County Historical Commission (CHC) appointments are political appointments made by county commissioners courts to preserve historic cultural resources. CHC appointments are volunteer, professional, commitments to represent the county’s interests related to historic and cultural heritage. The Texas Historical Commission (THC) encourages county officials to appoint/reappoint individuals who have the knowledge and skills to meet their county’s historic preservation goals.
Appointments for 2023-2024 Term of Service
Chapter 318 of the Texas Local Government Code directs county commissioners courts to appoint members to their CHC during January of odd-numbered years. To assist in the 2023-2024 term of service appointment process, county judges were mailed an appointment reminder packet on November 1st. For your reference, a copy of the November 2022 packet is provided here. The packet includes the following:
- Cover Letter reminding officials of upcoming appointments;
- CHC Flyer 01: Submitting CHC Appointments to the THC;
- CHC Flyer 02: Recommended Criteria for CHC Appointees;
- 2021 CHC Annual Report Summary providing overall performance statistics for the 2021 year of service.
Submitting CHC Appointee Rosters
Please use the template below to create a CHC appointee roster. Chapter 318 of the Texas Local Government Code also directs county commissioners courts to provide the THC with appointee updates by January of odd-numbered years. The THC uses this information to provide appointees with historic preservation resources, promote educational opportunities, and to fulfill our agency's statutory duties to provide advisory support to CHCs. CHCs should verify appointee contact information on a regular basis, perhaps at each commission meeting, and update the roster when needed.
Instructions for submitting appointee rosters:
- All appointee contact updates should be made by editing the CHC Appointee Roster Template.
- Provide the contact information (name, address, telephone number, and email address) for each appointee on the roster.
- Submit roster using the provided Appointee Roster Template in the Excel format (rather than handwritten, Microsoft Word, or PDF documents).
- Email the completed/updated roster to CHC Outreach Specialist, Jaclyn Zapata.
- If you send miscellaneous CHC appointee contact information updates to the THC, you will be directed to make those changes using the CHC Appointee Roster Template and resubmit the updated roster.
Updates to CHC Chair or Marker Chair are special:
Notify the THC of any changes to the CHC Chair or Marker Chair contact information to maintain communication between THC staff and CHC representatives. Please use the notification forms provided below to update CHC Chair and Marker Chair contact information:
- CHC Chair Notification Form- to provide the necessary information to update CHC Chair contact information.
- Marker Chair Authorization Form- to provide the necessary information to update the CHC Marker Chair contact information with the THC Marker Program staff.
Questions about CHC Appointment Process
General Inquiries: Questions concerning the CHC appointment process should be directed to CHC Outreach Specialist, Jaclyn Zapata or by calling 512.475.2692.
Submission Tracking: County offices frequently ask about a county's track record for CHC activity. For this reason, our office began tracking CHC appointee roster submissions in 2007. Tracking as of July 15, 2022, is provided here.
Bylaw Directives: Please check with the CHC to see if bylaws direct existing appointees to provide a list of potential appointees to the commissioners court.
Supplemental Information for County Officials and CHCs
Below is a list of supplemental documents created by CHC Outreach Program staff for county officials. These documents help provide more information on responsibilities associated with CHCs:
- Texas Local Government Code, Chapter 318- this link takes you to the state statute that enables counties to establish CHCs.
- Sample Application for Appointment- provided by Tom Green CHC. This document enables those interested in a CHC appointment to share a bit of information about their interest and skills so that the county commissioners court can make informed decisions and the CHC will know how best to assign/suggest work for incoming appointees.
