Report to the 86th Legislature: Sunset Advisory Commission Page: 29
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Sunset Advisory Commission
TEXAS HISTORICAL COMMISSION
Steven Ogle, Project ManagerSummary
Since its last Sunset review in 2007, the Texas Historical Commission
(THC) has grown from just a regulatory agency providing advice and tools
to preservationists to one actively managing and marketing 22 historic sites and
resources in Texas. The Sunset Commission found the agency to be generally
well-run, particularly with regard to its core preservation
functions, but in need of improving its newer, less established
programs - managing state historic sites and supporting local Texa
heritage tourism development. In particular, the commission corpre
recommends THC establish goals for these programs and find its sta
opportunities to coordinate with other agencies to improve /
historic preservation in the state.s has failed to
pensively plan for
te historic sites.Texas has long failed to comprehensively plan for its state historic sites,
which are managed by four agencies - THC, Texas Parks and Wildlife
Department (TPWD), State Preservation Board (SPB), and General Land
Office (GLO) - with little statewide coordination or direction. Recognizing
this, the commission recommends increasing coordination between all entities
managing historic sites to reduce the risk of losing important state history.
This increased cooperation and collaboration across state historic sites would
maximize each agency's strengths and better use the limited resources available
to improve and preserve these sites. Further, to ensure each agency makes
best use of its particular expertise in managing these sites, the commission
recommends transferring eight historic sites at TPWD that are not attached
to a state park to THC.
THC also works with local governmental and nonprofit groups to foster
preservation efforts across the state. The agency's main heritage tourism
program, the Texas Heritage Trails, supports 10 regional nonprofit organizations
seeking to increase historic and cultural heritage tourism. However, THC
has allowed the program to operate for far too long without proper internal
or external controls to ensure effective outcomes and full accountability. The
commission found no evidence of wrongdoing by the nonprofit organizations,
but recommends providing clearer direction for the program through statute
and rule alongside stronger contracting practices to provide needed oversight
of the state's financial investment.
Texas Historical Commission
Report to the 86th Legislature29
February 2019
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Texas. Sunset Advisory Commission. Report to the 86th Legislature: Sunset Advisory Commission, report, February 2019; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1364727/m1/41/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.