May 2001
- On this page:
- Sizing up the Snowbirds
- From our Readers
- From the Comptroller: Invest in Your Future
- Comptroller News
- On Page 2:
- Olympic-sized Pool
- High-tech, High-efficiency Government
- Finding Fiber Gets Rough
- Texas stats -- Fiscal and economic data
En español: Notas Fiscales de Mayo 2001
Northerners escaping winter weather bring
RVs, dollars to Texas
Sizing up the Snowbirds
They arrive from northern climes every year, just as the cool chill of autumn begins to tease Texas around November. The long, hot Texas summer has just about beaten the life out of the locals when they arrive--Snowbirds, in their trademark recreational vehicles, cars in tow, sporting license plates from the Midwest or Northeast.
But where exactly do these visitors go to escape the deep snow and constant ice of the North, and what kind of impact do their annual treks to Texas have on state and local economies?
True Winter Texans
Two studies, one published in 1997 by the Texas Department of Economic Development (TDED) and a biannual report by the University of Texas-Pan American (UTPA) profile these Texas travelers and analyze their economic impact for the state in general and in the Rio Grande Valley area in particular. The Valley, more often than not, is where most of these visitors are headed.
The TDED study defines Texas Snowbirds, or Winter Texans, as all non-Texans who took leisure trips to Texas starting between November 1 and March 31 and stayed at least six nights. Based on this definition, about 1.3 million Winter Texans visited the state in 1997, staying at least seven days and no more than five months. In 1997, this figure represented about 6 percent of all non-Texan leisure travel in Texas. The most popular destination for Winter Texans was the Lower Rio Grande Valley. While actual stays varied from a week to several months, the average stay in the Valley was almost 16 days, according to the study.
The TDED study, published in 1997, reviewed survey questionnaires of Winter Texans conducted between 1991 and 1996 in the state, with some survey data based in the Valley area. The 1998-99 UTPA study examined the impact of the Valley area visitors, especially those that reside in the Edinburgh/McAllen region. UTPA began conducting their studies in 1986-87.
According to the TDED report, Texas is a relative newcomer as a warm-weather destination state compared to other typical winter locales like Florida, California and Arizona, which are Texas' strongest competitors for this market. Texas visitors represented 12 percent of the market share, compared to Florida's 48 percent share, California's 20 percent and Arizona's 8.3 percent.
The study notes that Texas attracts and caters to a somewhat different group of Snowbirds--Texas visitors generally are less affluent, more rural and stay in RVs or more modest lodgings than winter visitors to other destination states. That profile could be changing, however, as the 1998-99 study showed. The percentage of Winter Texans with incomes greater than $40,000 increased from 53 percent to 70 percent from the 1996-97 season.
To measure the total impact of Winter Texans on the Texas economy, the study uses "person days," the standard travel industry measurement. Using this measure--the number of persons multiplied by number of days stayed--yields an estimated 16.4 million person days for Texas in 1997. This figure factored with the average daily expenditures of $60.50 per person per day in 1996 yields $992 million in spending for all of Texas for 1997, according to the report.
The study also measured the most popular activities among this tourist group. Compared to other non-Texan leisure travelers, Winter Texans are significantly more interested in nature activities, cultural activities and individual touring or sightseeing. In terms of sporting activities, hiking, biking and fishing ranked at the top for these travelers.
Snowbird couples
The UTPA study profiled the typical Winter Texan couple who visits the Valley. In the winter of 1998-99, they lived in an RV or mobile home, were 68 years of age, from the Midwest, stayed 3.5 months, completed their eighth trip to the Valley, had an annual median income of about $41,500, spent about $5,300 in Texas during their 1998-99 trip and planned to return the next year.
The UTPA study found that an estimated 124,000 Winter Texans (or about 62,000 households) visited the Valley in February 1999, the peak of the Winter Texan season. This represents a 5.6-percent annual increase from the 1992-93 season and a 1.1-percent annual increase from the 1996-97 season.
They added about $329 million to the Valley economy in 1998-99, up $10 million from 1996-97, according to the UTPA report. The study indicated a steady increase in the number of Valley visitors and economic impact beginning in 1986-87, when the first study was done. That year, the Winter Texan count was 71,000 visitors, who spent $92 million. Spending increased each year for a $300 million increase over 12 years.
