LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
                                   Austin, Texas
         
                                   FISCAL NOTE
                               75th Regular Session
         
                                  February 13, 1997
         
         
      TO: Honorable Eddie Lucio, Jr., Chair            IN RE:  Senate Bill No. 236
          Committee on Intergovernmental Relations                              By: Lindsay
          Senate
          Austin, Texas
         
         
         
         
         FROM:  John Keel, Director    
         
In response to your request for a Fiscal Note on SB236 ( Relating 
to the right of voters in a municipality to participate in municipal 
elections.) this office has detemined the following:
         
         Biennial Net Impact to General Revenue Funds by SB236-As Introduced
         
No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
         

         
 
          
This bill would require that any newly annexed area be allowed 
to vote in any election held after the date of annexation.  
If the qualified voters in the annexed area are not allowed 
to vote in such an election, the results of the election would 
be void.

No fiscal implication to units of local government 
is anticipated, except in rare instances.

If a municipal 
election is held immediately after an annexation, and there 
has not been sufficient time (usually 90 days) for the municipality 
to receive authorization from the US Department of Justice to 
allow voters in the newly annexed area to participate in municipal 
elections, the municipality will hold a previously scheduled 
election without the participation of the newly annexed voters. 
 In these rare instances, this bill would require the municipality 
to void the results of the initial election and hold another 
election with the participation of the newly annexed voters. 
 The median cost of such a local election at the county level 
has been calculated at $0.40 per resident, based on a survey 
of eight counties conducted by the Texas Association of Counties. 
 The City of Houston reports that such an election costs that 
city approximately $1.25 million, or about $0.76 per resident.
          
   Source:            Agencies:   307   Secretary of State
                                         
                      LBB Staff:   JK ,TL