BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 1427

By: Sheffield, Ralph

Defense & Veterans' Affairs

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Interested parties report that after completing an inventory of city-owned properties, certain municipalities became aware of properties with no market value. Interested parties note that such properties may be a liability to the municipality due to the cost of upkeep and the expenses relating to the upkeep of such properties. Interested parties contend that the normal property disposition process does not work for such properties. Additionally, such parties contend that the property identified often has little or no value to a municipality because any proceeds of such a sale can be used only to acquire or improve other property with a similar use or purpose.

H.B. 1427 seeks to alleviate this burden by extending the power to identify and dispose of surplus property to a broader range of municipalities, which could, in some cases, increase the value of the privately owned land, give landowners access to additional real estate on which to make improvements, and return such properties to the tax rolls.

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. 1427 amends the Local Government Code to expand the applicability of provisions relating to the donation of municipally owned real property by a municipality to a private property owner when the municipal property is determined to be surplus property of negligible or negative value to authorize such determination of value and subsequent donation by a municipality with a population greater than 65,000 and less than 90,000 that is located in a county in which part, but not all, of a military installation is located.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2013.