Dr. Vernon Vincent, Professor of Computer Information Systems and Quantitative Methods coordinates the biennial study under the auspices of the Center for Tourism Research at UTPA. Vincent, who is now in the middle of the latest study, expects that increase to continue.
Vincent says living expenses increased almost $100 from the previous study, as did purchases for mobile home lots and major appliances. There was, however, a decline in one-time purchases for big-ticket items like mobile homes, RVs and automobiles.
About 74 percent of Winter Texans live in mobile homes or RVs while they are in the state. The remaining 26 percent stay in hotels, motels, apartments, condos, with family or friends, or they rent or own homes. Those figures are about the same as they were in 1997-98, according to Vincent. Occupancy rates in Texas RV and motor home parks were at about 94 percent in 1998-99, down 3 percent from the all-time high of 97 percent in 1997-98. This figure is somewhat misleading, however, since about 1,500 more RV and motor home sites were built during that time.
The 1998-99 study noted a number of significant differences from the 1996-97 study. The major difference between the two study profiles was in the annual income of Winter Texans in the Valley, which increased by an average of nearly $10,000. Also noteworthy was the 8-percent drop in first-time Winter Texans to the Valley.
Vincent says that this finding is a particularly disturbing trend. He attributes it in part to demand out-stripping supply of motor home and RV spaces and sites in the Valley. While this has affected the number of visitors, it has not necessarily meant they are moving to other states but instead simply opting to stay in other parts of Texas, like San Antonio, where a lack of sites is not a problem.
In part because of their increasing affluence, he adds, these Valley visitors "are expecting better amenities in their RV and motor home parks. Unless these park owners increase their capital investments to improve services, these trends in the Valley may continue."
Political clout
It's not all fun and games for Winter Texans. Partly because they reside for longer periods of time than other leisure travelers to Texas, Winter Texans are sometimes involved in more of the day-to-day activities that mark the lives of more permanent state residents.
Take politics, for example. In 2000, a group of RVers in East Texas who call themselves the Escapees RV Club www. escapees.com made headlines during the presidential election. Based in Livingston, Texas, these unlikely political activists were immersed in a voter's rights fight that centered on their eligibility status. Cathy Carr, who coordinates activities for the club, says local officials questioned their ability to vote in local elections in November.
The case is still pending and will be heard this summer, she says. Getting involved in local issues is not unusual for her group. Many of the Escapee members, which total around 60,000, are "involved in all sorts of civic activities like local Habitat for Humanity chapters, other community groups and with church groups."
Their numbers and persistence make them a force to be reckoned with on national issues. Even more so in state and local matters, where they can threaten to move off to greener pastures if things are not to their liking. And with nearly a billion dollars in annual spending arriving in those RVs each winter, that's not something a lot of Texans want to consider.
Emmet Campos
From Our Readers
Dear Comptroller Rylander:
I just finished reading your article "Held Accountable" from the February issue of Fiscal Notes. You are right on target with the issue and I applaud you for moving forward. The integrity and accuracy of data is of most importance under the accountability system. I learned that lesson the hard way in Amarillo by demanding the utmost in accuracy of drop-outs, etc.
As a result, the hard work of students and staff was undermined by the flawed reporting of other districts. As I look back in time (from Colorado), a majority of the districts made careless errors rather than purposeful errors. However, the result is the same--a misrepresentation of performance and a perception that some districts are performing at a higher level than those districts reporting accurately.
I appreciate all you are doing for the citizens of Texas.
Your friend,
Bob Moore
Superintendent
Mesa County Valley School District 51
Grand Junction, Colorado
To contact us, call 1-800-531-5441, ext. 3-4900; or 463-4900 in Austin, or write to P.O. Box 13528, Austin, Texas, 78711-3528. Internet users may send comments to fiscal.notes@cpa.state.tx.us.
From the Comptroller:
Invest in Your Future
Believe it or not, something is growing faster than your kids: the cost of a college education. Since 1996, tuition and required fees at Texas public colleges and universities have increased 69 percent.
For as little as $18 a month, you can enroll a newborn for one year of community college, and one year at a public university starts at $34 per month. It's a smart investment and one that brings peace of mind, because the fund is backed by the full faith and credit of the State of Texas. With the Texas Tomorrow Fund, main street Texans don't have to worry about Wall Street volatility.
