According to the Constitution of the County Judges and Commissioners Association of Texas, one of the purposes of the organization is to “encourage active participation in governmental affairs.” This active participation has become more vital to “foster the general welfare of county government” in recent years. The direction of the state legislature and its … [Read more...] about 2022 Legislative Issues
unfunded mandates
Changes in County Government Legal Requirements
Counties are governed by the Texas Constitution, legislative statutes, court decisions, and orders and regulations from the governor and state agencies. This column will discuss some recent changes affecting Commissioners Courts. VIRTUAL MEETINGS OF COMMISSIONERS COURTS In March 2020, Gov. Greg Abbott suspended certain provisions of the Texas Open Meetings Act to allow … [Read more...] about Changes in County Government Legal Requirements
Anatomy of an Unfunded Mandate, Part II
A statutory duty imposed upon counties by the legislature without funding is an unfunded mandate. Every unfunded mandate requires a property tax increase. The majority of the CJCAT legislative efforts are directed toward the prevention of additional unfunded mandates. This session was no exception. In 2005, this column described the “Anatomy of an Unfunded Mandate.” That … [Read more...] about Anatomy of an Unfunded Mandate, Part II
The Cost of County Government
Results of the 2020 Unfunded Mandates Survey
A Collaborative Report by the: Texas Association of Counties, County Judges and Commissioners Association of Texas, Texas Conference of Urban Counties, Texas Association of County Auditors and County Treasurers Association of Texas Editor’s Note: This survey was created to help explain the cost of unfunded and underfunded mandates on property tax payers. The … [Read more...] about The Cost of County Government
Significant County-Related Bills
SILENCE COUNTY OFFICIALS LEGISLATION Some proponents of S.B. 234/ H.B. 749 have claimed that these bills would permit nonprofit associations to continue legislative communications and distribution of legislative information on behalf of their members. That is not true. Section 1(a) of these bills provides that “a political subdivision may not spend public funds: (1) to hire … [Read more...] about Significant County-Related Bills