SRC-AMY S.B. 347 78(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Senate Research CenterS.B. 347
By: Barrientos
Natural Resources
8/12/2003
Enrolled

DIGEST AND PURPOSE 

Currently, the board of directors of the Barton Springs-Edwards Aquifer
Conservation District (district) is composed of five members, who are
elected from single-member districts.  Members of two of the districts are
elected from the City of Austin.  Whenever the City of Austin annexes
territory within the district's boundaries, the district must redistrict
to ensure that only two of its members are elected by City of Austin
residents.  S.B. 347 revises the district's single-member districts as
soon as practicable after the publication of each federal decennial census
as the board considers appropriate to reflect population changes.  This is
in keeping with the redistricting requirements of other political bodies.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to
a state officer, institution, or agency. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Section 7, Chapter 429, Acts of the 70th Legislature,
Regular Session, 1987, by adding Subsections (d) through (h), as follows: 

(d) Provides that the Barton Springs-Edwards Aquifer Conservation District
(district) is divided into five numbered, single-member districts for
electing directors.  Authorizes the board of the district (board) to
revise the single-member districts as necessary or appropriate. 

(e) Requires the board to revise the single-member districts as soon as
practicable after the publication of each federal decennial census as the
board considers appropriate to reflect population changes. 

(f) Requires the board, when the board revises the single-member districts
under Subsection (e), to place two of the districts entirely within the
boundaries of the City of Austin, as they exist at that time.  Provides
that changes in the boundaries of the City of Austin between revisions of
the single-member districts under Subsection (e) do not affect the
boundaries of the single-member districts. 

(g) Authorizes the single-member districts within the boundaries of the
City of Austin, notwithstanding Subsection (f) of this section, to include
unincorporated areas and other municipalities surrounded wholly or partly
by the City of Austin's boundaries if the areas or municipalities are
noncontiguous to the territory of any other single-member district. 

(h) Provides that when the boundaries of the single-member districts are
changed, a director in office on the effective date of the change, or
elected or appointed before the effective date of the change to a term of
office beginning on or after the effective date of the change, is entitled
to serve the term or the remainder of the term in the single-member
district to which elected or appointed even though the change in
boundaries places the person's residence outside the single-member
district for which the person was elected or appointed. 

SECTION 2.  Effective date: September 1, 2003.