LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
                              Austin, Texas
                                     
                    FISCAL NOTE, 77th Regular Session
  
                              April 2, 2001
  
  
          TO:  Honorable Frank Madla, Chair, Senate Committee on
               Intergovernmental Relations
  
        FROM:  John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board
  
       IN RE:  HB440  by Madden (Relating to an uncontested election for
               a trustee of a library district.), As Engrossed
  
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*  No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.                    *
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Local Government Impact
  
The bill would require that write-in votes for library district trustee
elections be handled in the same manner as that for the election of city
officers as set forth in the Election Code.  As a result, the bill would
eliminate the requirement for library districts to hold an election in
uncontested races. The bill would take effect September 1, 2001.
 
Under current law, library district trustee elections are required to be
conducted annually, and there are no procedures for handling write-in
votes in trustee elections.  As a result, it appears that an election
would be required annually, even if each place for office were
uncontested.

According to an analysis conducted by the Comptroller of Public Accounts,
all library districts could expect to save the cost of holding an
election when there are uncontested races.  The cost for elections would
vary by district, with a reported range from $1,200 up to $10,000.
  
  
Source Agencies:   304   Comptroller of Public Accounts
LBB Staff:         JK, TB, JO, DB