Texas 2015 84th Regular

Texas House Bill HB1277 Introduced / Bill

Filed 02/10/2015

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                    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.