BILL ANALYSIS

Senate Research Center                                                                                                      S.B. 2391

                                                                                                                                      By: Shapleigh

International Relations & Trade

4/13/2009

As Filed

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

The El Paso Public Service Board (PSB) was established in 1952 to manage and operate the water and wastewater system for the City of El Paso.  State law limits the governance of the El Paso PSB to a five-member board of trustees consisting of the mayor and four residents of El Paso County.

Given the significant population growth that has occurred in El Paso over the last five decades, the El Paso City Council and the El Paso PSB commissioned a study of best practices on board governance to determine whether the current number of board members was appropriate for a city the size of El Paso.  This study recommended that the El Paso PBS be increased from five members to seven members in order to ensure that the El Paso PBS adequately represents the community.  The additional El Paso PBS members will allow for more diversity in gender, race, and ethnicity; a broader spectrum of professions, including those in the business community; general citizenry, including nonprofit organizations and neighborhood associations; and major water users.

As proposed, S.B. 2391 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 persons located on an international border.

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 1502.070(a), Government Code, to authorize management and control of a utility system to be vested in a county with a population of at least 600,000 and located on the international border, 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.

SECTION 2.  Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2009.