News and Member Announcements

• The Onslaught Begins This Weekend: City Testimony Needed

  Texas Senate committees have wasted no time moving their anti-city agenda forward. The first special session began last Tuesday, and the Senate has set at least nine harmful bills for committee hearings this weekend. It is likely the committees (and later the entire Senate) will quickly move the bills, but interested city officials should come to Austin to testify.

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• TML Names First Legislator of the Week for Special Session

  Representative Drew Darby is the TML Legislator of the Week for the First Called Special Session. He represents House District 72, which includes San Angelo, Big Spring, Eden, and Ballinger.

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• State Budget Requires 13% Increase in School Property Taxes

  The Texas Municipal League has long maintained that proposed revenue caps on cities and counties are just a smokescreen to hide the state’s mismanagement of school finance (here and here). High property taxes are caused by the state continuing to demand that school districts pay for an increasing share of education through local property taxes. Now there’s clear proof that this is true.

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• Cities Wanted: McAllen to Lead City Coalition Against Small Cell Subsidies

  City officials who are concerned about their taxpayers subsidizing the cellular industry may wish to join a recently-formed coalition that aims to stop the practice. The City of McAllen is leading the coalition, which will challenge the woefully low right-of-way rental fees in S.B. 1004, the “small cell node” bill.

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• Mayors Seek Abbott Meeting on City Issues

  The mayors of 18 of the state’s largest cities have requested a meeting with Gov. Greg Abbott to discuss the governor’s concerns about cities and “how we can work together to ensure a productive partnership for Texas.”

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