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HomeMy WebLinkAboutRes 16-42 Adopting Town's Legislative Priorites for 2017 Session TOWN OF WESTLAKE RESOLUTION 16-42 A RESOLUTION BY THE TOWN COUNCIL OF THE TOWN OF WESTLAKE, TEXAS, APPROVING THE TOWN'S LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES FOR THE 2017 TEXAS LEGISLATIVE SESSION. WHEREAS, the Texas Legislative will convene in regular session in January 2017; and, WHEREAS, the Westlake Town Council (Town Council) recognizes its role as a local government governing body includes monitoring and providing input to our legislative delegation and other legislators regarding the numerous bills filed during this session as to how they may impact the Town of Westlake (Town); and, WHEREAS, the Town Council has determined that preparing legislative priorities is useful in achieving that end, as well as providing guidance to Town Staff on proposed legislation as it pertains to positions the Town may wish to take on various proposed bills; and, WHEREAS, the Town Council also recognizes that sharing these legislative priorities with our Legislative Delegation and other legislators (as deemed appropriate) is helpful in establishing dialogue and communication with them during the Legislative Session; and WHEREAS, the Town Council finds that the passage of this Resolution is in the best interest of the citizens of Westlake. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE TOWN COUNCIL OF THE TOWN OF WESTLAKE, TEXAS: SECTION l: That, all matters stated in the Recitals hereinabove are found to be true and correct and are incorporated herein by reference as if copied in their entirety. SECTION 2: That, the Town Council of the Town of Westlake, Texas, by approval of this resolution, hereby approves the attached Exhibit "A" to this resolution setting out the Town's legislative priorities for the 2017 Texas Legislative Session. SECTION 3: If any portion of this Resolution shall, for any reason, be declared invalid by any court of competent jurisdiction, such invalidity shall not affect the remaining provisions hereof and the Council hereby determines that it would have adopted this Resolution without the invalid provision. Resolution 16-42 Page I of 4 SECTION 4: That this resolution shall become effective from and after its date of passage. PASSED AND APPROVED ON THIS 12TH DAY OF DECEMBER, 2016. ATTEST: `' Laura L. Wheat, Mayor KeO Edwark , Town Secretary Thomas E. Brymer, t�ln Manager APPROVED AS TO FORM: WEST F .�9 ,A/L. St' ton Lowry, &wn Attorney TE�P� Resolution 16-42 Page 2 of 4 EXHIBIT A TOWN OF WESTLAKE LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES FOR THE 2017 TEXAS STATE LEGISLATIVE SESSION The Town of Westlake (Town) recognizes that as a local government, it is subordinate to the Texas State Government(State) and, as a general law city, may only operate in the manner permitted by State law. The Town further recognizes that its role as a local government must be one of effective service delivery and local regulation in order to meet the responsibilities delegated and entrusted to it by the State. This delegation by the State is decades old and represents a trust between State and local government. In addition, it reflects the long held understanding between State and local governments, that local government plays a key role in complimenting and advancing the State's quality of life, progress, and economic well-being. To provide guidance to Town Staff, who on behalf of the Town monitors bill filings during a legislative session (the Session), the Town Council provides the following positions to take with our legislative delegation regarding legislation proposed during the 2017 Session: Support • The Town supports bills that strengthen good local government and high quality municipal service delivery. • The Town supports legislation that enhances public education, including, but not limited to, enhancement to public education funding such as facilities funding for charter schools. • The Town supports legislation that reduces State regulation of independent school districts to a level commensurate with that of Texas charter schools. • The Town supports the State's current"Truth-in Taxation Law" in its current form as it represents a time-tested and effective balance between transparency in property taxation, stewardship of property taxes, and the ability to limit property tax increases. • The Town supports legislation that improves transparency to its citizens, including use of electronic media for public notices and other types of legal notices in lieu of print media. • The Town supports legislation that enhances transportation funding, and thus mobility, State-wide. • The Town supports legislation that provides for required improvement to contract administration by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT)that would create savings for additional transportation projects (incentive contracts versus calendar day contracts), as well as reduce project construction time, thus reducing adverse impact on businesses located adjacent to TxDOT construction projects. Resolution 16-42 Page 3 of 4 • The Town supports legislation that requires TxDOT to notify any local government in which it has a planned or actual construction project to provide that local government with the opportunity to review and provide input on said project plans prior to completion of said plans and bid letting, and, to further provide to the local government in which the project is located, notice of bid dates for that project as well as the date and place of the pre-construction conference. • The Town supports legislation that would require any proposed public education policy, initiative, and/or legislation be first rigorously reviewed by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and the Legislature's Budget Board. This review must identify, prior to filing of said legislation or pursuit of said policy, specific quantifiable, demonstrable, and measurable gains that will be achieved in students' educational outcomes by the imposition of any new public education policy, initiative, and/or legislation, nor should it impose additional administrative burdens on school faculty and administrators. • The Town supports legislation that would provide municipalities with a mechanism to deal with dissolution of special districts in their boundaries. Oppose • The Town opposes legislation that increases regulations for local government without the State providing a commensurate funding source to local government that covers the expense to administer said new regulations, i.e. avoiding unfunded mandates. • The Town opposes legislation that circumvents, replaces, or eliminates roles and responsibilities that have traditionally been the purview of, and have been(either explicitly or implicitly) delegated by the State to its local governments. • The Town opposes legislation that erodes and weakens the State's current property tax appraisal system by imposing artificial manipulation to appraised market property values through "caps" and other such mechanisms. • The Town opposes legislation that further weakens the ability of a local government, on behalf of its residents and taxpayers, to control its rights-of-ways, streets, alleys, and easements. • The Town opposes legislation that requires local government to serve as the collection point and remitter(to the State) of new State fees and permits, and it opposes legislation that eliminates or reduces existing local government funding sources without providing a replacement funding source. Resolution 16-42 Page 4 of 4