By Uher H.B. No. 3850 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-1 AN ACT 1-2 relating to the creation of the Coastal Plains Groundwater 1-3 Conservation District and the authorization of the district to 1-4 impose an ad valorem tax. 1-5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-6 SECTION 1. CREATION. (a) A groundwater conservation 1-7 district, to be known as the Coastal Plains Groundwater 1-8 Conservation District, is created in Matagorda County, subject to 1-9 approval at a confirmation and initial directors' election under 1-10 Section 10 of this Act. The district is a governmental agency and 1-11 a body politic and corporate. 1-12 (b) The district is created under and is essential to 1-13 accomplish the purposes of Section 59, Article XVI, Texas 1-14 Constitution. 1-15 SECTION 2. DEFINITION. In this Act, "district" means the 1-16 Coastal Plains Groundwater Conservation District. 1-17 SECTION 3. BOUNDARIES. The boundaries of the district are 1-18 coextensive with the boundaries of Matagorda County, Texas. 1-19 SECTION 4. FINDING OF BENEFIT. All of the land and other 1-20 property included within the boundaries of the district will be 1-21 benefited by the works and projects that are to be accomplished by 1-22 the district under powers conferred by Section 59, Article XVI, 1-23 Texas Constitution. The district is created to serve a public use 1-24 and benefit. 2-1 SECTION 5. POWERS. Except as otherwise provided by this 2-2 Act, the district has all of the rights, powers, privileges, 2-3 authority, functions, and duties provided by the general law of 2-4 this state, including Chapter 36, Water Code, applicable to 2-5 groundwater conservation districts created under Section 59, 2-6 Article XVI, Texas Constitution. This Act prevails over any 2-7 provision of general law that is in conflict with or inconsistent 2-8 with this Act. 2-9 SECTION 6. ELECTION OF DIRECTORS. (a) Three directors 2-10 shall be elected by the qualified voters of the entire district, 2-11 and one director shall be elected from each county commissioners 2-12 precinct by the qualified voters of that precinct. The directors 2-13 elected from Precincts 1-4 occupy positions 1-4, respectively, on 2-14 the board. The at-large directors occupy positions 5-7, 2-15 respectively, on the board. 2-16 (b) A person shall indicate on the application for a place 2-17 on the ballot the position on the board for which the person is a 2-18 candidate. 2-19 (c) At the first election after the county commissioners 2-20 precincts are redrawn under Section 18, Article V, Texas 2-21 Constitution, four new directors shall be elected to represent the 2-22 precincts. The directors elected shall draw lots to determine 2-23 their terms. 2-24 SECTION 7. BOARD OF DIRECTORS. (a) The district is 2-25 governed by a board of seven directors. 2-26 (b) A vacancy in the office of director shall be filled by 2-27 appointment of the board until the next election for directors. At 3-1 the next election for directors, a person shall be elected to fill 3-2 the position. If the position is not scheduled to be filled at the 3-3 election, the person elected to fill the position shall serve only 3-4 for the remainder of the unexpired term. 3-5 (c) To be eligible to serve as director, a person must be a 3-6 registered voter in the precinct from which the person is elected 3-7 or appointed if representing a precinct or in the district if 3-8 representing the district at large. 3-9 SECTION 8. SERVICE OF DIRECTORS. (a) Temporary directors 3-10 serve until initial directors are elected under Section 10 of this 3-11 Act. 3-12 (b) Initial directors serve until permanent directors are 3-13 elected under Section 11 of this Act. 3-14 (c) Permanent directors serve staggered four-year terms. 3-15 (d) A director serves until the director's successor has 3-16 qualified. 3-17 (e) Each director must qualify to serve as director in the 3-18 manner provided by Section 36.055, Water Code. 3-19 SECTION 9. TEMPORARY DIRECTORS. (a) The temporary board of 3-20 directors is composed of: 3-21 Position No. Name 3-22 (1) Haskell Simon 3-23 (2) Herff Cornelius 3-24 (3) Bruce Herlin 3-25 (4) Wayne Ackerman 3-26 (5) George Harrison 3-27 (6) Billy Mann 4-1 (7) Bob Pennington 4-2 (b) If a temporary director fails to qualify for office, the 4-3 temporary directors who have qualified shall appoint a person to 4-4 fill the vacancy. 4-5 SECTION 10. CONFIRMATION AND INITIAL DIRECTORS' ELECTION. 4-6 (a) The temporary board of directors shall call and hold an 4-7 election to confirm establishment of the district and to elect 4-8 initial directors. 4-9 (b) At the confirmation and initial directors' election, the 4-10 temporary board of directors shall have placed on the ballot the 4-11 name of any candidate, including a temporary director, filing for 4-12 an initial director's position and blank spaces to write in the 4-13 names of other persons. 