By Bailey                                       H.B. No. 1231

      75R4836 MRB-F                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to the provision of services to areas annexed by certain

 1-3     municipalities.

 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 43.056, Local Government Code, is amended

 1-6     by amending Subsections (b-1) and (c) and by redesignating part of

 1-7     Subsection (c) as Subsection (c-1) to read as follows:

 1-8           (b-1)  The service plan of a municipality with a population

 1-9     of 1.5 million or more must include a program under which the

1-10     municipality will provide full municipal services in the annexed

1-11     area no later than 4 1/2 years after the effective date of the

1-12     annexation, in accordance with Subsection (d).  However, under the

1-13     program the municipality must:

1-14                 (1)  provide the following services in the area on and

1-15     after the effective date of the annexation of the area:

1-16                       (A)  police protection; [and]

1-17                       (B)  solid waste collection;

1-18                 [(2)  provide the following services in the area within

1-19     30 days after the effective date of the annexation of the area, if

1-20     the services are provided through a contract between the

1-21     municipality and a service provider:]

1-22                       (C) [(A)]  emergency medical service; and

1-23                       (D) [(B)]  fire protection; and

1-24                 (2) [(3)]  provide the following services in the area

 2-1     within 60 days after the effective date of the annexation of the

 2-2     area:

 2-3                       (A)  maintenance of water and wastewater

 2-4     facilities in the annexed area that are not within the service area

 2-5     of another water or wastewater utility;

 2-6                       (B)  maintenance of roads and streets, including

 2-7     road and street lighting;

 2-8                       (C)  maintenance of parks, playgrounds, and

 2-9     swimming pools; and

2-10                       (D)  maintenance of any other publicly owned

2-11     facility, building, or service[;  and]

2-12                       [(E)  emergency medical service and fire

2-13     protection, if the services are provided by municipal personnel and

2-14     equipment].

2-15           (c)  For purposes of this section, "full municipal services"

2-16     means services funded in whole or in part by municipal taxation and

2-17     provided by the annexing municipality within its full-purpose

2-18     boundaries.

2-19           (c-1)  Except for police protection, solid waste collection,

2-20     emergency medical service, and fire protection, a  [A] municipality

2-21     with a  population of 1.5 million or more may provide all or part

2-22     of the municipal services required under the service plan by

2-23     contracting with service providers.  The municipality must provide

2-24     police protection, solid waste collection, emergency medical

2-25     service, and fire protection by using municipal personnel and

2-26     equipment.  If the municipality has adopted Chapter 143, Local

2-27     Government Code, the municipality must provide police and fire

 3-1     protection by municipal personnel classified under that chapter. If

 3-2     the  municipality owns a water and wastewater utility, the

 3-3     municipality shall, subject to this section, extend water and

 3-4     wastewater service to any annexed area not within the service area

 3-5     of another water or wastewater utility.  If the municipality

 3-6     annexes territory included within the boundaries of a municipal

 3-7     utility district or a water control and improvement district, the

 3-8     municipality shall comply with applicable state law relating to

 3-9     annexation of territory within a municipal utility district or a

3-10     water control and improvement district.  The service plan shall

3-11     summarize the service extension policies of the municipal water and

3-12     wastewater utility.

3-13           SECTION 2.  The change in law made by this Act to Section

3-14     43.056, Local Government Code, applies only to an annexation  for

3-15     which the first hearing notice required by Section 43.052, Local

3-16     Government Code, is published on or after the effective date of

3-17     this Act.  An annexation for which the first hearing notice is

3-18     published before that date is governed by the law in effect at the

3-19     time the notice is published, and the former law is continued in

3-20     effect for that purpose.

3-21           SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

3-22           SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the

3-23     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

3-24     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

3-25     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

3-26     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.