By: Watson S.B. No. 2474

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to changes in the territory, board of directors, and water use fees of the Barton Springs-Edwards Aquifer Conservation District.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

ARTICLE 1. DISTRICT TERRITORY; RATIFICATION ELECTION

SECTION 1.01. Section 8802.003, Special District Local Laws Code, is amended to read as follows:

Sec. 8802.003. DISTRICT TERRITORY. (a) The district is composed of the territory described by the Texas Water Commission's August 15, 1986, order, as that territory may have been modified under:

(1) Subchapter J, Chapter 36, Water Code; or

(2) other law.

(b) In addition, the district includes the territory described by Section 2.01, S.B. No. 2474, Acts of the 81st Legislature, Regular Session, 2009.

SECTION 1.02. Subchapter A, Chapter 8802, Special District Local Laws Code, is amended by adding Section 8802.005 to read as follows:

Sec. 8802.005. RATIFICATION ELECTION. (a) Before August 31, 2011, the board shall hold an election to ratify the annexation of the territory described by Section 2.02, S.B. No. 2474, Acts of the 81st Legislature, Regular Session, 2009. If a majority of the voters voting at the election do not vote in favor of ratifying the annexation, the board may hold another election for the same purpose.

(b) Except as provided by this section, a ratification election must be conducted as provided by Section 36.328, Water Code, and the Election Code.

(c) This section expires September 1, 2011.

SECTION 1.03. Section 8802.053, Special District Local Laws Code, is amended by amending Subsection (c) and adding Subsection (c-1) to read as follows:

(c) As soon as practicable after the publication of each federal decennial census, the board shall revise the single-member districts as the board considers appropriate to reflect population changes.

(c-1) When the board revises the single-member districts [under this subsection], the board shall place two of the districts wholly within the territory described by Section 2.04, S.B. No. 2474, Acts of the 81st Legislature, Regular Session, 2009[:

[(1) entirely within the boundaries of the city of Austin, as those boundaries exist at that time; or

[(2) within the boundaries of the city of Austin, as those boundaries exist at that time, but also including unincorporated areas or other municipalities that are surrounded wholly or partly by the boundaries of the city of Austin if the areas or municipalities are noncontiguous to the territory of any other single-member district].

SECTION 1.04. Subchapter B, Chapter 8802, Special District Local Laws Code, is amended by adding Section 8802.054 to read as follows:

Sec. 8802.054. APPLICABILITY OF OTHER LAW. Section 36.059, Water Code, does not apply to the district.

SECTION 1.05. Subsection (b), Section 8802.051, and Subsection (d), Section 8802.053, Special District Local Laws Code, are repealed.

SECTION 1.06. This article takes effect September 1, 2009.

ARTICLE 1A. FEES; DIRECTORS AND TERRITORY CONTINGENT ON

ANNEXATION

SECTION 1A.01. This article takes effect only if the annexation of the territory described by Section 2.02 of this Act is ratified at an election held under Section 8802.005, Special District Local Laws Code, as added by Article 1 of this Act. If the annexation of the territory described by Section 2.02 of this Act is not ratified, this article has no effect.

SECTION 1A.02. Section 8802.003, Special District Local Laws Code, is amended by adding Subsection (c) to read as follows:

(c) In addition, the district includes the territory described by Section 2.02, S.B. No. 2474, Acts of the 81st Legislature, Regular Session, 2009.

SECTION 1A.03. Subchapter B, Chapter 8802, Special District Local Laws Code, is amended by adding Sections 8802.0511, 8802.0541, and 8802.055 to read as follows:

Sec. 8802.0511. DIRECTORS; TERMS. (a) The district is governed by a board of seven directors who serve staggered four-year terms.

(b) Three directors must be elected by voters residing in the territory described by Section 2.03, S.B. No. 2474, Acts of the 81st Legislature, Regular Session, 2009.

(c) Four directors must be elected by voters of the district who reside outside the territory described by Section 2.03, S.B. No. 2474, Acts of the 81st Legislature, Regular Session, 2009.

