BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 4004

By: Pickett

Border & Intergovernmental Affairs

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

El Paso Water Utilities Public Service Board and the City of El Paso have partnered to seek outside review of the board's governance practices.  Both parties believe this is the best way to obtain suggestions and improvements on how the board can continue providing the highest level of service to the community.  El Paso City Council has requested an increase in the number of board members from five to seven in order to more accurately represent the growing and diversifying city of El Paso.

C.S.H.B. 4004 authorizes a board of trustees with no more than seven members named by the municipality, one of whom must be the mayor of the municipality, to manage and control a utility system in a municipality that is located in a county with a population of at least 600,000 located on an international border.

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

C.S.H.B. 4004 amends the Government Code to authorize the management and control of a municipal utility system in a county with a population of at least 600,000 and located on the international border to be vested in a board of trustees named in the proceedings adopted by the municipality and consisting of not more than seven members, one of whom must be the mayor of the municipality.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the act does not receive the necessary vote, the act takes effect September 1, 2009.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE

C.S.H.B 4004 differs from the original by changing the original formatting.