Bill not drafted by TLC or Senate E&E.

      Line and page numbers may not match official copy.

      By Keel                                         H.B. No. 2654

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to adding land to a defined area within a water control

 1-3     and improvement district by petition of landowner.

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

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Subchapter L, Chapter 51, Water Code, is amended

 1-6     by adding Section 51.530a to read as follows:

 1-7           Sec. 51.530a.   (a)  The owner of land may file with the

 1-8     board a petition requesting that the land described by metes and

 1-9     bounds in the petition, whether contiquous or not to the defined

1-10     area, be included within a defined area previously established

1-11     pursuant to Section 51.518 of this Code.

1-12           (b)  If the defined area has bonds, notes, or other

1-13     obligations outstanding or bonds payable in whole or in part from

1-14     taxes that have been voted but are unissued for the defined area,

1-15     the board may require the petitioner or petitioners to assume their

1-16     share of the outstanding bonds, notes, or other obligations and the

1-17     voted but unissued tax bonds of the defined area and authorize the

1-18     board to levy a tax on their property in each year in which any of

1-19     the bonds, notes, or other obligations payable in whole or in part

1-20     from taxation on the defined area are outstanding to pay their

1-21     share of the indebtedness.

1-22           (c)  A petition of the landowner to add land to the defined

1-23     area shall be signed and executed in the manner provided by law for

1-24     the conveyance of real estate.

 2-1           (d)  The board shall hear and consider the petition and may

 2-2     add to the defined area the land described in the petition if it is

 2-3     feasible, practicable, and to the advantage of the defined area and

 2-4     if the defined area's system and other improvements of the defined

 2-5     area are sufficient or will be sufficient to supply the added land

 2-6     without injuring land already in the defined area.

 2-7           (e)  If the defined area has bonds payable in whole or in

 2-8     part from taxation of a defined area that are voted but unissued at

 2-9     the time of annexation and the petitioners assume the bonds and

2-10     authorize the district to levy a tax on their property to pay the

2-11     bonds of the defined area, then the board may issue the voted but

2-12     unissued bonds even though the boundaries of the defined area have

2-13     been altered since the authorization of the bonds.

2-14           (f)  The granted petition shall be filed for record and shall

2-15     be recorded in the office of the county clerk of the county or

2-16     counties in which the added land is located.

2-17           SECTION 2.  The importance of this legislation and the

2-18     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

2-19     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

2-20     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

2-21     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.