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12-10-20-4.5 - Resolution - 12/10/2020RESOLUTION NO. 12-10-20-4.5 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS, ADOPTING THE 2021 LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM FOR THE CITY OF COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS; DIRECTING THE CITY MANAGER OR HIS DESIGNEE TO ACT WITH REGARD TO THE CITY’S 2021 LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM; AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE WHEREAS, legislative activities are ongoing in the Texas State Legislature; and WHEREAS, it is anticipated that many legislative issues affecting local government will be considered; and WHEREAS, City staff prepared the recommended 2021 Legislative Program attached hereto as Exhibit “A” and the 2021 Legislative Program has been reviewed by the City Council of the City of College Station; and WHEREAS, the City Council is of the opinion that such 2021 Legislative Program is in the best interest of the City and the College Station community (i.e., residents and businesses), should be adopted, and should be forwarded for consideration by the Legislature; and WHEREAS, the City Council is of the further opinion that the City Manager or his designee should be directed to take action with regard to the 2021 Legislative Program as outlined below; now, therefore, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS: PART 1: That the facts and recitations set forth in this Resolution are declared true and correct. PART 2: That the 2021 Legislative Program that is attached hereto as Exhibit “A” is hereby adopted and approved as the 2021 Legislative Program for the City of College Station. PART 3: That the City Manager or his designee is directed to communicate the items included in the 2021 Legislative Program to members of the Texas Legislature, in general, and/or to the appropriate legislative committees, committee members and others designated by the City Manager. PART 4: That for those items designated as “support” by the City Council, the City Manager or his designee is directed to actively pursue passage of the appropriate legislation if it is introduced by some other entity. The City Manager’s efforts to obtain passage of the legislation may include drafting appropriate legislation, seeking a sponsor, and actively pursuing passage of such legislation by providing testimony and through other means. PART 5: For those items designated as “oppose” by the City Council, the City Manager or his designee is directed to attempt to impede the passage of any such legislation. RESOLUTION NO. 12-10-20-4.5 Page 2 of 4 PART 6: It is recognized this policy will often be implemented in the context of great numbers of legislative proposals being considered within short time periods. City representatives, under the direction of the City Manager, shall be authorized to act on behalf of the City consistent with the necessary broad policy concerns set forth in this program. PART 7: That this Resolution shall take effect immediately from and after its passage. ADOPTED this 10th day of December, 2020. ATTEST: APPROVED: ______________________________ _________________________________ City Secretary MAYOR APPROVED: _______________________________ City Attorney RESOLUTION NO. 12-10-20-4.5 Page 3 of 4 EXHIBIT A The 2021 Legislative Program is a guide for City of College Station (“City”) positions and priorities. The purpose of the City’s legislative efforts is to protect the City’s interests by advocating for what is in the best interest of the College Station community (i.e., citizens and businesses). Many significant decisions affecting Texas cities are made by the Texas Legislature, and the number of city-related bills as a percentage of total bills filed rises every session. During the 2019 session, more than 2,000 bills were filed that would have affected Texas cities in some way. LOCAL CONTROL The City seeks to preserve home rule authority for College Station citizens. Decisions are best left at the local level to the elected mayors and city council members who best understand the needs and expectations of their communities. Therefore, the City may oppose bills that will provide for state preemption of municipal authority in general or specifically erode College Station’s authority to govern locally. GROWTH & DEVELOPMENT Local governments bear a responsibility to provide core services that contribute to the overall health and well-being of its citizens. As a vibrant, growing community, the need for additional public safety, transportation, and basic infrastructure resources in College Station is significant. The City supports legislation that would: •provide fairness and equity in the application of sales and use taxes for goods and services;•make beneficial amendments to HB 3167, the subdivision platting “shot clock” bill, and HB 2439, the building materials bill•allow for greater flexibility by local governments to fund local transportation projects;•amend state law to help cities fund transportation projects or provide cities with additional funding options and resources;•support regionally appropriate highway improvements and rail;•provide that proper professional licensing requirements remain in effect to ensure the health, safety, and well-being of residents; and•establish that expenditures of Community Development Block Grant funds by cities are a governmental function. The City opposes legislation that would: •erode municipal and voter authority related to development matters through land use and zoning, regulatory takings, and building codes;•diminish local control of municipally owned utilities; and•erode authority for adequate compensation for use of our public rights-of-way and/or erode municipal authority over the management and control of our public rights-of-way, including by state or federal rules or federal legislation. FINANCE Municipal revenue is made up of sources such as property taxes, sales taxes, right-of-way revenues, service fees, and court fines. The City seeks to maintain a predictable level of revenue and oppose state mandates that do not allow the City to provide a stable source of funding to meet the needs of the City’s citizens as approved by City Council. RESOLUTION NO. 12-10-20-4.5 Page 4 of 4 The City supports legislation that would: •cap the administrative fee the State Comptroller may assess for the administration of sales tax revenue;•clean-up legislation for SB 2 that would clarify the calculation of disputed property tax values and also allow for more timely certified property rolls;•legislation that would increase the uses for hotel occupancy taxes; and•provide consistency, uniformity, and additional funding to College Station’s Municipal Court. The City opposes legislation that would: •impose new property or sales tax exemptions that would substantially erode College Station’s tax base;•impose an unfunded mandate;•erode the ability to issue debt;•erode local control over employment issues, particularly those related to public safety; and•erode local control over retirement issues.