LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD

Austin, Texas

FISCAL NOTE, 87TH LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION

March 24, 2021

TO:	Honorable Garnet Coleman, Chair, House Committee on County Affairs
FROM:	Jerry McGinty, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:	HB768 by Patterson (Relating to the requirement that certain governmental bodies make audio and video recordings of open meetings available on the Internet.), As Introduced

No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

The bill would amend the Government Code to extend the requirement that certain governmental bodies make audio and video recordings of open meetings available on the Internet to a county with a population of 5,000 or more and any political subdivision located wholly or partly in a county that has a population of 5,000 or more.

Local Government Impact

According to the Texas Municipal League, the bill would increase the monetary burdens on cities of all sizes, but would be significant to the smallest cities. Approximately 850 cities have a population of less than 5,000. The small cities generally have small operating budgets and staffs. Costs associated with the purchase of equipment necessary to record each meeting as well as archiving and maintaining a recording on the internet would be significant.

The Texas Association of Counties anticipates a fiscal impact on those bracketed counties that do not presently record their public meetings in audio and video formats. According to San Saba County, the bill's provisions would have a significant fiscal impact, requiring the county to expend $15,000 to $20,000 for a camera system, recording equipment, and additional web hosting fees for storing public meetings on the internet.

Source Agencies:

300 Trusteed Programs - Gov, 303 Facilities Commission, 304 Comptroller of Public Accounts, 312 Securities Board, 320 Texas Workforce Commission, 454 Department of Insurance, 458 Alcoholic Beverage Commission, 515 Board of Pharmacy, 529 Hlth & Human Svcs Comm, 530 Family & Protective Services, 533 Exec Cncl Phys Therapy, 580 Water Development Board, 582 Commission on Environmental Quality, 608 Department of Motor Vehicles, 644 Juvenile Justice Department, 696 Department of Criminal Justice, 701 Texas Education Agency, 781 Higher Education Coordinating Board, 802 Parks and Wildlife Department

LBB Staff:

JMc, AF, CMA, ANE