By: Pickett, Rodriguez, Harper-Brown, H.B. No. 563

Martinez

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the purposes and designation of a transportation reinvestment zone.

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

SECTION 1. Section 222.105, Transportation Code, is amended to read as follows:

Sec. 222.105. PURPOSES. The purposes of Sections 222.106 and 222.107 are to:

(1) promote public safety;

(2) facilitate the improvement, development, or redevelopment of property;

(3) facilitate the movement of traffic; and

(4) enhance a local entity's ability to sponsor a transportation project authorized under Section 222.104.

SECTION 2. Section 222.106, Transportation Code, is amended by amending Subsections (b), (c), (g), (h), (i), (j), (k), and (l) and adding Subsections (i-1) and (i-2) to read as follows:

(b) This section applies only to a municipality in which a transportation project is to be developed [the governing body of which intends to enter into an agreement with the department] under Section 222.104.

(c) If the governing body determines an area to be unproductive and underdeveloped and that action under this section will further the purposes stated in Section 222.105, the governing body of the municipality by ordinance may designate a contiguous geographic area in the jurisdiction of the municipality to be a transportation reinvestment zone to promote a transportation project [described by Section 222.104 that cultivates development or redevelopment of the area].

(g) The ordinance designating an area as a transportation reinvestment zone must:

(1) describe the boundaries of the zone with sufficient definiteness to identify with ordinary and reasonable certainty the territory included in the zone;

(2) provide that the zone takes effect immediately on passage of the ordinance;

(3) assign a name to the zone for identification, with the first zone designated by a municipality designated as "Transportation Reinvestment Zone Number One, (City or Town, as applicable) of (name of municipality)," and subsequently designated zones assigned names in the same form, numbered consecutively in the order of their designation;

(4) designate the base year for purposes of establishing the tax increment base of the municipality;

(5) establish an ad valorem tax increment account for the zone; and

(6) [(5)] contain findings that promotion of the transportation project will cultivate the improvement, development, or redevelopment of the zone.

(h) From taxes collected on property in a zone, the municipality shall pay into the tax increment account for the zone [an amount equal to] the tax increment produced by the municipality, less any amount allocated under previous agreements, including agreements under Chapter 380, Local Government Code, or Chapter 311, Tax Code.

(i) All or the portion specified by the municipality of the money deposited to a tax increment account must be used to fund the transportation project for which the zone was designated, as well as aesthetic improvements within the zone. Any remaining money deposited to the tax increment account may be used for other purposes as determined by the municipality [Money deposited to a tax increment account must be used to fund projects authorized under Section 222.104, including the repayment of amounts owed under an agreement entered into under that section].

(i-1) The governing body of a municipality may contract with a public or private entity to develop, redevelop, or improve a transportation project in a transportation reinvestment zone and may pledge and assign all or a specified amount of money in the tax increment account to that entity. After a pledge or assignment is made, if the entity that received the pledge or assignment has itself pledged or assigned that amount to secure bonds or other obligations issued to obtain funding for the transportation project, the governing body of the municipality may not rescind its pledge or assignment until the bonds or other obligations secured by the pledge or assignment have been paid or discharged.

(i-2) To accommodate changes in the limits of the project for which a reinvestment zone was designated, the boundaries of a zone may be amended at any time, except that property may not be removed or excluded from a designated zone if any part of the tax increment account has been assigned or pledged directly by the municipality or through another entity to secure bonds or other obligations issued to obtain funding of the project, and property may not be added to a designated zone unless the governing body of the municipality complies with Subsections (e) and (g).

(j) Except as provided by Subsections (i-1) and [Subsection] (k), a transportation reinvestment zone terminates on December 31 of the year in which the municipality completes [complies with] a contractual requirement, if any, that included the pledge or assignment of all or a portion of money deposited to a tax increment account or the repayment of money owed under an [the] agreement for development, redevelopment, or improvement of the project for [under Section 222.104 in connection with] which the zone was designated.

(k) A transportation reinvestment zone terminates on December 31 of the 10th year after the year the zone was designated, if before that date the municipality has not entered into a contract described in Subsection (i-1) or otherwise not used the zone for the purpose for which it was designated.