Sec. 8802.054. SINGLE-MEMBER DISTRICTS. (a) The district is divided into seven numbered, single-member districts for electing directors.

(b) The board may revise the single-member districts as necessary or appropriate.

(c) When the board revises the single-member districts, the board shall place three of the districts entirely inside and four of the districts entirely outside the territory described by Section 2.03, S.B. No. 2474, Acts of the 81st Legislature, Regular Session, 2009.

(d) When the boundaries of the single-member districts are changed, a director in office on the effective date of the change, or elected or appointed before the effective date of the change to a term of office beginning on or after the effective date of the change, is entitled to serve the term or the remainder of the term in the numbered single-member district to which elected or appointed even though the change in boundaries places the person's residence outside the numbered single-member district for which the person was elected or appointed.

(e) At the first regularly scheduled election of directors after the board of the district is expanded from five to seven directors, directors elected to fill any vacant director positions shall draw lots to determine which of those directors shall serve a two-year term and which shall serve a four-year term. Lots must be determined so that not more than four directors' terms expire in any even-numbered year.

Sec. 8802.055. APPOINTMENT OF TEMPORARY DIRECTORS. (a) Not later than three months after the date of the election under Section 8802.005, the board shall appoint two temporary directors to the board to represent the territory the annexation of which was ratified at the election.

(b) The temporary directors shall serve at large until the next general election of directors of the district under Section 8802.052.

SECTION 1A.04. Subsection (a), Section 8802.105, Special District Local Laws Code, is amended to read as follows:

(a) Each year the board may assess against the City of Austin a water use fee in an amount not to exceed the lesser of $900,000 or 60 percent of the total funding the district expects to receive for the next fiscal year from water use fees assessed against Austin and other nonexempt users in that year as computed[, subject to the computation] under Subsection (b).

SECTION 1A.05. Sections 8802.051 and 8802.053, Special District Local Laws Code, are repealed.

SECTION 1A.06. (a) Except as provided by Section 1A.01 of this Act, this article takes effect on the date the annexation of the territory described by Section 2.02 of this Act is ratified at an election held under Section 8802.005, Special District Local Laws Code, as added by Article 1 of this Act.

(b) If the annexation of territory is ratified at an election described by Subsection (a) of this section, the board of directors of the Barton Springs-Edwards Aquifer Conservation District shall notify the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality of the changes in territory and board members.

ARTICLE 2. DESCRIPTION OF TERRITORIES

SECTION 2.01. The territory annexed to the Barton Springs-Edwards Aquifer Conservation District under Subsection (b), Section 8802.003, Special District Local Laws Code, as added by Section 1.01 of this Act, is described as follows:

(1) 1.8750 acres described as Lot 1, Block 1 of Vanisha Development Subdivision, as recorded in Book No. 14, Pages 98-99, Hays County, Texas;

(2) 21.003 acres of land situated in the Thomas G. Allen Survey, Hays County, Texas, being a portion of that certain tract of land in a deed to South Corridor Park, Ltd., recorded in Document No. 00025896, Hays County, Texas; and

(3) 24.628 acres of land situated in the Elisha Pruett Survey, Abstract 23, described in a deed to Hays Consolidated Independent School District, recorded in Document No. 05001881, Hays County, Texas.

SECTION 2.02. The territory annexed to the Barton Springs-Edwards Aquifer Conservation District if ratified at an election under Section 8802.005, Special District Local Laws Code, as added by Article 1 of this Act, is described as follows:

(1) Beginning at the current eastern district boundary and the Colorado River, running east along the Colorado River to a point where the district boundary intersects Interstate Highway 35, then south along Interstate Highway 35 to William Cannon Drive, then west along Old Lockhart Road, then north on Congress Avenue, then west on Ben White Boulevard, then north on South First Street, then east on Elizabeth Street, then north on Congress Avenue following along the district boundary to the place of beginning; and

