87R1864 MP-D
 
  By: Gates H.B. No. 1473
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to the requirements for meetings held and Internet
  websites developed by certain special purpose districts.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Section 551.1283, Government Code, is amended to
  read as follows:
         Sec. 551.1283.  GOVERNING BODY OF CERTAIN WATER DISTRICTS:
  INTERNET WEBSITES [POSTING OF MEETING MATERIALS]; RECORDING OF
  MEETINGS [CERTAIN HEARINGS]. (a) In this section, "board" means the
  governing body of a special purpose district to which this section
  applies.
         (a-1)  This section only applies to a special purpose
  district subject to Chapter 51, 53, 54, or 55, Water Code, that has
  a population of 500 or more.
         (b)  A [On written request of a district resident made to the
  district not later than the third day before a public hearing to
  consider the adoption of an ad valorem tax rate, the] district shall
  develop and maintain an Internet website [make an audio recording
  of reasonable quality of the hearing and provide the recording to
  the resident in an electronic format not later than the fifth
  business day after the date of the hearing. The district shall
  maintain a copy of the recording for at least one year after the
  date of the hearing].
         (c)  A district shall make available on the district's
  Internet website:
               (1)  contact information for each member of the board;
               (2)  the time and place of the next meeting of the
  board;
               (3)  a live video stream of each meeting of the board;
               (4)  a video recording of each meeting of the board
  posted not later than the fifth business day after the date of the
  meeting and maintained for not less than one year;
               (5)  the minutes of each meeting of the board; and
               (6)  information about:
                     (A)  the budget set by the district; and
                     (B)  any tax rate set by the district [post the
  minutes of the meeting of the governing body to the district's
  Internet website if the district maintains an Internet website].
         SECTION 2.  Section 49.062(b), Water Code, is amended to
  read as follows:
         (b)  The board shall designate one or more places inside [or
  outside] the district for conducting the meetings of the board. The
  meeting place may be a private residence or office, provided that
  the board, in its order establishing the meeting place, declares
  the same to be a public place and invites the public to attend any
  meeting of the board. If the board establishes that no suitable
  place exists for meeting inside the district, a meeting place or
  places outside the district may be designated. The board [, it]
  shall give notice of the location or locations of a meeting place or
  places outside the district by filing a true copy of the resolution
  establishing the location or locations of the meeting place or
  places and a justification of why the meeting will not be held in
  the district or within 10 miles of the boundary of the district, if
  applicable, with the commission and also by publishing notice of
  the location or locations in a newspaper of general circulation in
  the district. If the location of any of the meeting places outside
  the district is changed, notice of the change shall be given in the
  same manner.
         SECTION 3.  Sections 49.062(c), (c-1), (e), (f), and (g),
  Water Code, are repealed.
         SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2021.