Texas 2015 - 84th Regular

Texas House Bill HB2337 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	84R2628 LEH-F
2	2	By: Gonzales H.B. No. 2337
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to the composition of the board of directors of an
8	8	appraisal district.
9	9	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
10	10	SECTION 1. Sections 6.03(a), (b), (c), and (l), Tax Code,
11	11	are amended to read as follows:
12	12	(a) The appraisal district is governed by a board of five
13	13	directors. [Five directors are appointed by the taxing units that
14	14	participate in the district as provided by this section. If the
15	15	county assessor-collector is not appointed to the board, the county
16	16	assessor-collector serves as a nonvoting director. The county
17	17	assessor-collector is ineligible to serve if the board enters into
18	18	a contract under Section 6.05(b) or if the commissioners court of
19	19	the county enters into a contract under Section 6.24(b).] To be
20	20	eligible to serve on the board of directors, an individual [other
21	21	than a county assessor-collector serving as a nonvoting director]
22	22	must be a resident of the district and must have resided in the
23	23	district for at least two years immediately preceding the date the
24	24	individual takes office. An individual who is otherwise eligible
25	25	to serve on the board is not ineligible because of membership on the
26	26	governing body of a taxing unit. An employee of a taxing unit that
27	27	participates in the district is not eligible to serve on the board
28	28	unless the individual is also a member of the governing body or an
29	29	elected official of a taxing unit that participates in the
30	30	district. The county assessor-collector is not eligible to serve on
31	31	the board.
32	32	(b) Members of the board of directors [other than a county
33	33	assessor-collector serving as a nonvoting director] serve two-year
34	34	terms beginning on January 1 of even-numbered years.
35	35	(c) Members of the board of directors [other than a county
36	36	assessor-collector serving as a nonvoting director] are appointed
37	37	by vote of the governing bodies of the incorporated cities and
38	38	towns, the school districts, the junior college districts, and, if
39	39	entitled to vote, the conservation and reclamation districts that
40	40	participate in the district and of the county. A governing body
41	41	may cast all its votes for one candidate or distribute them among
42	42	candidates for any number of directorships. Conservation and
43	43	reclamation districts are not entitled to vote unless at least one
44	44	conservation and reclamation district in the district delivers to
45	45	the chief appraiser a written request to nominate and vote on the
46	46	board of directors by June 1 of each odd-numbered year. On receipt
47	47	of a request, the chief appraiser shall certify a list by June 15 of
48	48	all eligible conservation and reclamation districts that are
49	49	imposing taxes and that participate in the district.
50	50	(l) If a vacancy occurs on the board of directors [other
51	51	than a vacancy in the position held by a county assessor-collector
52	52	serving as a nonvoting director], each taxing unit that is entitled
53	53	to vote by this section may nominate by resolution adopted by its
54	54	governing body a candidate to fill the vacancy. The unit shall
55	55	submit the name of its nominee to the chief appraiser within 45 days
56	56	after notification from the board of directors of the existence of
57	57	the vacancy, and the chief appraiser shall prepare and deliver to
58	58	the board of directors within the next five days a list of the
59	59	nominees. The board of directors shall elect by majority vote of
60	60	its members one of the nominees to fill the vacancy.
61	61	SECTION 2. Section 6.034(a), Tax Code, is amended to read as
62	62	follows:
63	63	(a) The taxing units participating in an appraisal district
64	64	may provide that the terms of the [appointed] members of the board
65	65	of directors be staggered if the governing bodies of at least
66	66	three-fourths of the taxing units that are entitled to vote on the
67	67	appointment of board members adopt resolutions providing for the
68	68	staggered terms. A change to staggered terms may be adopted only if
69	69	the method or procedure for appointing board members is changed
70	70	under Section 6.031 [of this code] to eliminate or have the effect
71	71	of eliminating cumulative voting for board members as provided by
72	72	Section 6.03 [of this code]. A change to staggered terms may be
73	73	proposed concurrently with a change that eliminates or has the
74	74	effect of eliminating cumulative voting.
75	75	SECTION 3. Section 6.15(c), Tax Code, is repealed.
76	76	SECTION 4. The changes in law made by this Act do not affect
77	77	the eligibility of a county assessor-collector serving as an
78	78	appointed member of the board of directors of an appraisal district
79	79	immediately before the effective date of this Act to continue to
80	80	serve on the board for the remainder of the term to which the member
81	81	was appointed.
82	82	SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2015.