(2) Beginning at the current western district boundary and the Colorado River, then following westerly along the southern border of the Colorado River to a point due north of the intersection of Weston Lane and Brightman Lane, then south on that line to said intersection, then south on Weston Lane to its intersection with FM 2244, then west on FM 2244 to its intersection with State Highway 71, then west on State Highway 71 until the intersection with the extraterritorial jurisdiction limits of the City of Bee Cave as of the date of the ratification election under Section 8802.005, Special District Local Laws Code, as added by Article 1 of this Act, then generally south and west following the extraterritorial jurisdiction limits of the City of Bee Cave, to exclude the City of Bee Cave and its extraterritorial jurisdiction as of the date of the ratification election under Section 8802.005, Special District Local Laws Code, as added by Article 1 of this Act, until it intersects with State Highway 71, then west on Highway 71 until it intersects with Bee Creek Road, then north on Bee Creek Road until it intersects with Siesta Shores Drive, then due east from that intersection to the southern boundary of Lake Travis, then following the southern boundary of Lake Travis until it intersects the Blanco County line, then following the Blanco County line until it intersects the Hays County line, then east along the Hays County line until its intersection of the district boundary existing before the effective date of this Act, then north following the western district boundary to the Colorado River, the point of beginning.

(3) Any boundary reference to a highway, street, road, avenue, boulevard, or lane shall mean the center line of the boundary.

SECTION 2.03. If the annexation of territory is ratified by an election held under Section 8802.005, Special District Local Laws Code, as added by Article 1 of this Act, the territory for certain voting districts under Subsections (b) and (c), Section 8802.0511, and Subsection (c), Section 8802.0545, Special District Local Laws Code, as added by Article 1A of this Act, is described as follows:

(1) Beginning at a point where Interstate Highway 35 crosses the Colorado River in Travis County, then south along Interstate Highway 35 to Slaughter Lane, then west along Slaughter Lane to FM 1826, then north along FM 1826 to U.S. Highway 290, then east along U.S. Highway 290 to Old Bee Cave Road, then northwest along Old Bee Cave Road to Travis Cook Road, then north along Travis Cook Road to Barton Creek Boulevard, then north along Barton Creek Boulevard to FM 2244, then west along FM 2244 to Weston Lane, then north along Weston Lane to Brightman Lane, then due north from that intersection to the Colorado River, then east along the Colorado River to the place of the beginning.

(2) Any boundary reference to a highway, street, road, avenue, boulevard, or lane shall mean the center line of the boundary.

SECTION 2.04. The territory for voting districts under Subsection (c-1), Section 8802.053, Special District Local Laws Code, as added by Section 1.03 of this Act, is described as follows:

(1) Beginning at the eastern district boundary and the Colorado River, then south along the eastern district boundary to the intersection of Interstate Highway 35 and Slaughter Lane; then west along Slaughter Lane to the district boundary, then north along the district boundary to the Colorado River, then east along the Colorado River following the district boundary to the point of the beginning.

(2) Any boundary reference to a highway, street, road, avenue, boulevard, or lane shall mean the center line of the boundary.

ARTICLE 3. INTENT, NOTICE, AND EFFECTIVE DATE

SECTION 3.01. (a) The legal notice of the intention to introduce this Act, setting forth the general substance of this Act, has been published as provided by law, and the notice and a copy of this Act have been furnished to all persons, agencies, officials, or entities to which they are required to be furnished under Section 59, Article XVI, Texas Constitution, and Chapter 313, Government Code.

(b) The governor has submitted the notice and Act to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

(c) The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has filed its recommendations relating to this Act with the governor, lieutenant governor, and speaker of the house of representatives within the required time.

(d) All requirements of the constitution and laws of this state and the rules and procedures of the legislature with respect to the notice, introduction, and passage of this Act are fulfilled and accomplished.

SECTION 3.02. Except as provided by Section 1.06, 1A.01, or 1A.06 of this Act, this Act takes effect immediately if it receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this Act takes effect September 1, 2009, except as provided by Section 1A.01 or 1A.06 of this Act.