April 29, 2016
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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
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
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
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
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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 IndexIn 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!
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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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