Sec. 771.055. STRATEGIC PLANNING

(a) Each regional planning commission shall develop a regional plan for the establishment and operation of 9-1-1 service throughout the region that the regional planning commission serves. The 9-1-1 service must meet the standards established by the commission.

(b) A regional plan must describe how the 9-1-1 service is to be administered. The 9-1-1 service may be administered by an emergency communication district, municipality, or county, by a combination formed by interlocal contract, or by other appropriate means as determined by the regional planning commission. In a region in which one or more emergency communication districts exist, a preference shall be given to administration by those districts and expansion of the area served by those districts.

(c) A regional plan must be updated at least once every state fiscal biennium and must include:

(1) a description of how money allocated to the region under this chapter is to be allocated in the region;

(2) projected financial operating information for the two state fiscal years following the submission of the plan; and

(3) strategic planning information for the five state fiscal years following submission of the plan.

(d) In a region in which one or more emergency communication districts exist, if a district chooses to participate in the regional plan, the district shall assist in the development of the regional plan.

(e) For each state fiscal biennium, the commission shall prepare a strategic plan for statewide 9-1-1 service for the following five state fiscal years using information from the strategic information contained in the regional plans and provided by emergency communication districts and home-rule municipalities that operate 9-1-1 systems independent of the state system. The commission shall present the strategic plan to the governor and the Legislative Budget Board, together with the commission's legislative appropriations request. The strategic plan must:

(1) include a survey of the current performance, efficiency, and degree of implementation of emergency communications services throughout the whole state;

(2) provide an assessment of the progress made toward meeting the goals and objectives of the previous strategic plan and a summary of the total expenditures for emergency communications services in this state;

(3) provide a strategic direction for emergency communications services in this state;

(4) establish goals and objectives relating to emergency communications in this state;

(5) provide long-range policy guidelines for emergency communications in this state;

(6) identify major issues relating to improving emergency communications in this state;

(7) identify priorities for this state's emergency communications system; and

(8) detail the financial performance of each regional planning commission in implementing emergency communications service including an accounting of administrative expenses.

Acts 1989, 71st Leg., ch. 678, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1989. Amended by Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 1405, Sec. 16, eff. Sept. 1, 1999.