| TO: | Honorable Wayne Smith, Chair, House Committee on County Affairs |
| FROM: | John S. O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board |
| IN RE: | HB3503 by Farabee (Relating to limitations on the compensation of county auditors for certain counties.), As Introduced |
The bill would amend Section 152.032(d), Local Government Code, to change the population bracket from a county with a population of 500,000 or more to a county with a population of 120,000 or more as a county in which a county auditor may be compensated at an amount that exceeds the limit set under Section 152.032(a).
The bill would take effect immediately if it were to receive the required two-thirds vote in each house; otherwise, it would take effect September 1, 2007.
Based on the 2000 U.S. Census, and under current statute, subsection (d) applies to (listed from lowest population to highest) Hidalgo, El Paso, Travis, Bexar, Tarrant, Dallas, and Harris counties. Lowering the minimum population to 120,000 would add another 20 counties: Ector, Taylor, Johnson, Wichita, Brazos, Smith, Webb, McLennan, Bell, Brazoria, Lubbock, Williamson, Galveston, Jefferson, Montgomery, Nueces, Cameron, Fort Bend, Denton, and Collin.
The fiscal impact would depend on what amount of compensation is agreed upon by the county commissioners court. It is assumed a county would set the compensation at an amount that is reasonable and easily absorbed by the county's budget.
| Source Agencies: |
| LBB Staff: | JOB, DB
|