BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 1281

By: Workman

Natural Resources

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

The Barton Springs-Edwards Aquifer Conservation District is a water conservation district within Travis and Hays Counties. When the district was created it consisted of five single-member districts. H.B. 1281 redefines the boundaries of two of the districts to reflect population growth.

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

H.B. 1281 amends the Special District Local Laws Code to require the board of directors of the Barton Springs-Edwards Aquifer Conservation District, when revising single-member districts, to place two of the districts wholly within the territory described as follows: 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.  The bill specifies that a reference to a highway, street, road, avenue, boulevard, or lane means the center line of that highway, street, road, avenue, boulevard, or lane. 

H.B. 1281 removes a provision requiring the board, when revising single-member districts after the publication of each federal decennial census to reflect population changes, to place two of the districts entirely within the boundaries of the city of Austin, as those boundaries exist at that time, or 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.

H.B. 1281 makes provisions requiring the directors of a groundwater conservation district to be elected according to a certain precinct method of electing directors in certain water control and improvement districts inapplicable to the Barton Springs-Edwards Aquifer Conservation District.

H.B. 1281 repeals a provision requiring at least two directors of the district to be elected by voters residing in the city of Austin.

H.B. 1281 makes conforming changes.

H.B. 1281 repeals Sections 8802.051(b) and 8802.053(d), Special District Local Laws Code.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2011.