TO: | Honorable Allan Ritter, Chair, House Committee on Natural Resources |
FROM: | John S. O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board |
IN RE: | SB726 by Eltife (Relating to the creation of the Harrison County Groundwater Conservation District; providing authority to impose a tax and issue bonds.), Committee Report 2nd House, Substituted |
The Legislative Budget Board, in cooperation with the Texas Water Development Board (TPWD) and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) has determined that:
The Legislative Budget Board, in cooperation with the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), has determined that:
The bill creates the Harrison County Groundwater Conservation District (District) in
1) Population - The 2000 Census population of
2) Location - The boundaries of the proposed district are coextensive with the boundaries of
3) Comments on Powers/Duties Different from Similar Types of Districts - Unlike general law GCDs, the bill provides that the District has county-appointed temporary directors to represent varied water user groups and then be governed by five directors elected by the commissioner’s precinct method. Directors may not receive fees of office that exceed $50 a day or $3,000 a year. The District may not purchase, sell, transport or distribute surface water or groundwater for any purpose, or exercise the power of eminent domain. The District is subject to more stringent requirements for cooperation with other GCDs within the same groundwater management area. The District’s initial well production fees may not exceed $0.25 per acre-foot of water used for agricultural irrigation and $0.0425 per 1,000 gallons for water used for any other purposes and the fees may be increased at a cumulative rate not to exceed three percent per year. The District may not levy a tax that exceeds $0.015 per $100 assessed valuation and may not exceed bond or note indebtedness of $500,000.
4) Overlapping Services - There are no other GCDs in
5) TCEQ Supervision - As with general law GCDs, the TCEQ will have general supervisory authority, including bond review authority and authority as it is related to the District’s development and implementation of a management plan; the District would not have to comply with TCEQ financial auditing requirements.
6) Water Use - Within
Source Agencies: | 582 Commission on Environmental Quality, 580 Water Development Board
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LBB Staff: | JOB, KK
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