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ACSM/NSPS
Division:
Liaison Division
Officer: Coleen Johnson
Committee: ACSM/NSPS
Comm. Chairman: Patrick Smith
No activity since the last board
meeting. I will be attending the NSPS Area 3 & 4 meeting on September 24
and the Fall NSPS meeting on October 21-24.
Respectfully Submitted
Patrick A. Smith, RPLS
GLO
Division: Liaison Division Div. #: 3 Division
Officer: Coleen Johnson
Committee: GLO Chairman Reporting:
Henry Mayo
No action by the
committee since last report.
Standing by, if needed.
HPM
GIS
Division: Liaison Division Div. #: 3 Division
Officer: Coleen Johnson
Committee: GIS Chairman Reporting:
Coleen Johnson
COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Jon Hodde
Gary
Hudson
Lynn
Savory
Richard Worthey
Brianne Bernsen
Bill Coleman
Paul Easley
Robert Young
Maxey Sheppard,
Co-chair
Committee Tasks:
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Work
with Standards Committee to establish guidelines for use of GPS in GIS
Projects. To include a checklist that could be used by Client &
Provider to determine the scope of the work, deliverables, procedures
and anticipated levels of accuracy.
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Continue development of GIS curriculum for use by Education Committee
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Continue to monitor the relationship between GIS and Surveying
industries
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Work
with TBPLS after legislative session to create and adopt Rules for
inclusion and exclusions
On June 4, 2005 the TSPS Board of Directors adopted the “GIS Category”.
This GIS Category (to eventually be included in the Texas Society of
Professional Surveyor’s Manual of Practice) was developed for use by
surveyors in the State of Texas. It is intended to be a guide for the
professional surveyor and to serve as a checklist for the development of
contracts between the professional surveyor and their clients. The TSPS
GIS Committee has worked very hard on this category over the past four
years and has solicited comments from surveyors and GIS professionals
alike both in the State of Texas and nationally. This category will be
an important tool and guideline for all Texas surveyors now and into the
future. The category will appear in the next issue of Texas Surveyor.
We are working on the development of a second GIS course this year to be
entitled GIS Development.
A committee meeting is planned for August 6 from 9:00 a.m. until 11:00
a.m.
Respectfully Submitted by:
Coleen M. Johnson, Chair
Real Estate Liaison of State Bar
Division: Liaison Division Div. #: 3
Division Officer: Coleen Johnson
Committee:
Real Estate Liaison of State Bar Chairman Reporting: Mark
Hanna
The Committee continues
to monitor recent Texas real estate law cases and summaries prepared by
the Real Estate Section of the State Bar of Texas and published in the
Texas Surveyor.
TBPLS
Division: Liaison Division Div. #: 3
Division Officer: Coleen Johnson
Committee:
TBPLS Chairman Reporting: Bill
O'Hara
The Texas Board of Professional Land Surveying last met June 17, 2005, at
the Board offices in Austin. This report mainly covers that meeting.
Director’s Report
Sandy Smith, Executive
Director, delivered her report that included the following:
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Recent legislative
action resulted in a requirement to generate $517,466 from fees. This
amount is exclusive of funding collected from the additional $200
renewal fee imposed on land surveyors by the previous legislature. Due
to this requirement the following fees are to become effective September
1, 2005: application fee raised from $100 to $125; examination fee
raised from $125 to $150; RPLS renewal fee raised from $350 to $364; the
LSLS renewal fee raised from $38 to $40; the RPLS inactive fee raised
from $37 to $40.
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HB 207 which allows for
the implementation of lower registration fees for RPLSs over the age of
65 was passed by the legislature.
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The Board is looking for
ways to cut costs and will ask registrants for their email address to
receive the Board’s newsletter via email rather than regular, posted
mail. (Registrants can now go on-line to the TBPLS website and submit
their email address to receive the newsletter by email.)
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The NCEES meeting will
be held this year August 24-27 in Memphis, TN. The Board has funding to
send one member and NCEES will pay for one other member of the TBPLS to
attend the meeting. The Board will seek additional funding for another
TBPLS representative to attend the meeting. The Board prefers that the
additional person be Garey Gilley, TBPLS Investigator, because there is
a program on enforcement scheduled during the meeting.
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SB 286 passed; it
requires that all Board members receive training in the open records act
before January 1, 2007. The Attorney General’s office will provide the
training.
Complaints: About 13 complaints,
presented by the Board’s investigator, Garey Gilley, were discussed and
settled by the Board members.
Other Business
The issue of standards for
construction staking was discussed. Greg Smyth suggested standards for
construction staking be developed. Ms. Smith stated that if standards for
construction staking become part of the act then experience in
construction related surveying activities may need to be considered for
licensing. Pat Smith, TSPS, related that the Board may need to address
this and related issues due to the new definition of surveying. Art
Osborn questioned if this would require a surveyor’s certificate for
construction staking. Other comments were made in the discussion
including that an exploratory committee be formed to study the issue and
that TSPS form a committee to establish standards for construction
staking.
The TSPS Governmental
Affairs Committee will pursue legislation to address the issues of land
surveying companies owned by non-registered individuals and the use of
contract field crews.
The AG’s office has sent a
letter to the Cherokee County District Attorney stating that it is the
landowner’s responsibility to file a subdivision plat. TSPS Government
Affairs Committee has been instructed to investigate the matter; they are
planning to meet with the Association of District Attorneys to discuss.
Garey Gilley has contact
the Executive Director of the Texas Municipal League to inquire about
changing the requirement of many municipalities that a plat be signed and
sealed by the RPLS and therefore all lots in the subdivision monumented at
the time the plat is submitted for initial review.
Art Osborn reported that
First American Title Company is requiring land surveyors to sign a
contract before they can provide the title company with surveying
services. The contract contains various rules violations and sets the fee
for surveys.
The Board discussed
“inactive status” and “reinstatement to inactive status” according to the
Act.
Committee Reports (highlights):
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Larry Turner reported
for the RPLS Committee that 21 persons had passed the RPLS exam in the
spring; the Board approved the list of new registrants.
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Greg Smyth reported for
the LSLS Committee that two persons may have passed the recent
exam, however there was some unstated, remaining business between the
Board and the two examinees before the number could be confirmed
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Greg Smyth, Legislative
Needs Committee deferred to Pat Smith for the report; Pat reported on
the status of the various bills of interest to the land surveying
profession following the regular legislative session.
The next Board meeting is scheduled for July 22, 2005.
On a side note – we should
all be aware of the enormous contributions made by W. C. Wilson, RPLS,
LSLS, Board member from San Angelo, to the land surveying profession in
Texas. Mr. Wilson was not able to attend the June 17th TBPLS
meeting due to health reasons. W.C. is a giant among surveyors, in more
ways than one! I ask the members of our professional associated to
remember him in their thoughts and pray that he can soon return to all his
normal activities.
Respectfully submitted,
Bill O’Hara, RPLS, LSLS
Liaison Committee
Chairman
TxDOT
DIVISION: Liaison Division #3 Division Officer
Coleen Johnson
COMMITTEE: TxDOT Chairperson Reporting John F. Pierce
TSPS Strategic Planning Goals from August 12 & 13, 2004
1.
Get a requirement for all
technicians on TxDOT projects to be certified.
2.
Get a RPLS on staff in
each TxDOT District.
3.
Get a requirement for
TSPS standards on all work order.
The Texas Department of
Transportation’s Standing Committee On Surveying (SCOS) has not met since
our last board meeting. The next SCOS meeting is scheduled for August 18,
2005. Even though there have been no formal meeting various committees
within SCOS continue to work on surveying related topics.
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