BILL ANALYSIS
By: Hupp
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
In 1989 the Saratoga Underground Water Conservation District was established. The law required that the county judge and the county commissioners of Lampasas County to serve as the board of directors for the water district.
HB 3539 changes the board to elected residents from Lampasas County.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.
ANALYSIS
Section 7, Chapter 519 of the Acts of the 71st Legislature is amended by changing the board of directors to be elected according to commissioner precincts. One director must be elected by the voters of the entire district and one must be elected by each county commissioner precinct by the voters of the precinct. A candidate may serve as an at large director as long as they are a registered voter in the district. All directors must be registered voters of the district. The directors will serve staggered four year terms and be elected on the uniform election date in November of each even-numbered year.
When boundaries of the county commissioners precincts are redrawn, a director in office on the effective date of the change may serve the remainder of the term even if the change in boundaries places that director's residence outside of the precinct for which they were elected or appointed.
HB 3539 requires the Lampasas Commissioner's Court to appoint 5 temporary directors as soon as tractable after the effective date of this act. Directors from the at large district and two and four will serve until election in 2006. Directors from one and three will serve until the election in 2008.
EFFECTIVE DATE
This Act takes effect immediately if it receives a vote of two-thirds of members of each house. If it does not receive the necessary vote, the Act takes effect September 1, 2005.