October 13, 2014      4:02 PM
Budget Talk: Texas Historical Commission continues work on a shoestring budget
Executive director asks LBB for ability to accept outside donations for new facilities
The Texas Historical Commission is still
“staffing poor” after the major cuts of the two sessions ago, even as the
agency staff doubled last session.
Doubled is a relative term, since the staffing level at the commission is now 30, down from
47. Last session, lawmakers also added a new credit against the margins tax for
the preservation of historical building. That tax cut did not come with any
additional personnel for the agency.
The commission teetered on the edge of extinction after its objections
to proposed renovations of the Governor’s mansion. In a subsequent State of the
State speech, Gov. Rick Perry
suggested both the state arts and historical commissions could be eliminated during
a budget cycle that showed double-digit revenue losses. In recent sessions, the
commission has taken a low profile in budget discussions.
For an agency of 30 employees, the Historical Commission
covers a lot of ground, with divisions in archaeology, architecture, community
heritage, historic sites and history programs. Its newest addition, spearheaded
by former Sen. Florence Shapiro,
R-Plano, is the Texas Holocaust & Genocide Commission.
By Kimberly Reeves
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