4-14 (c) If the district is created at the election, the 4-15 temporary board of directors, at the time the vote is canvassed, 4-16 shall: 4-17 (1) declare the qualified person who receives the most 4-18 votes for each position to be elected as the initial director for 4-19 that position; and 4-20 (2) include the results of the initial directors' 4-21 election in the district's election report to the Texas Natural 4-22 Resource Conservation Commission. 4-23 (d) Section 41.001(a), Election Code, does not apply to a 4-24 confirmation and initial directors' election held as provided by 4-25 this section. 4-26 (e) Except as provided by this section, a confirmation and 4-27 initial directors' election must be conducted as provided by 5-1 Sections 36.017(b)-(h), Water Code, and the Election Code. 5-2 (f) If a majority of the votes cast at the election favor 5-3 the creation of the district, the temporary directors shall declare 5-4 the district created. If a majority of the votes cast at the 5-5 election are against the creation of the district, the temporary 5-6 directors shall declare the district defeated. The temporary 5-7 directors shall file a copy of the election results with the Texas 5-8 Natural Resource Conservation Commission. 5-9 (g) If a majority of the votes cast at the election are 5-10 against the creation of the district, the temporary directors may 5-11 call and hold subsequent elections to confirm establishment of the 5-12 district. A subsequent election may not be held earlier than the 5-13 first anniversary after the date on which the previous election was 5-14 held. If the district is not created before the second anniversary 5-15 of the effective date of this Act, this Act expires. 5-16 (h) The initial directors for positions 1, 3, 5, and 7 shall 5-17 serve until the first regular meeting of the board of directors 5-18 following the first permanent directors' election under Section 11 5-19 of this Act. The initial directors for positions 2, 4, and 6 shall 5-20 serve until the first regular meeting of the board of directors 5-21 following the second permanent directors' election under Section 11 5-22 of this Act. 5-23 SECTION 11. ELECTION OF PERMANENT DIRECTORS. Beginning in 5-24 the second year after the year in which the district is authorized 5-25 to be created at a confirmation election and every subsequent two 5-26 years, the board of directors of the district shall call an 5-27 election to be held in the district on any uniform election date 6-1 provided by Section 41.001, Election Code, to elect the appropriate 6-2 number of directors to the board. If the board changes the uniform 6-3 election date for directors' elections, the district shall adjust 6-4 the terms of office to conform to the new election date. 6-5 SECTION 12. DISTRICT REVENUES. To pay for the maintenance 6-6 and operating costs of the district and to pay any bonds issued by 6-7 the district, the district may: 6-8 (1) impose an ad valorem tax at a rate not to exceed 6-9 two and one-half cents for each $100 of taxable value of property 6-10 in the district; 6-11 (2) assess fees for services or for water withdrawn 6-12 from wells; or 6-13 (3) solicit and accept grants from any public or 6-14 private source. 6-15 SECTION 13. STATUTORY INTERPRETATION. Except as otherwise 6-16 provided by this Act, if there is a conflict between this Act and 6-17 Chapter 36 or 49, Water Code, this Act controls. If there is a 6-18 conflict between Chapters 36 and 49, Water Code, Chapter 36 6-19 controls. 6-20 SECTION 14. FINDINGS RELATED TO PROCEDURAL REQUIREMENTS. 6-21 (a) The proper and legal notice of the intention to introduce this 6-22 Act, setting forth the general substance of this Act, has been 6-23 published as provided by law, and the notice and a copy of this Act 6-24 have been furnished to all persons, agencies, officials, or 6-25 entities to which they are required to be furnished by the 6-26 constitution and other laws of this state, including the governor, 6-27 who has submitted the notice and Act to the Texas Natural Resource 7-1 Conservation Commission. 7-2 (b) The Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission has 7-3 filed its recommendations relating to this Act with the governor, 7-4 lieutenant governor, and speaker of the house of representatives 7-5 within the required time. 7-6 (c) All requirements of the constitution and laws of this 7-7 state and the rules and procedures of the legislature with respect 7-8 to the notice, introduction, and passage of this Act are fulfilled 7-9 and accomplished. 7-10 SECTION 15. EMERGENCY. The importance of this legislation 7-11 and the crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 7-12 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 7-13 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 7-14 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended, 7-15 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its 7-16 passage, and it is so enacted.