(l) Any surplus remaining in a tax increment account on termination of a zone may be used for other purposes as determined by [transportation projects of] the municipality [in or outside of the zone].

SECTION 3. The heading to Section 222.107, Transportation Code, is amended to read as follows:

Sec. 222.107. COUNTY TRANSPORTATION REINVESTMENT ZONES[; TAX ABATEMENTS; ROAD UTILITY DISTRICTS].

SECTION 4. Section 222.107, Transportation Code, is amended by amending Subsections (b), (c), (e), (f), (h), (i), (k), and (l) and adding Subsections (h-1) and (k-1) to read as follows:

(b) This section applies only to a county in which a transportation project is to be developed [the commissioners court of which intends to enter into a pass-through toll agreement with the department] under Section 222.104.

(c) The commissioners court of the county, after determining that an area is unproductive and underdeveloped and that action under this section would further the purposes described by Section 222.105, by order or resolution may designate a contiguous geographic area in the jurisdiction of the county to be a transportation reinvestment zone to promote a transportation project [described by Section 222.104 that cultivates development or redevelopment of the area] and for the purpose of abating ad valorem taxes or granting other relief from taxes imposed by the county on real property located in the zone.

(e) Not later than the 30th day before the date the commissioners court proposes to designate an area as a transportation reinvestment zone under this section, the commissioners court must hold a public hearing on the creation of the zone, its benefits to the county and to property in the proposed zone, and the abatement of ad valorem taxes or the grant of other relief from ad valorem taxes imposed by the county on real property located in the zone. At the hearing an interested person may speak for or against the designation of the zone, its boundaries, or the abatement of or the relief from county taxes on real property in the zone. Not later than the seventh day before the date of the hearing, notice of the hearing and the intent to create a zone must be published in a newspaper having general circulation in the county.

(f) The order or resolution designating an area as a transportation reinvestment zone must:

(1) describe the boundaries of the zone with sufficient definiteness to identify with ordinary and reasonable certainty the territory included in the zone;

(2) provide that the zone takes effect immediately on adoption of the order or resolution; [and]

(3) assign a name to the zone for identification, with the first zone designated by a county designated as "Transportation Reinvestment Zone Number One, County of (name of county)," and subsequently designated zones assigned names in the same form numbered consecutively in the order of their designation; and

(4) designate the base year for purposes of establishing the tax increment base of the county.

(h) The commissioners court by order or resolution may enter into an agreement with the owner of any real property located in the transportation reinvestment zone to abate all or a portion of the ad valorem taxes or to grant other relief from the taxes imposed by the county on the owner's property in an amount not to exceed the amount calculated under Subsection (a)(1) for that year. All abatements or other relief granted by the commissioners court in a transportation reinvestment zone must be equal in rate. In the alternative, the commissioners court by order or resolution may elect to abate a portion of the ad valorem taxes or otherwise grant relief from the taxes imposed by the county on all real property located in the zone. In any ad valorem tax year, the total amount of the taxes abated or the total amount of relief granted under this section may not exceed the amount calculated under Subsection (a)(1) for that year, less any amounts allocated under previous agreements, including agreements under Chapter 381, Local Government Code, or Chapter 312, Tax Code.

(h-1) To further the development of the transportation project for which the transportation reinvestment zone was designated, a county may assess all or part of the cost of the transportation project against property within the zone. The assessment against each property in the zone may be levied and payable in installments in the same manner as provided by Sections 372.016-372.018, Local Government Code, provided that the installments do not exceed the total amount of the tax abatement or other relief granted under Subsection (h). The county may elect to adopt and apply the provisions of Sections 372.015-372.020 and 372.023, Local Government Code, to the assessment of costs and Sections 372.024-372.030, Local Government Code, to the issuance of bonds by the county to pay the cost of a transportation project. The commissioners court of the county may contract with a public or private entity to develop, redevelop, or improve a transportation project in the transportation reinvestment zone, including aesthetic improvements, and may pledge and assign to that entity all or a specified amount of the revenue the county receives from installment payments of the assessments for the payment of the costs of that transportation project. After a pledge or assignment is made, if the entity that received the pledge or assignment has itself pledged or assigned that amount to secure bonds or other obligations issued to obtain funding for the transportation project, the commissioners court of the county may not rescind its pledge or assignment until the bonds or other obligations secured by the pledge or assignment have been paid or discharged. Any amount received from installment payments of the assessments not pledged or assigned in connection with the transportation project may be used for other purposes associated with the transportation project or in the zone.

