April 29, 2016
Property Tax Roadshow: Deceptive Comparison Misleads Texans about Property Taxes
The Senate Select Committee on Property Tax Reform and Relief Property held a hearing in Arlington last Wednesday and once again presented tax and household income growth comparisons that make no sense. The committee, appointed to examine local property taxes, has been deceiving Texans about property tax increases by making an "apples to oranges" comparison between the growth in total property taxes and median household income. ...read more

Senate Property Tax Committee Meetings Continue: Next Stop is May 10 in Houston
The next meeting of the Senate Select Committee on Property Tax Reform and Relief will be at the University of Houston Student Center Ballroom at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, May 10, 2016, in Room 210. The Center is located at 4455 University Dr., Houston, TX, 77204. ...read more

PUC Seeks Jurisdiction over City Water and Sewer Utilities
In a case of d�j� vu, the Public Utility Commission of Texas (Commission) has issued an Order Requesting Briefing on the question of "What is the Commission's jurisdiction on an appeal of a municipality's water and sewer rates over the rates of the in-town residents of the municipality?" The order stems from a rate case involving the City of Woodloch's water and sewer customers outside the city's limits. ...read more

NLC Releases Infrastructure Report
U.S. cities are struggling under the weight of an infrastructure deficit, with a growing backlog of projects made worse by a slow economic recovery. A new report from the National League of Cities, Paying for Local Infrastructure in a New Era of Federalism: A State-by-State Analysis, presents a national comparison of the local tools available for cities to fund infrastructure. ...read more

Local and Municipal Health Care Choice Act
Proposed federal legislation addresses a critical city-related problem with the 2010 Affordable Care Act, which mandates health insurance in most cases. The Local and Municipal Health Care Choice Act (H.R. 2869 by Kenny Marchant (R - Irving) would permit state league health benefit pools to join forces to serve customers across state lines, a necessity in the highly competitive world of health exchanges and health care reform. ...read more

2015 Legislation Impacts City Property Tax Rate Setting Process for 2016 and Beyond
In 2015, the legislature passed H.B. 1953 and S.B. 1760. The bills, which became effective on January 1, 2016, modify certain aspects of the property tax adoption process. Of particular interest to cities, the legislation makes the following changes: ...read more

Payday Lending Clearinghouse Updates
The League's "Payday Lending Clearinghouse" webpage, available at www.tml.org/payday-updates, includes information related to the regulation of payday and auto title lenders. It is updated from time-to-time to reflect recent developments. Interested city officials should note that another city, the City of Harker Heights, has adopted payday business regulations. ...read more
2016 Annual TML Tax and Debt Survey Results Are Available
The 2016 Annual TML Tax and Debt Survey results are now available online. This year, 591 cities responded to the survey (1,217 surveys were distributed).

Review this year's results here.

Vacancies on the Texas Municipal League (TML) Small Cities Advisory Council
The TML Small Cities Advisory Council (SCAC) advises the TML Board of Directors and staff on ways the League's services to small cities can be expanded or modified, consistent with TML's resources and the needs of the organization as a whole. The SCAC meets three times a year, and is made up of a dedicated and diverse group of elected and appointed officials in cities with populations of less than 15,000 from each of TML's 15 regions.

There are currently vacancies on the council that need to be filled by city officials in TML regions 2, 9, and 12. To find what TML region your city is in, check the regional map or the Texas City Officials Directory.

Contact Gray Bulman with the League staff at [email protected] or 512-231-7406 for more information or if you would like to be considered for a position on the SCAC.

Inspire Greatness in Your Community
Learn what it takes to be an inspiring leader at the 2016 TML Leadership Academy - a two-part, six-day program designed to improve the leadership skills of officials who serve our Texas cities. Taking place May 18-20 and June 15-17 at the Austin Marriott North in Round Rock, the Leadership Academy features an impressive faculty of university professors and thought leaders who will teach you to assess your personal style and actions, and develop the competencies you need to be an inspiring leader.

Attendance is limited for the two-part program. Learn more here.

TML Budget Workshop is Coming to Bastrop
Make plans to join TML on June 9 in Bastrop for the Budget, Tax Rate, and Audit Workshop, designed for city officials and staff who have a role in developing or implementing the city budget.

At this one-day workshop, you will learn:
  • The basics of the budget and tax rate setting process
  • How to forecast municipal revenue
  • The key components of the annual financial report
  • The top five issues discovered by the audit
  • How politics can play into the budget, tax rate, and audit process
Visit the website to learn more and register.

Legal Q&A Index
In each issue of Texas Town & City magazine, a TML attorney addresses common or emerging legal topics in the Legal Q & A feature. An index of this popular feature can be accessed online in the Legal Research section of the TML website. If the index doesn't answer your question, TML member city officials can always contact the TML Legal Department for help. For information on contacting a TML attorney and to explore other online legal resources, go to the Ask a TML Attorney page on the TML website.

TML's LinkedIn Group: A Place to Connect
If you're a city official in a TML member city, you're invited to join our LinkedIn Group. The TML LinkedIn Group will connect you with peers in other Texas cities in a private forum. You can post interesting articles, discuss city issues, and share your insights and best practices.

Join our LinkedIn Group today!
May 12-13 Region 12 Meeting
South Padre Island
May 13
Region 4 Meeting
Monahans
May 26
Region 16 Meeting
Liberty
May 26 Region 15 Meeting
Nacogdoches
Jun 14
Region 10 Meeting
Brenham
Jun 23Region 3 Meeting
Lubbock
Aug 19
Region 11 Meeting
Refugio
Aug 26-27Region 14 Meeting
Conroe
Sep 29Region 3 Meeting
Lubbock
May 4-6
Texas Municipal Human Resources Association Annual Conference
Fort Worth
May 11-13
Texas Municipal Utility Association Leadership and Management Conference
Kerrville
May 12-13
Grant Writing for Municipal Programs and Projects
Dallas
May 12-13
Municipal Annexation: Why Cities Need It and How to Do It Right
Austin
May 18-20
TML Leadership Academy - Course 1
Round Rock
Jun 8-10
Texas Association of Municipal Information Officers Annual Conference
Arlington
Jun 9
Budget, Tax Rate, and Audit Workshop
Bastrop
Jun 9-12
Texas City Management Association Annual Conference
South Padre Island
Jun 15-17
Texas City Attorneys Association Summer Conference
Bastrop
Jun 15-17
TML Leadership Academy - Course 2
Round Rock
Jun 23-24
Public Funds Investment Act
Austin
Jul 15
TML Small Cities' Problem-Solving Clinic
Alice
Jul 28-29
Newly Elected City Officials' Orientation
Granbury
Aug 2-5
Building Officials Association of Texas Annual Conference
Sugar Land
Aug 12
TML Small Cities' Problem-Solving Clinic
Andrews
Aug 18-19
Newly Elected City Officials' Orientation
San Antonio
Oct 4-7
TML Annual Conference and Exhibition
Austin
Oct 26-28
Government Finance Officers Association Fall Conference
Arlington
Nov 3-4
TML Municipal Law 101: What Every Elected Official Should Know
Austin
Nov 17-18
Economic Development Conference
Bastrop
Dec 8-9
Public Funds Investment Act
San Antonio

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Texas Municipal League
1821 Rutherford Lane, Suite 400
Austin, Texas 78754
Phone: 512-231-7400
Fax: 512-231-7495

 

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