Category Archives: Local Governmental Entities
Public Input Ahead of City Council Decisions on Agenda Items Now Required under Texas Law
In Texas, it has long been established that the public has a right to attend public meetings, such as city council meetings, so that they can be aware of what’s going on in their local government. There is an entire chapter in the Texas Government Code known as the Texas Open Meetings Act which… Read More »
Eminent Domain in the Lone Star State
The subject of Eminent Domain is coming up more and more frequently for Texas municipalities due to the rapid growth in population that Texas has been experiencing over the last decade. While the wave of people moving to the Lonestar State has started to recede thanks to the decline in unemployment across this great… Read More »
After Texas Put a Stop to Red-Light Cameras, Drivers Can Still Slow Down
According to the New York Times, the use of red-light cameras in the United States started in New York City, which tested one in 1992 and then turned on more of them over the years. Other state and city governments gradually adopted them, and by 2018, there were about 400 communities in the United… Read More »
Vacancies, Resignations, Removals, and Holdovers
This blog entry is based on a presentation originally given by former Randle Law Office attorney Timothy Kirwin. Vacancies, Resignations, Removals, and Holdovers Topic Overview: Focus on Type A General law cities, but at times reference Type B and C cities These laws apply to cities with council terms of 2 years or less… Read More »
Texas Cities Maintain Control Over All Streets within Their Boundaries
Lake Jackson may be the only Texas town to have named its streets This Way, That Way, Any Way, and His Way (which runs behind a church), but for all municipal streets in the Lone Star State, it’s either the city’s way or the highway. Texas Transportation Code Chapter 311 makes it abundantly clear… Read More »
Texas Drone Law Comes Under Media Scrutiny
In 2017, the Texas legislature enacted new law regulating where you can fly a drone, or as Texas law refers to them, “unmanned aircraft”. Texas legal restrictions on the operation of drones are set out in Chapter 423 of the Texas Government Code. The newest provisions of the drone law went into effect September… Read More »
Short-Term Rentals in Texas – Can Cities Regulate Airbnb?
Over the past few years, short-term rentals (STRs) such as Airbnb have spread like wildfire. Many people have benefited from this service whether finding a room for the night or making a few extra bucks by renting out extra space. Looking at the situation in its most narrow form, the homeowner makes a little… Read More »
What… This Old Thing? Texas Hotel Occupancy Tax and Historic Preservation
As most Texans already know, the population in our great state has grown by leaps and bounds in the last decade. In 2017, it was estimated that Texas was growing by more than 1,000 people per day, which was the largest number of any state in the country. This unprecedented growth in population is… Read More »
Cities in a Storm: How Cities in Texas Prepare for Protests, Disasters and Disturbances
The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution states: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” First Amendment rights are held… Read More »
Maintenance Check: Keeping Your City on Schedule for Required Actions
Most people probably know that cars have a maintenance schedule, which includes things such as oil changes and tire rotations, but did you know that cities have a maintenance schedule, too? State law requires cities to review, renew, renegotiate, or otherwise revisit certain things every so often, usually for the sake of government openness… Read More »