(i) In the alternative, to [To] assist the county in developing a transportation project [authorized under Section 222.104], if authorized by the commission under Chapter 441, a road utility district may be formed under that chapter that has the same boundaries as a transportation reinvestment zone created under this section.

(k) A road utility district formed as provided by Subsection (i) may enter into an agreement [with the county to assume the obligation, if any, of the county] to fund development of a project [under Section 222.104] or to repay funds owed to the department [under Section 222.104]. Any amount paid for this purpose is considered to be an operating expense of the district. Any taxes collected by the district that are not paid for this purpose may be used for any district purpose.

(k-1) To accommodate changes in the limits of the project for which a reinvestment zone was designated, the boundaries of a zone may be amended at any time, except that property may not be removed or excluded from a designated zone if any part of the assessment has been assigned or pledged directly by the county or through another entity to secure bonds or other obligations issued to obtain funding of the project, and property may not be added to a designated zone unless the commissioners court of the county complies with Subsections (e) and (f).

(l) Except as provided by Subsection (m), a tax abatement agreement entered into under Subsection (h), or an order or resolution on the abatement of taxes or the grant of relief from taxes under that subsection, terminates on December 31 of the year in which the county completes any contractual requirement that included the pledge or assignment of assessments [of money] collected under this section.

SECTION 5. Subchapter E, Chapter 222, Transportation Code, is amended by adding Sections 222.108 and 222.109 to read as follows:

Sec. 222.108. TRANSPORTATION REINVESTMENT ZONES FOR OTHER TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS. (a) Notwithstanding the requirement in Sections 222.106(b) and 222.107(b) that a transportation reinvestment zone be established in connection with a project under Section 222.104, a municipality or county may establish a transportation reinvestment zone for any transportation project. If all or part of the transportation project is subject to oversight by the department, at the option of the governing body of the municipality or county, the department, to the extent permitted by law, shall delegate full responsibility for the development, design, letting of bids, and construction of the project, including project inspection, to the municipality or county. After assuming responsibility for a project under this subsection, a municipality or county shall enter into an agreement with the department that prescribes:

(1) the development process;

(2) the roles and responsibilities of the parties; and

(3) the timelines for any required reviews or approvals.

(b) Any portion of a transportation project developed under Subsection (a) that is on the state highway system or is located in the state highway right-of-way must comply with applicable state and federal requirements and criteria for project development, design, and construction, unless the department grants an exception to the municipality or county.

(c) The development, design, and construction plans and specifications for the portions of a project described by Subsection (b) must be reviewed and approved by the department under the agreement entered into under Subsection (a).

(d) In this section, "transportation project" has the meaning assigned by Section 370.003.

Sec. 222.109. REDUCTION PROHIBITED. (a) A municipality or county may not be penalized with a reduction in traditional transportation funding because of the designation and use of a transportation reinvestment zone under this chapter. Any funding from the department committed to a project before the date that a transportation reinvestment zone is designated may not be reduced because the transportation reinvestment zone is designated in connection with that project.

(b) The department may not reduce any allocation of traditional transportation funding to any of its districts because a district contains a municipality or county that contains a transportation reinvestment zone designated under this chapter.

SECTION 6. Sections 222.106(h), (i), (j), (k), and (l) and 222.107(h), (i), (k), and (l), Transportation Code, as amended by this Act, and Sections 222.106(i-1) and (i-2), 222.107(h-1) and (k-1), 222.108, and 222.109, Transportation Code, as added by this Act, apply to a transportation reinvestment zone that is governed by those sections designated before the effective date of this Act.

SECTION 7. This Act takes effect September 1, 2011.