Gfoat News

It is a great honor to serve as your 2026-2027 Government Finance Officers Association of Texas (GFOAT) president. As a proud member since 2015, I have seen firsthand the incredible value this organization brings to finance professionals across our state. I began my career in local government in 2009 as an auditor for Cameron County. In 2013, I joined the City of Harlingen, where I quickly realized that cities and counties operate quite differently. While I appreciated my time at the County, I truly enjoyed working for the City. Since then, I have had the privilege of working for the City of McAllen and currently for the City of Corpus Christi. Throughout my journey, GFOAT has played a role in my professional growth and development. Through GFOAT’s fall and spring conferences, I connected with others from across the state. I learned that my colleagues in North Texas faced challenges similar to those I faced in South Texas. I also connected with other professionals from my area whom I had never met before. After I returned home from conference, I now had contacts I could reach out to for help. GFOAT’s fall and spring conferences provided me with the training and support I needed to succeed in local government. Through GFOAT’s listserv, now the GFOAT Forum, I discovered helpful templates and reference materials. One thing I love about local government is that we can share policies and procedures and apply them across most cities. Finally, I gained significant value from our sponsors. Their support and expertise enabled me to provide better information and services to the cities I’ve served. I am truly grateful for everything this organization has done for me, and I am humbled by the opportunity to give back by serving its members. I encourage each of you to stay engaged, attend our fall and spring conferences, volunteer on a committee, utilize our Forum, and connect with fellow members across the state. I am proud to serve as your president, and I look forward to seeing you all at our fall conference in Corpus Christi! Sergio Villasana President Government Finance Officers Association of Texas

Hello Finance Professionals, Serving as your president this past year has been one of the great privileges of my career. Thank you for the trust you placed in me, and thank you for the work you do every day that keeps Texas communities running well. Balanced budgets, clean audits, well-developed capital improvement plans, these things don’t happen by accident. They happen because of the quiet, steady excellence you bring to this profession, day after day. One of my goals this year was to build a formal mentorship program for our profession. That work is underway. The GFOAT Board and I are still shaping what it will look like, and I’m looking forward to seeing it come to life in the year ahead. In full disclosure, we simply aren’t there yet. Some of the best things worth building take a little longer to get right. And honestly, that program was never really the point but rather the mechanism. It was always meant to be a spark for something you can start doing tomorrow. Keep growing. Keep sharpening your own skills, and keep pulling others up behind you. Take the new team member under your wing. Sponsor the CGFO candidate on your team. Say yes to the committee assignment you’re not sure you’re ready for yet. This organization is full of people who did exactly that for me, and it’s the best tradition we have. I leave this role energized about where our profession is headed, and grateful beyond words to have spent this year serving alongside the best finance professionals in the country. Thank you for everything you do, and for everything you’re about to do next. In continued service, Blu Kostelich Past President, Government Finance Officers Association of Texas Assistant City Manager & Chief Financial Officer, City of Waco

The reporting deadline for American Rescue Plan Act’s (ARPA) State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) is April 30. Cities received their ARPA funds in several tranches in 2021 and 2022. Per statute, cities must report annually (or quarterly depending on the reporting tier) until 2027 or when Treasury initiates closeout for that specific city. Even if your city has spent all APRA funds, cities must continue to report until Treasury officially invites the city to close out the report. The National League of Cities (NLC) has provided answers to the most frequently asked questions. In addition, NLC has information on how cities should prepare to close out the APRA SLFRF awards. The U.S. Department of Treasury also has provided updated guidance and other helpful resources here. Learn more >>

This week, Attorney General Ken Paxton issued a press release stating his office has requested financial documents and information from over 1,000 Texas cities related to the two most recent annual financial audits for the city and the corresponding financial statements. With the passage of S.B. 1851 during the 2025 legislative session, the attorney general now has the ability to determine that a city has not complied with the annual audit requirement or the requirement to file a financial statement on the audit with the city secretary within 180 days after the last day of the city’s fiscal year. Should the attorney general’s office determine that a city failed to comply with these requirements, the city would be unable to adopt a property tax rate exceeding the no-new-revenue tax rate for the tax year that begins on or after the date of the attorney general’s determination. More on S.B. 1851 can be read here and here. The request asks the city official recipient to either provide information on the audit to the attorney general through a DocuSign data entry link or respond to a request under the Texas Public Information Act (PIA) with the relevant information. Some of these emails have come from a DocuSign system email address. According to the emailed requests, city officials receiving the emails are to direct all correspondence relating to the request to OAGMunicipalAuditReview@oag.texas.gov. Learn more >>

The League submitted written testimony to the House State Affairs Committee on its hearing on an interim charge relating to the development of data centers. The League urged the committee to include cities in any future advisory groups or working efforts related to the development of future data center policy. The committee heard invited testimony from the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the Public Commission of Texas, data center companies, energy companies, and other stakeholders on the following interim charge: Data Centers: Study the development of data centers in Texas, including its importance to global competitiveness and national security. Evaluate the direct and indirect economic growth potential fostered by in-state data center development, including growth multiplier effects and economic diversification. Identify existing secondary and post-secondary education and training opportunities and recommend pathways to satisfy increasing labor demands. Review the existing regulatory framework governing data center development and recommend proposals to streamline regulations while enabling communities to plan and manage growth responsibly. Study the implementation of S.B. 6 and the Large Load Batch Study Process proposed by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, as it relates to data centers, and identify how grid-connected data center facilities and co-located resources can support grid resilience and reliability. Learn more >>

The reporting deadline for American Rescue Plan Act’s (ARPA) State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) is April 30. The U.S. Department of Treasury will be offering a series of free webinars next week to provide key resources, guidance, and support to help with timely and accurate submissions. Each webinar will cover the following topics: General program information and SLFRF program background; Common reporting errors and questions; Demonstration of reporting in the Treasury portal; and Brief update on closeout. Webinars are open to SLFRF recipients and require registration. Details are below. Learn more >>