84R3073 SCL-D By: Ashby H.B. No. 1277 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT relating to requirements for annexation of certain commercial or industrial areas by a general-law municipality. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: SECTION 1. Subchapter B, Chapter 43, Local Government Code, is amended by adding Section 43.0235 to read as follows: Sec. 43.0235. ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR ANNEXATION OF CERTAIN COMMERCIAL OR INDUSTRIAL AREAS BY GENERAL-LAW MUNICIPALITIES. (a) A general-law municipality may annex an area in which 50 percent or more of the property in the area to be annexed is primarily used for a commercial or industrial purpose only if the municipality: (1) is otherwise authorized by this subchapter to annex the area and complies with the requirements prescribed under that authority; and (2) obtains the written consent of the owners of a majority of the property in the area to be annexed. (b) The consent required by Subsection (a)(2) must be signed by the owners of the property and must include a description of the area to be annexed. SECTION 2. Section 43.033(a), Local Government Code, is amended to read as follows: (a) Except as provided by Section 43.0235, a [A] general-law municipality may annex adjacent territory without the consent of any of the residents or voters of the area and without the consent of any of the owners of land in the area provided that the following conditions are met: (1) the municipality has a population of 1,000 or more and is not eligible to adopt a home-rule charter; (2) the procedural rules prescribed by this chapter are met; (3) the municipality must be providing the area with water or sewer service; (4) the area: (A) does not include unoccupied territory in excess of one acre for each service address for water and sewer service; or (B) is entirely surrounded by the municipality and the municipality is a Type A general-law municipality; (5) the service plan requires that police and fire protection at a level consistent with protection provided within the municipality must be provided to the area within 10 days after the effective date of the annexation; (6) the municipality and the affected landowners have not entered an agreement to not annex the area for a certain time period; and (7) if the area is appraised for ad valorem tax purposes as land for agricultural or wildlife management use under Subchapter C or D, Chapter 23, Tax Code: (A) the municipality offers to make a development agreement with the landowner in the manner provided by Section 212.172 that would: (i) guarantee the continuation of the extraterritorial status of the area; and (ii) authorize the enforcement of all regulations and planning authority of the municipality that do not interfere with the agricultural or wildlife management use of the area; and (B) the landowner fails to accept an offer described by Paragraph (A) within 30 days after the date the offer is made. SECTION 3. Section 43.034, Local Government Code, is amended to read as follows: Sec. 43.034. AUTHORITY OF GENERAL-LAW MUNICIPALITY TO ANNEX AREA; CERTAIN MUNICIPALITIES. Except as provided by Section 43.0235, a [A] general-law municipality may annex adjacent territory without the consent of any of the residents or voters of the area and without the consent of any of the owners of land in the area if: (1) the municipality has a population of 1,762-1,770, part of whose boundary is part of the shoreline of a lake whose normal surface area is 75,000 acres or greater and which is located completely within the State of Texas; (2) the procedural rules prescribed by this chapter are met; (3) the service plan requires that police and fire protection at a level consistent with protection provided within the municipality must be provided to the area within 10 days after the effective date of the annexation; and (4) the municipality and the affected landowners have not entered an agreement to not annex the area for a certain period. SECTION 4. The changes in law made by this Act apply only to an annexation for which the first hearing notice required by Section 43.0561 or 43.063, Local Government Code, as applicable, is published on or after the effective date of this Act. An annexation for which the first hearing notice is published before that date is governed by the law in effect at the time the notice is published, and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose. SECTION 5. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this Act takes effect September 1, 2015.