1-1     By:  Lewis of Orange (Senate Sponsor - Galloway)      H.B. No. 3574

 1-2           (In the Senate - Received from the House May 12, 1997;

 1-3     May 13, 1997, read first time and referred to Committee on Natural

 1-4     Resources; May 17, 1997, reported favorably by the following vote:

 1-5     Yeas 10, Nays 0; May 17, 1997, sent to printer.)

 1-6                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-7                                   AN ACT

 1-8     relating to the election and terms of office of directors of the

 1-9     Jefferson County Water Control and Improvement District No. 10.

1-10           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

1-11           SECTION 1.  Section 4, Chapter 245, Acts of the 54th

1-12     Legislature, Regular Session, 1955 (Article 8280-166, Vernon's

1-13     Texas Civil Statutes), is amended to read as follows:

1-14           Sec. 4.  GOVERNING BODY OF THE DISTRICT.  The District's

1-15     powers shall be exercised through a Board of Directors consisting

1-16     of five (5) members.  The Governor, with the advice and consent of

1-17     the Senate, shall appoint two (2) members to the Board of Directors

1-18     to serve for a term expiring on the 15th day of April, 1956, and

1-19     three (3) members to serve for a term expiring on the 15th day of

1-20     April, 1957.  The successors to the first Board of Directors shall

1-21     be elected by the qualified voters of the District.  Two (2)

1-22     Directors shall be elected on the first Saturday in April, 1956,

1-23     and three (3) on the first Saturday in April, 1957, and each

1-24     even-numbered year thereafter on the first Saturday in May [April]

1-25     two or [(2) Directors and] three [(3)] Directors, as appropriate

1-26     [alternately], shall be elected for staggered four-year [two-year]

1-27     terms, commencing on May [April] 16th following their election.

1-28     All members of the Board of Directors shall be resident qualified

1-29     electors, owning taxable property within the area comprising the

1-30     District.  When appointed or elected as aforesaid, the members of

1-31     said Board of Directors shall qualify by taking the oath of office

1-32     and executing the bonds hereinafter prescribed, and shall organize

1-33     by electing one (1) of their number as president, one (1) as

1-34     vice-president, and one (1) as secretary-treasurer.  Each Director

1-35     shall subscribe to the Constitutional oath of office and give bond

1-36     for the faithful performance of his duties in the amount of Five

1-37     Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00) and shall hold office until his

1-38     successor has been elected and has qualified.  The aforesaid

1-39     official bonds shall be recorded in the Official Bond Records of

1-40     the county.  The elections herein provided for shall be called,

1-41     conducted and canvassed in the manner provided by Chapter 25 of the

1-42     General Laws adopted by the 39th Legislature at its Regular Session

1-43     in 1925, as amended.  The Board of Directors shall fill all

1-44     vacancies on the Board by appointment and such appointees shall

1-45     hold office for the unexpired term for which they were appointed.

1-46     Any three (3) members of the Board shall constitute a quorum for

1-47     the adoption or passage of any resolution or order or the

1-48     transaction of any business of the District.  The Board of

1-49     Directors from time to time shall be authorized to make or cause to

1-50     be made surveys and engineering investigations for the information

1-51     of the District to facilitate the accomplishment of the purposes

1-52     for which the District is created, and may employ engineers,

1-53     attorneys and all other technical and non-technical employees or

1-54     assistants and fix and provide the amount and manner of their

1-55     compensation, and may provide for the payment of expenditures

1-56     deemed essential to the proper maintenance and administration of

1-57     the District.  The members of the Board of Directors shall receive

1-58     a fee of Three Dollars ($3.00) per day for attending each meeting

1-59     of the Board, provided that not more than Six Dollars ($6.00) shall

1-60     be paid to any Director for meetings held in any one calendar

1-61     month.

1-62           SECTION 2.  (a)  Notwithstanding Section 4, Chapter 245, Acts

1-63     of the 54th Legislature, Regular Session, 1955, as amended by this

1-64     Act, the Jefferson County Water Control and Improvement District

 2-1     No. 10 shall be governed by the board of directors serving on

 2-2     September 1, 1997, until the board elected on May 2, 1998, in

 2-3     accordance with Subsection (b) of this section takes office.

 2-4           (b)  On May 2, 1998, five directors shall be elected to the

 2-5     board of directors of the Jefferson County Water Control and

 2-6     Improvement District No. 10.  The directors shall draw lots after

 2-7     election to select two directors to serve two-year terms and three

 2-8     directors to serve four-year terms.  Successor directors serve

 2-9     staggered four-year terms as provided by Section 4, Chapter 245,

2-10     Acts of the 54th Legislature, Regular Session, 1955, as amended by

2-11     this Act.

2-12           SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

2-13           SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the

2-14     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

2-15     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

2-16     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

2-17     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.

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