecting positive change while maintaining or improving quality. How the Zachry Department of Civil Engineering has met the challenge to increase and achieve a more diverse enrollment while ensuring students are prepared for lifelong learning will be discussed.
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Speaker: Robin L. Autenrieth, Ph.D., P.E., Department Head and A.P. & Florence Wiley Professor, Zachry Department of Civil Engineering, Texas A&M University
2:00–3:00 p.m.
The Human Factor: What Works and What Doesn’t With Asset Management
This will be a moderated, open forum discussing multiple human resource topics that affects utility departments including: succession planning, professional development, and operator value.
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Speakers: Wendy Standorf, Loss Prevention Training Specialist – Human Resources, Texas Municipal League Intergovernmental Risk Pool
3:00–3:30 p.m.
Networking Break with Exhibitors
3:30–4:15 p.m.
A Tale of Two Cities – Experiences Working With Adjacent Cities to Reach a Common Goal
This session will involve the City of Round Rock and Texarkana, two cities involved with other cities in entirely different ways. The City of Round Rock will discuss their experiences working with adjacent cities with common needs and goals on several regional utility projects. The presentation will include the challenges, solutions, lessons learned, and success stories associated with these partnerships. The City of Texarkana will discuss their experiences working with two local governments and two state governments in regards to operating a Water Utility. Texarkana, located on the state line between Texas and Arkansas, has the challenge of following multiple local and state rules and regulations on a day-to-day basis.
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Speakers: J.D. Phillips, P.E., Executive Director, City of Texarkana and Michael Thane, P.E., Director of Utilities, City of Round Rock
4:30–5:15 p.m.
The Never Ending Story: Make Your Department’s Message Count
Utilities face some legitimate challenges; expanding new technologies like AMI/AMR, employee retention, rate increases, and asset management. These are multi-faceted, complex issues that cross department lines. The most overlooked piece of the pie is communication. Hear case studies on how communication directly drove positive results and learn tactics to discuss with your team post-conference.
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Speakers: Arianne Shipley, COO and Co-Founder, Rogue Water and Stephanie Zavala, CEO and Co-Founder, Rogue Water
5:15–6:45 pm
Free Time
6:45–7:00 pm
Board boat for dinner cruise
7:00–9:00 p.m.
Dinner and Cruise
Enjoy a fun and relaxing evening with dinner and drinks on the Little Palm as we cruise Lake Conroe – a perfect way to network when you are at a resort!
Friday | June 29, 2018
7:30–9:00 a.m.
Registration
8:00–9:00 a.m.
Breakfast, Business Meeting, Awards, Scholarships
9:00–10:30 a.m.
Regulatory Update: TCEQ Petition for Rule Modification
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) petitions seek to revise 30 TAC 344.50 and 344.52, Backflow Prevention Methods, to align current TCEQ rules with existing national and international standards concerning the health hazard classification of irrigation systems, the backflow assemblies acceptable for use in protection against an irrigation system, and the terminology used to refer to a backflow prevention assembly.
Through a panel style forum, the implementation of such a requirement will be discussed. The presentation will touch on several facets of the rule modification and will include an update of where the petition is in the rulemaking process.
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Panelists: John DeCell, Vepo, LLC; Melissa Keller, Technical Specialist, Office of Compliance and Enforcement, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality; and David Moulton, Utility Administration Superintendent, City of Mansfield
10:30 a.m.
Closing and Adjournment