87R1864 MP-D
By: Gates H.B. No. 1473
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the requirements for meetings held and Internet
websites developed by certain special purpose districts.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 551.1283, Government Code, is amended to
read as follows:
Sec. 551.1283. GOVERNING BODY OF CERTAIN WATER DISTRICTS:
INTERNET WEBSITES [POSTING OF MEETING MATERIALS]; RECORDING OF
MEETINGS [CERTAIN HEARINGS]. (a) In this section, "board" means the
governing body of a special purpose district to which this section
applies.
(a-1) This section only applies to a special purpose
district subject to Chapter 51, 53, 54, or 55, Water Code, that has
a population of 500 or more.
(b) A [On written request of a district resident made to the
district not later than the third day before a public hearing to
consider the adoption of an ad valorem tax rate, the] district shall
develop and maintain an Internet website [make an audio recording
of reasonable quality of the hearing and provide the recording to
the resident in an electronic format not later than the fifth
business day after the date of the hearing. The district shall
maintain a copy of the recording for at least one year after the
date of the hearing].
(c) A district shall make available on the district's
Internet website:
(1) contact information for each member of the board;
(2) the time and place of the next meeting of the
board;
(3) a live video stream of each meeting of the board;
(4) a video recording of each meeting of the board
posted not later than the fifth business day after the date of the
meeting and maintained for not less than one year;
(5) the minutes of each meeting of the board; and
(6) information about:
(A) the budget set by the district; and
(B) any tax rate set by the district [post the
minutes of the meeting of the governing body to the district's
Internet website if the district maintains an Internet website].
SECTION 2. Section 49.062(b), Water Code, is amended to
read as follows:
(b) The board shall designate one or more places inside [or
outside] the district for conducting the meetings of the board. The
meeting place may be a private residence or office, provided that
the board, in its order establishing the meeting place, declares
the same to be a public place and invites the public to attend any
meeting of the board. If the board establishes that no suitable
place exists for meeting inside the district, a meeting place or
places outside the district may be designated. The board [, it]
shall give notice of the location or locations of a meeting place or
places outside the district by filing a true copy of the resolution
establishing the location or locations of the meeting place or
places and a justification of why the meeting will not be held in
the district or within 10 miles of the boundary of the district, if
applicable, with the commission and also by publishing notice of
the location or locations in a newspaper of general circulation in
the district. If the location of any of the meeting places outside
the district is changed, notice of the change shall be given in the
same manner.
SECTION 3. Sections 49.062(c), (c-1), (e), (f), and (g),
Water Code, are repealed.
SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021.