Category Archives: Local Governmental Entities
Texas Municipal Courts
The Texas Constitution Art. V. Section 1 states; “the legislature may establish such other courts as it may deem necessary and prescribe the jurisdiction and organization thereof. . .” . The “other” courts (meaning those that are not Justice of the Peace, District or County Courts) are municipal courts. Municipal courts share jurisdiction with… Read More »
Texas Legislature Flips from Opt-in to Opt-Out Confidentiality for Certain Public Officials
Certain recent events occurring across the national, state, and local political landscapes—including the COVID-19 pandemic and related mask and vaccine mandates, election integrity, bail bond reform, and critical race theory, just to name a few—have increased the incidents of doxing public officials and subsequent protests or demonstrations being held at their private properties. For… Read More »
Unsworn Declarations in Texas
There are many instances under the law where an individual is required to swear to the accuracy of a statement or document. The iteration of this which most people are familiar with is the oath a witness takes in court before testifying. In court rooms in movies and tv shows, you frequently hear something… Read More »
New Purchasing Requirements on Public Works Projects
With the new legislative session, several changes in the area of public works stand to impact how cities in Texas implement payments for public works projects in the state. A few of the provisions which will impact public works projects going forward are described below. Under a public works contract, often the municipality will… Read More »
Let’s Talk about Animal Paw-licies!
Pet ownership has been on the rise lately, with up to 67% of households owning a pet, according to a national survey conducted by the American Veterinary Medical Association in 2018. In Texas, the statistics are slightly lower, with 58.2% owning a pet, the majority being dogs and cats. Though pet ownership may be… Read More »
What is a PID?
Texas cities, or local governments, historically use collections from property taxes and sales tax revenues to fund, or provide security for municipal bonds, in order to pay for public improvements. An example of municipally funded public improvements that are crucial to sustain residential development are water and wastewater services. Cities in Texas can pay… Read More »
Tax Rate Scares
The end of September marks two things: (1) the official start of “Spooky Season” and (2) the deadline for certain municipal taxing units to adopt a no-new-revenue tax rate for the current tax year. Under Section 26.05(a) of the Tax Code, the governing body of a taxing unit must adopt a tax rate for… Read More »
Contract Zoning and When It’s Okay
Texas is a very property rights conscious state. For example, we have some of the most robust homestead protections in the nation, contracts involving interests in real property are subject to the statute of frauds, and even the simplified provisions for probating a “small estate” in Texas can apply to real estate having substantial… Read More »
Disclosures and Annexation
Annexation laws in Texas have been an ever-evolving landscape over the past few years, and the 2021 legislative session has provided additional changes once again. Effective September 1, 2021, cities must provide a number of written disclosures to property owners prior to entering into an annexation agreement. Following the legislative overhaul of Texas annexation… Read More »
Natural Disasters and the PIA
On September 1, 2021, more than 600 new laws in Texas went into effect from the legislative session and the emergency sessions called by the governor. These laws range from such controversial issues as voting and handguns to more generic issues that municipalities face daily, such as the Texas Public Information Act (PIA), found… Read More »