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2 Document(s) [ Subject: Emergency services districts ]

Committee:	Senate Intergovernmental Relations
Title:	Interim Report
Library Catalog Title:	Interim report to the 82nd Texas Legislature / Senate Committee on Intergovernmental Relations.
Subjects:	Comptroller of Public Accounts campaigns and elections \| County government \| Emergency services districts \| Extraterritorial jurisdiction \| Homeowners' associations \| Hospitals \| Housing and Community Affairs, Texas Department of \| Land use regulations \| Local government consolidation \| Municipal annexation \| Municipal government \| Municipal utility districts \| Open government \| Physician shortages \| Physicians \| Property rights \| Public improvement districts \| Real property \| Zoning \|
Library Call Number:	L1836.81 L786
Session:	81st R.S. (2009)
Online version:	View report [437 pages File size: 17,266 kb]
Charges:	This report should address the charges below.
1.	Study current law governing homeowners associations with respect to ensuring that homeowners are given adequate protections against unfair foreclosures and are given proper channels for redress in case of foreclosure.
2.	Monitor the proliferation of municipal utility districts (MUDs) outside the corporate limits or extraterritorial jurisdiction of municipalities and whether increased oversight of these districts by other political subdivisions is needed. Review the process for the creation of municipal utility districts (MUDs) through the template developed during the 81 st Legislative Session, including any changes needed to increase the efficiency and oversight over the creation of proposed districts. Review the process for creating special districts, including whether the creation of a template, similar to the one created for municipal utility districts (MUDs), is feasible and would enable the legislature to more effectively evaluate other proposed special districts during future Sessions.
3.	Review the process and costs for local governments to make government information available online. Consider ways to encourage local governments to provide more transparency, including the Comptroller's experience with transparency and her offer to assist local governments, and consider penalties for entities that fail to comply with the online requirement.
4.	Assess ways to facilitate property ownership registration to better enable individuals to participate in federal programs and make recommendations to improve processing times to provide improved access to funds.
5.	Study the reasons for and the impacts of hospitals directly hiring physicians. Examine practices in other states. Make recommendations, if needed, to permit hospitals to directly hire physicians.
6.	Review state and local policies related to development and growth in rural and unincorporated regions of the state with regard to annexation and zoning authority. Focus on impacts to private property rights. Determine the appropriateness of existing extraterritorial jurisdiction authority. Make recommendations regarding possible changes to this authority.
7.	Review the types of support state government can provide to assist local government consolidations with county governments. Evaluate budget implications for city and county government consolidations. Research the appropriateness and cost savings of eliminating duplicity between city and county governments in different regions of the state.
8.	Review the statutory authority granted to municipal management districts (MMDs) and to emergency service districts (ESDs), the authority of municipalities and counties to create public improvement districts (PIDs). Determine whether the authority granted for each entity is adequate to accomplish the goals of local governments. Assess whether the consolidation of ESDs under one statute would improve uniformity and provision of fire and emergency services through these districts.
9.	Monitor the implementation oflegislation addressed by the Senate Committee on Intergovernmental Relations, 81st Legislature, Regular and Called Sessions, and make recommendations for any legislation needed to improve, enhance, and/or complete implementation. Monitor the use of the expanded funds provided by the 81 st Legislature to the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs.
Committee:	Senate Intergovernmental Relations
Title:	Interim Report
Library Catalog Title:	Interim report to the 81st Texas Legislature
Subjects:	Affordable housing \| Bootstrap Self-Help Housing Program \| Contracts for deed \| Emergency services districts \| Homeownership \| Housing and Community Affairs, Texas Department of \| Municipal utility districts \| Special taxing districts \| State government debt \| Substandard housing \| Suburban areas \| Title insurance \| University of Texas System \| Urban areas \| Urban sprawl \|
Library Call Number:	L1836.80 L786
Session:	80th R.S. (2007)
Online version:	View report [394 pages]
Charges:	This report should address the charges below.
1.	Study and make recommendations on Texas’ housing programs, with particular focus upon: Increasing the effectiveness of the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs' (TDHCA) Housing Tax Credit (HTC) Program. Examine potential rule changes to the HTC Program's Qualified Allocation Plan to give owners of mixed-income projects seeking low-income housing credits the same opportunity to receive credits that low-income projects have, thus helping cities address the problem of a lack of adequate quality affordable housing while enhancing central city revitalization; Significantly improving homeownership rates by evaluating Texas’ efforts to address the growing housing need. Efforts should include assessment of the range of tools which may be used to help low-income Texans develop equity through homeownership. Tools should be evaluated in terms of their economic development impact, leverage of federal and private funds, and how they are utilized in other states; Evaluating the progress of affordable housing programs within the state and developing recommendations to boost the capacity of non-profits to build increased affordable housing developments; Monitor the expansion of the Housing Trust Fund by the 80th Legislature; review the funds of other states to develop recommendations for a permanent funding source for the Texas Housing Trust Fund; Promote home-ownership through self-help initiatives such as the Texas Bootstrap Loan Program; Assessing the existing use of state and federal housing funds in relation to statutory and budgetary mandates; and Examining the incidence of health and safety violations and concerns for general habitability among multi-family and single-family rental properties across the state, including properties financed or supported by the state. Consider the adequacy of the existing authority conferred by the state upon local governments to address violations of habitability standards. Make recommendations for extension of local capacity for redress.
2.	Review title insurance requirements relating to the purchase of a home under an installment contract or contract for a deed. Study title insurance requirements and costs in Texas as compared to other states.
3.	Study the provision of fire and emergency medical services through Emergency Service Districts (ESDs) and make recommendations concerning the provision of those services, and for reconciling potential conflicts due to overlapping taxing jurisdictions in the areas of the state served by ESDs.
4.	Review the process for the creation of Municipal Utility Districts (MUDs) and other special districts, and investigate whether the creation of a standard municipal utility district statute is feasible, and whether it would enable the legislature to more efficiently evaluate proposed districts during the legislative session.
5.	Study the shifting geographic nature of low-income neighborhoods in urban and suburban areas, focusing on factors that contribute to economic displacement of low income homeowners and factors that contribute to beneficial redevelopment of distressed neighborhoods.
6.	Monitor the implementation of legislation addressed by the Intergovernmental Relations Committee, 80th R.S., and make recommendations for any legislation needed to improve, enhance, and/or complete implementation. Specifically, report on changes made by SB 968, 80th R.S., relating to financing tools for certain obligations for public improvements and for certain obligations of The University of Texas System and evaluate the need for further changes to Chapter 1371 Texas Government Code.

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