BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 2832

By: Dale

County Affairs

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Current law permits territory to be removed from an emergency services district upon a full-purpose municipal annexation of that territory in which, subsequent to such annexation, fire services are to be provided by the annexing municipality.  Interested parties report that, in the case of the Bella Vista Municipal Utility District, financial constraints do not allow for a full-purpose annexation of the municipal utility district. However, such parties assert that the Bella Vista Municipal Utility District and the City of Cedar Park both wish to pursue a limited-purpose annexation in which the city will provide municipal services, including fire protection. H.B. 2832 seeks to provide a mechanism for such a limited-purpose annexation. 

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. 2832 amends the Special Districts Local Laws Code to require an emergency services district in which the Bella Vista Municipal Utility District is wholly or partially located, if the Bella Vista Municipal Utility District enters into a strategic partnership agreement with a municipality with a population of less than 100,000 that includes the provision of fire-fighting services and the Bella Vista Municipal Utility District has completed all other procedures necessary for a limited-purpose annexation by that municipality, to disannex the territory of the Bella Vista Municipal Utility District to be served by the municipality under the agreement. The bill establishes that the territory remains part of the emergency services district until the secretary of the emergency services district board receives notice from the Bella Vista Municipal Utility District that the preceding requirements have been met. The bill requires the emergency services district board, on receipt of the notice, to immediately change its records to show that the Bella Vista Municipal Utility District territory has been disannexed from the emergency services district and to cease providing further services to the residents of that territory. The bill applies Health and Safety Code provisions relating to the removal of territory by a municipality to such a disannexation as if the disannexation occurred under those provisions.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2013.