But you need to act fast: May 25 is the deadline to lock in this year's prices. One way to guarantee that you meet the May 25 deadline is to enroll online at www.texastomorrowfund.org. It's fast, convenient and you can choose a plan that suits your family budget.
The Texas Tomorrow Fund is now in its sixth annual enrollment period. To date, Texas families have bought more than 100,000 prepaid tuition contracts, and the program's investment assets are valued at $625 million.
The Texas Tomorrow Fund allows parents and grandparents to prepay for up to five years at a Texas public or private university, two years at a community college, or two years at a community college plus two years at a senior college. Tuition benefits can also be transferred to an out-of-state university. Texas Tomorrow Fund payments may be made in a lump sum or in annual or monthly installments. The Fund makes saving for college easy, economical and absolutely safe.
Anyone--parents, grandparents and charitable or civic organizations--can buy a contract. To lock in today's tuition costs, enroll by May 25. To get an application or more information visit our Web site at www.texastomorrowfund.org, or call 1-800-445-GRAD (4723).
Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts
10 Principles for Texas
in the 21st Century
* Develop a better-educated workforce
* Direct more of every education dollar into the classroom
* Raise the bar on student performance
* Cut taxes in Texas
* Introduce competition into Texas government
* Improve government performance and accountability
* Reduce the size of government
* Bring common sense to regulations
* Use technology to cut costs and increase quality
* Return control to communities and individuals
Comptroller News
Mount Pleasant ISD progress noted
The State Comptroller's office reported Mount Pleasant Independent School District (MPISD) has implemented or is adopting 67 of 83 recommendations the agency offered the district in a 1999 Texas School Performance Review (TSPR) requested by the district's former superintendent and board of trustees.
Highlights of key recommendations that were implemented included increasing the Food Services director's pay by $5,100 and expanding the director's duties to include budget oversight and personnel selections.
The district's warehouse inventory and financial accounting systems were automated, and graduated pay raises were given to all teachers, based on education and experience levels.
The district also began depositing incoming money to TexPool or Lonestar within a day's time, allowing the district to increase its earned interest by $150,000.
Texas on top of renewable energy
The State Energy Conservation Office (SECO), a division of the State Comptroller's office, announced a statewide public outreach campaign, "Renewable Energy: The Infinite Power of Texas," to educate Texans about the benefits, use and potential of renewable energy sources for generating electricity.
"Renewable energy sources such as the sun, wind, plant material and agricultural waste used for fuel hold tremendous promise for meeting our future needs for electric power," said SECO director William "Dub" Taylor. "Texas has more renewable energy resources than any other state. These can be harnessed to provide an inexhaustible supply of energy as we power our state into the future."
The campaign will encourage Texans to learn more about renewable energy sources. Individuals and businesses can visit the campaign's Web site www.infinitepower.org or call 512-463-1889 to learn how renewable resources can work in their homes and businesses.
La Joya ISD lands $1 million energy efficiency loan
The State Comptroller's office announced in April the funding of a $1 million energy efficiency loan to the La Joya Independent School District (ISD) that is expected to save the district more than $150,000 a year in energy costs.
"The Comptroller's goal is to drive more of every education dollar directly into the classroom where it belongs," said William "Dub" Taylor, State Energy Conservation Office director. "Instead of paying bloated utility bills, these dollars should be going to teacher benefits, computers and instructional materials in the classroom."
The $1 million loan will be funded through the Texas LoanSTAR (Saving Taxes and Resources) Program of the State Energy Conservation Office, a division of the State Comptroller's office.
Rylander Report: Border on the Brink
In April, Texas Comptroller Carole Keeton Rylander released a new analysis of Texas counties that border Mexico and called the numbers "a challenging wake-up call for anyone concerned with the health of Texans and our Texas economy." In previous administrations, the Comptroller's office looked at 43 South Texas counties and released a report called "Bordering the Future," including statistics entitled "The Border: Where We Stand."
Searching for an accurate picture of actual border conditions, Rylander ordered her staff to focus on only the 14 counties contiguous with Mexico.
"Our analysis clearly shows that those counties located on the border are considerably worse off economically than our original numbers indicated," Rylander said. "Unemployment is higher, birth rates are higher, population growth is higher, the overall poverty rate is higher and the number of children living in poverty is higher."
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