| 7 | 3 | | |
|---|
| 8 | 4 | | |
|---|
| 9 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
|---|
| 10 | 6 | | AN ACT |
|---|
| 11 | 7 | | relating to the creation, purpose, implementation, and funding of |
|---|
| 12 | 8 | | the County Park Beautification and Improvement Program. |
|---|
| 13 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|---|
| 14 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Subtitle B, Title 10, Local Government Code, is |
|---|
| 15 | 11 | | amended by adding Chapter 328 to read as follows: |
|---|
| 16 | 12 | | CHAPTER 328. COUNTY PARK BEAUTIFICATION AND IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM |
|---|
| 17 | 13 | | Sec. 328.001. PURPOSE; CREATION. It is the intent of the |
|---|
| 18 | 14 | | legislature that each county dedicating land for use as county |
|---|
| 19 | 15 | | parks be encouraged to beautify and improve those parks through |
|---|
| 20 | 16 | | measures including but not limited to improvements in or additions |
|---|
| 21 | 17 | | to lighting, directional and educational signs, litter abatement |
|---|
| 22 | 18 | | strategies, and landscaping and landscape maintenance policies. In |
|---|
| 23 | 19 | | furtherance of these goals, the County Park Beautification and |
|---|
| 24 | 20 | | Improvement Program is established. |
|---|
| 25 | 21 | | Sec. 328.002. IMPLEMENTATION. The commissioners court of a |
|---|
| 26 | 22 | | county may by majority vote elect to participate in the program. On |
|---|
| 27 | 23 | | such election, the commissioners court shall designate one person |
|---|
| 28 | 24 | | in the division of the county government responsible for the care |
|---|
| 29 | 25 | | and maintenance of the county parks as the coordinator for the |
|---|
| 30 | 26 | | program. The coordinator may solicit advice and assistance from |
|---|
| 31 | 27 | | state and county agencies and private organizations in developing |
|---|
| 32 | 28 | | and implementing the program. |
|---|
| 33 | 29 | | Sec. 328.003. REPORT; ADOPTION. The coordinator shall |
|---|
| 34 | 30 | | report to the commissioners court the coordinator's findings and |
|---|
| 35 | 31 | | shall recommend an implementation strategy to the commissioners |
|---|
| 36 | 32 | | court. The commissioners court may reject or adopt the |
|---|
| 37 | 33 | | implementation strategy. If the commissioners court rejects the |
|---|
| 38 | 34 | | strategy, it shall specify to the coordinator the reasons for such |
|---|
| 39 | 35 | | rejection, and the coordinator shall develop a new implementation |
|---|
| 40 | 36 | | strategy to present to the commissioners court within six months of |
|---|
| 41 | 37 | | the rejection. On adoption of an implementation strategy, the |
|---|
| 42 | 38 | | commissioners court may fund the program as provided in Section |
|---|
| 43 | 39 | | 328.004. |
|---|
| 44 | 40 | | Sec. 328.004. FUNDING. The commissioners court of a county |
|---|
| 45 | 41 | | electing to participate in the program may solicit and accept |
|---|
| 46 | 42 | | bequests, donations, grants, and other money, goods, and services |
|---|
| 47 | 43 | | from federal, state, and private sources to finance and further the |
|---|
| 48 | 44 | | goals of the program but may not levy any tax or receive any |
|---|
| 49 | 45 | | legislative appropriation to fund such participation. The state is |
|---|
| 50 | 46 | | not liable for debts or other obligations incurred by a county in |
|---|
| 51 | 47 | | implementing or planning to implement the program under this |
|---|
| 52 | 48 | | chapter. |
|---|
| 53 | 49 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
|---|
| 54 | 50 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
|---|
| 55 | 51 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
|---|
| 56 | 52 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
|---|
| 57 | 53 | | Act takes effect on the 91st day after the last day of the |
|---|
| 58 | 54 | | legislative session. |
|---|