1-1 By: Keffer (Senate Sponsor - Sibley) H.B. No. 1889 1-2 (In the Senate - Received from the House March 29, 1999; 1-3 March 30, 1999, read first time and referred to Committee on 1-4 Intergovernmental Relations; April 22, 1999, reported favorably by 1-5 the following vote: Yeas 5, Nays 0; April 22, 1999, sent to 1-6 printer.) 1-7 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-8 AN ACT 1-9 relating to the dissolution of the Ranger Hospital District of 1-10 Eastland County, Texas. 1-11 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-12 SECTION 1. Chapter 93, Acts of the 61st Legislature, Regular 1-13 Session, 1969, is amended by adding Sections 21A and 21B to read as 1-14 follows: 1-15 Sec. 21A. (a) The district may be dissolved as provided by 1-16 this section. 1-17 (b) The board of directors may order an election on the 1-18 question of dissolving the district and disposing of the district's 1-19 assets and obligations. The board of directors shall order an 1-20 election if the board of directors receives a petition requesting 1-21 an election that is signed by a number of residents of the district 1-22 equal to at least 15 percent of the registered voters in the 1-23 district. 1-24 (c) The election shall be held not later than the 60th day 1-25 after the date on which the election is ordered. Section 1-26 41.001(a), Election Code, does not apply to an election ordered 1-27 under this section. 1-28 (d) The ballot for the election shall be printed to permit 1-29 voting for or against the proposition: "The dissolution of the 1-30 Ranger Hospital District of Eastland County, Texas." The election 1-31 shall be held in accordance with the applicable provisions of the 1-32 Election Code. 1-33 (e) If a majority of the votes in the election favor 1-34 dissolution, the board of directors shall find that the district is 1-35 dissolved. If a majority of the votes in the election do not favor 1-36 dissolution, the board of directors shall continue to administer 1-37 the district and another election on the question of dissolution 1-38 may not be held before the first anniversary of the most recent 1-39 election to dissolve the district. 1-40 (f) If a majority of the votes in the election favor 1-41 dissolution, the board of directors shall transfer the land, 1-42 buildings, improvements, equipment, and other assets that belong to 1-43 the district to Eastland County or another governmental entity in 1-44 the district or shall administer the property, assets, and debts in 1-45 accordance with Section 21B of this Act. If the district transfers 1-46 the land, buildings, improvements, equipment, and other assets to 1-47 Eastland County or another governmental entity, the county or 1-48 entity assumes all debts and obligations of the district at the 1-49 time of the transfer and the district is dissolved. 1-50 Sec. 21B. (a) If the board of directors finds that the 1-51 district is dissolved but does not transfer the land, buildings, 1-52 improvements, equipment, and other assets to Eastland County or 1-53 another governmental entity in the district, the board of directors 1-54 shall continue to control and administer the property, debts, and 1-55 assets of the district until all funds have been disposed of and 1-56 all district debts have been paid or settled. 1-57 (b) After the board of directors finds that the district is 1-58 dissolved, the board of directors shall: 1-59 (1) determine the debt owed by the district; and 1-60 (2) impose on the property included in the district's 1-61 tax rolls a tax that is in proportion of the debt to the property 1-62 value. 1-63 (c) The board of directors may institute a suit to enforce 1-64 payment of taxes and to foreclose liens to secure the payment of 2-1 taxes due the district. 2-2 (d) When all outstanding debts and obligations of the 2-3 district are paid, the board of directors shall order the secretary 2-4 to return the pro rata share of all unused tax money to each 2-5 district taxpayer. A taxpayer may request that the taxpayer's 2-6 share of surplus tax money be credited to the taxpayer's county 2-7 taxes. If a taxpayer requests the credit, the board of directors 2-8 shall direct the secretary to transmit the funds to the county tax 2-9 assessor-collector. 2-10 (e) After the district has paid all its debts and has 2-11 disposed of all its assets and funds as prescribed by this section, 2-12 the board of directors shall file a written report with the 2-13 commissioners court of Eastland County setting forth a summary of 2-14 the board of directors' actions in dissolving the district. Not 2-15 later than the 10th day after it receives the report and determines 2-16 that the requirements of this section have been fulfilled, the 2-17 commissioners court shall enter an order dissolving the district. 2-18 SECTION 2. The importance of this legislation and the 2-19 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 2-20 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 2-21 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 2-22 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended, 2-23 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its 2-24 passage, and it is so enacted. 2-25 * * * * *