Legal Publications
- Handbook for Mayors & Councilmembers in Home Rule Cities
- Handbook for Mayors & Councilmembers in General Law Cities
- Newly Elected Officials Training Video
- Texas Home Rule Charters
- TML Revenue Manual for Texas Cities
Handbook for Mayors & Councilmembers in Home Rule Cities (2006)
To inquire about your city's free copies, click here .
$20.00 Extra copies and non-member price
Handbook for Mayors & Councilmembers
in General Law Cities (2006)
To inquire about your city's free copies, click here .
$20.00 Extra copies and non-member price
Each handbook presents an overview of the functions, powers, and responsibilities of mayors and councilmembers in accordance with their city's status as either a home rule or general law city. Subjects include policy development, goal-setting, council meetings, conflicts of interest, standards of official conduct, budgeting and financial administration, personal liability, and media relations.
TML member cities are allocated one copy of the handbook at no charge for each elected official, plus a reference copy for city staff. Non-member price $20.00 per book. To download selected chapters of either book, click here .
To inquire about your city's free copies, click here .
Newly Elected Officials Training Video (2007)
Produced by the TML Small Cities Advisory Council, the sixteen minute video covers the basics of municipal government and the role of elected officials in the effective and efficient operation of a city. This is an excellent companion to the Handbooks for Mayors and Councilmembers.
$15.00 to TML members
$50.00 all others (non-members)
Texas Home Rule Charters
This book provides a comprehensive review of the origin, evolution, current status and analyses of all 290 home rule charters in the state. In addition to tracing the historical development of charters, the book offers a current overview of the interpretation, application, and impact of state and federal laws on writing new charters and amending charters. The easy to read format provides a "why-do-it" and "how-to-do-it" guide for elected officials, administrators, and interested citizens.
$10.00 to TML members
$25.00 all others (non-members)
TML Revenue Manual for Texas Cities
TML is proud to announce the publication of a new Revenue Manual for Texas Cities. In one convenient handbook, you can now learn about nearly every known source of municipal revenue. The manual covers everything, from the biggest sources of city revenue—property and sales taxes—on down to the most mundane and arcane—open records charges, raffles, even cemetery taxes.
The handbook is organized alphabetically by revenue type and presented in an easy-to-understand, question-and-answer format, similar to the Legal Q&A column that’s so popular in Texas Town & City. For each type of revenue, the basics are covered first—such as how the revenue source is adopted, who collects it, on what it can be spent, and so forth. More advanced material is included as well, such as strategic considerations about how particular sources of revenue interact with other taxes and fees, and how to switch from one revenue stream to another. The handbook should be useful to councilmembers, management, finance officers and staff, and even city attorneys.
The Revenue Manual for Texas Cities is available for $10.