| 1 | 1 | | 88R26313 SCP-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Bell of Kaufman H.B. No. 3881 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to board of directors meeting locations of certain rural |
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| 8 | 8 | | area water districts. |
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| 9 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Section 49.062, Water Code, is amended by |
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| 11 | 11 | | amending Subsections (b) and (b-1) and adding Subsections (b-2) and |
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| 12 | 12 | | (b-3) to read as follows: |
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| 13 | 13 | | (b) Except as provided by Subsection (b-2) [(b-1)], the |
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| 14 | 14 | | board shall designate one or more places inside or outside the |
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| 15 | 15 | | district for conducting the meetings of the board. The meeting |
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| 16 | 16 | | place may be a private residence or office, provided that the board, |
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| 17 | 17 | | in its order establishing the meeting place, declares the same to be |
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| 18 | 18 | | a public place and invites the public to attend any meeting of the |
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| 19 | 19 | | board. If the board establishes a meeting place or places outside |
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| 20 | 20 | | the district, it shall give notice of the location or locations by |
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| 21 | 21 | | filing a true copy of the resolution establishing the location or |
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| 22 | 22 | | locations of the meeting place or places and a justification of why |
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| 23 | 23 | | the meeting will not be held in the district or within 10 miles of |
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| 24 | 24 | | the boundary of the district, if applicable, with the commission |
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| 25 | 25 | | and also by publishing notice of the location or locations in a |
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| 26 | 26 | | newspaper of general circulation in the district. If the location |
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| 27 | 27 | | of any of the meeting places outside the district is changed, notice |
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| 28 | 28 | | of the change shall be given in the same manner. |
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| 29 | 29 | | (b-1) In Subsections (b-2) and (b-3) [this subsection], |
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| 30 | 30 | | "rural area district" means a district in which more than half of |
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| 31 | 31 | | the district's projected retail water or sewer connections are |
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| 32 | 32 | | active and that is: |
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| 33 | 33 | | (1) not wholly or partly located in a county that as of |
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| 34 | 34 | | the 2020 [2010] Census: |
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| 35 | 35 | | (A) had a population of 800,000 or more; or |
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| 36 | 36 | | (B) bordered a county with a population of |
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| 37 | 37 | | 800,000 or more; or |
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| 38 | 38 | | (2) wholly or partly located in a county with a |
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| 39 | 39 | | population of more than 144,000 and less than 148,000. |
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| 40 | 40 | | (b-2) Except as provided by Subsection (b-3), if [If] the |
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| 41 | 41 | | board of a rural area district conducts meetings at least |
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| 42 | 42 | | quarterly, the board shall conduct a meeting at a designated |
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| 43 | 43 | | meeting location inside the district or within 10 miles of the |
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| 44 | 44 | | boundary of the district at least once per quarter. If the board |
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| 45 | 45 | | determines that it is not practical to meet within 10 miles of the |
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| 46 | 46 | | boundary of the district, the district may conduct the quarterly |
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| 47 | 47 | | meeting at another designated meeting place in the county in which |
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| 48 | 48 | | the district is located. |
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| 49 | 49 | | (b-3) Notwithstanding Chapter 551, Government Code, and |
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| 50 | 50 | | except as provided by this subsection, a rural area district |
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| 51 | 51 | | described by Subsection (b-1)(2) may satisfy the requirements of |
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| 52 | 52 | | Subsection (b-2) by conducting quarterly meetings by telephone |
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| 53 | 53 | | conference call or videoconference call. A meeting to discuss the |
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| 54 | 54 | | tax rate of the district must be conducted in person. |
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| 55 | 55 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |
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