Throughout the last several legislative sessions, certain legislators have continued their efforts to obtain legislation to prohibit local officials and their nonprofit associations from communicating with the Texas Legislature, said CJCAT Senior General Counsel Jim Allison. “Using the term ‘taxpayer-funded lobbying,’ this legislation would bar local officials from expending … [Read more...] about Resolution Spotlight: Communicating With the Texas Legislature
Resolutions
Resolution Spotlight: Optional County Road and Bridge Fee
*** Click here for the audio version.*** According to Texas Transportation Code Section 502.401, Subchapter H, Optional Fees, “The Commissioners Court of a county by order may impose an additional fee, not to exceed $10, for registering a vehicle in the county.” The $10 maximum was established in 1991. County Impact Grimes County collects the $10 fee, which is deposited … [Read more...] about Resolution Spotlight: Optional County Road and Bridge Fee
Resolution Spotlight: Municipal Utility Districts
*** Click here for the audio version.*** A municipal utility district (MUD) is a state governmental entity that provides utility services to designated areas. A MUD may be created by the Texas Legislature or by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) following a petition and consent process described in the Texas Water Code. MUDs are usually created … [Read more...] about Resolution Spotlight: Municipal Utility Districts
Resolution Spotlight: Mentally Incompetent Inmates
In many Texas counties, the county jail has become a de facto mental institution housing mentally ill inmates awaiting due process without their medications and/or life-sustaining therapies. Texas Health and Human Services (HHS) operates nine state hospitals and one residential youth center, all located across the state, for people with mental health issues. If a judge … [Read more...] about Resolution Spotlight: Mentally Incompetent Inmates
Resolution Spotlight: Juvenile Funding
County governments provided approximately 73 percent of the total funding for juvenile probation departments in FY 2024, according to the 2025 Texas Juvenile Justice Department (TJJD) Rider Report to the Governor and Legislative Budget Board. This percentage has historically been as high as 75 percent, confirmed Windy Johnson, program manager for the Conference of Urban … [Read more...] about Resolution Spotlight: Juvenile Funding