Subject to confirmation elections, the Bill creates the Northeast Williamson County Utility District (District) in Williamson County with the powers and duties of Water Code Chapters 30, 49, 50 and 54. The District will include 208.777 acres of land and will have five directors.

1) Population - The proposed district is entirely within Williamson County and is composed approximately 210 acres. The complexity of the proposed boundaries suggests that it surrounds an existing subdivision and does not allow staff to make an estimate of current or future population for the District. The population projections recently approved for use in the 2006 Regional Water Plans show an increase in the Williamson County population from 211,474 in the year 2000 to 416,122 in the year 2020. Staff are unable to predict how much, if any, of this growth will come from the District.

2) Location & Size - The District includes an area within Williamson County of approximately 208.777 acres of land.

3) Powers - The District has the rights, powers, privileges, authority, and functions for conservation and reclamation districts including Chapters 30, 49, 50 and 54, Water Code.

4) District Finances - Consistent with general law for utility districts providing authority to impose a tax and issue bonds.

5) Board of Directors - The District will be governed by a board of five elected directors which will serve staggered terms of four years.

6) Eminent Domain - The District may not exercise the power of eminent domain.

7) Ability to Tax - The District may impose ad valorem taxes.

8) Overlapping Services - There are no known overlapping special utility districts or water supply corporations.

9) Ability to Exclude Property - Chapter 49 of the Water Code has provisions to exclude property.

10) Adequacy of Boundary Description - The Bill states the District’s boundaries form a closure and staff have concluded that the tracts do close.

11) Comments on Powers /Duties Different from Similar Types of Districts - None

12) TCEQ Supervision - Similar to general law MMDs which are exempt from TCEQ auditing and bond review authority unless the bonds are issued specifically for water, wastewater, or drainage facilities.

13) State Water Plan Objectives - Municipal water use accounted for 91 percent of the county’s water use; 87 percent of the county’s groundwater use and 94 percent of the county’s surface water use. The next highest water-use categories for the county include mining, livestock raising, and manufacturing; each with approximately 2% of the county’s total water use or less.

Board staff finds that creation of the proposed District is not in conflict with the State Water Plan objectives of promoting the efficient use of local groundwater resources and the implementation of practices and programs to effectively manage local groundwater resources.