Honorable Carol Alvarado, Chair, House Committee on Urban Affairs
FROM:
Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
SB737 by Hancock ( Relating to requirements for new or increased municipal fees.), Committee Report 2nd House, Substituted
No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
The bill would amend the Local Government Code relating to the transparency in the budgeting adoption processes of municipalities. It would add certain required notifications of new or increased fees included in a proposed budget. It requires a separate vote on a new or increased fee in addition to the vote to adopt the budget. It requires certain municipalities to establish and maintain an e-mail notification system with certain specified requirements related to these new or increased fees.
No state agency is authorized or required to take any action as a result of this bill therefore no fiscal implication to the state is anticipated.
The bill would take effect September 1, 2017.
Local Government Impact
According to the Texas Municipal League, the bill may require some programing costs and staff time to implement the notifications required either through an email notification system or to post the notifications on the city's website. Because of the variety of communication platforms cities in Texas use, the fiscal impact cannot be determined; however it is unlikely to be significant.