(a) General information.
  (1) An applicant community must be a unit of general local government.
  (2) Sponsor required.
    (A) The applicant must designate a sponsor that will be responsible for working with the department during the application process and will serve as the primary contact for disseminating information to potential retirees through the Program if the certification is granted. The sponsor should be a recognizable entity within the community, have a physical location with regular office hours, and should have the capacity and resources to manage the community's retirement recruitment efforts.
    (B) After approval, a Go Texan Certified Retirement Community may change the sponsor by notifying the department in writing.
  (3) Program guidelines and applications are available on the agency website www.retireintexas.org, or from Texas Department of Agriculture, Marketing and International Trade, P.O. Box 12847, Austin, Texas 78711.
  (4) Each applicant must submit a completed application to: Texas Department of Agriculture, Marketing and International Trade, P.O. Box 12076, Austin, Texas 78711.
  (5) No changes to the application will be allowed after the application is submitted, unless they are a result of Staff recommendations.
(b) Applications must be submitted within the time prescribed by the department and include:
  (1) a completed score sheet as provided in the Program Guidelines;
  (2) a completed retiree desirability assessment to include the following information regarding the applicant community:
    (A) information on the applicant's demographics, geography and climate;
    (B) Texas state and local tax structure;
    (C) local housing availability, opportunities and cost;
    (D) climate;
    (E) personal safety or security;
    (F) employment opportunities;
    (G) availability of health care services and other services along the continuum of care, including home-based and community-based services, housing for the elderly, assisted living, personal care, and nursing care facilities;
    (H) availability of emergency medical services and the name and location of any hospital within a 75-mile radius of the community;
    (I) public transportation and major highways;
    (J) continuing education;
    (K) leisure living;
    (L) recreation areas and facilities;
    (M) the performing arts;
    (N) festivals and events;
    (O) sports at all levels;
    (P) crime statistics;
    (Q) any other information requested by the department.
  (3) evidence of support from area businesses, churches, clubs, media, and other entities, as necessary for the success of the program in the community;
  (4) a marketing plan detailing the Program's mission as applied to the community, the target market, the competition, an analysis of the community's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and dangers, and the strategies the community will employ to attain the goals of the Program;
  (5) a long-term plan outlining the steps the community will undertake to maintain its desirability as a destination for retirees, including an outline of plans to correct any facility and service deficiencies identified in the retiree desirability assessment; and
  (6) any other information required by the Program Guidelines.
(c) Review and approval.
  (1) Staff will score the applications and review the applications for eligibility and completeness.
  (2) Applicant will be notified of any deficiencies and given 20 days to rectify deficiencies. Staff may work with the applicant to improve or modify the application, with the intent of helping the applicant achieve certification. An application containing an excessive number of deficiencies, or deficiencies of a material nature may not be considered for certification.
  (3) After the scoring and application process is complete, Staff will make a recommendation for approval or denial of the request for certification to the commissioner. The commissioner will make the final decision regarding certification.
  (4) The department will notify the applicant of approval or denial of the application within 75 days of the date of receipt of the completed application.
(d) Upon notice of approval of the application, an application fee must be promptly submitted in an amount equal to the greater of:
  (1) $5,000; or
  (2) $0.25 multiplied by the population of the community, as determined by the most recent census.

Source Note: The provisions of this §17.602 adopted to be effective January 10, 2013, 38 TexReg 241