BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 3950

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-fighting services are to be provided by the annexing municipality. Interested parties report that, in the case of the Williamson-Travis Counties Water Control and Improvement District No. 1F, financial constraints do not allow for a full-purpose annexation of the municipal utility district, but that the Williamson-Travis Counties Water Control and Improvement District No. 1F 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. 3950 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. 3950 amends the Special District Local Laws Code to require an emergency services district in which the Williamson-Travis Counties Water Control and Improvement District No. 1F is wholly or partly located, if the Williamson-Travis Counties Water Control and Improvement District No. 1F 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 Williamson-Travis Counties Water Control and Improvement District No. 1F has completed all other procedures necessary for a limited-purpose annexation by that municipality, to disannex the territory of the Williamson-Travis Counties Water Control and Improvement District No. 1F 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 from the Williamson-Travis Counties Water Control and Improvement District No. 1F notice that 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 Williamson-Travis Counties Water Control and Improvement District No. 1F district territory has been disannexed from the emergency services district and to cease to provide further services to the residents of that territory. The bill applies Health and Safety Code provisions relating to the removal of emergency services district territory by a municipality to such a disannexation as if the annexation occurred under those statutory provisions.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2013.