BILL ANALYSIS

 

 

 

H.B. 1979

By: Laubenberg

Natural Resources

Committee Report (Unamended)

 

 

 

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

 

A municipal utility district or water control and improvement district may enter into a strategic partnership agreement with a municipality that allows for the limited annexation of certain areas within the district into the municipality and for the continuation of the district for an agreed amount of time.  Interested parties note that legislation is required in order to provide that any conservation and reclamation district, except for certain types of districts, may enter into a strategic partnership agreement by establishing provisions relating to strategic partnerships for the continuation of certain water districts annexed by a municipality. H.B. 1979 seeks to make statutory changes relating to matters regarding strategic partnerships for the continuation of certain water districts annexed by a municipality.

 

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. 1979 amends the Local Government Code to redefine "district" for purposes of municipal annexation provisions relating to strategic partnerships for the continuation of certain districts to mean a conservation and reclamation district operating under provisions applicable to all water districts, rather than a water control and improvement district or a municipal utility district created or operating under applicable respective provisions.  The bill specifies that the term does not include a groundwater conservation district or a special utility district operating under applicable respective provisions. The bill requires a district or the area of a district annexed for limited purposes under such provisions to be in the municipality's extraterritorial jurisdiction and contiguous to the corporate boundaries of the municipality or an area annexed by the municipality for limited purposes unless the district consents to noncontiguous annexation under a strategic partnership agreement with the municipality.

 

EFFECTIVE DATE

 

September 1, 2011.