Hearing Scheduled on County Regulatory Authority

As discussed in an earlier article, the Senate Committee on International Relations and Trade (IRT) has been authorized by Lt. Gov. Dewhurst to include the following subject in its interim studies: “Review state and local policies relating to development and growth in rural and unincorporated regions of the state. Work with housing advocates, county organizations and appropriate officials to assess the proliferation of substandard housing in rural and unincorporated areas.” The Senate IRT committee is chaired by a former county commissioner, Sen. Eddie Lucio. Other committee members include Senators Patrick, Estes, Fraser, Gallegos, Seliger and Uresti.
Chairman Lucio has scheduled a public hearing in Austin on this issue for 9:00 a.m. on Wed., June 18, in Room E1.012, Capitol Annex Building. The committee is requesting testimony from county officials on specific issues on the lack of land use authority and building codes in the unincorporated area. If your county has experienced problems with incompatible development, inadequate regulatory authority, or shoddy construction practices, please notify me and plan to testify at this hearing.
On a personal note: On May 1, I completed 25 years as the general counsel of the County Judges and Commissioners Association of Texas. Thanks for the opportunity to continue to work for you. It is still the only job that I want in the world. Let’s keep making county government even better.
Jim Allison, General Counsel