Category Archives: Local Governmental Entities
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 »
Vaping Lounge, Hookah Bar and Tobacco Sales Regulation by City Ordinance
Many Texas cities have ordinances on their books that regulate or even prohibit shops that sell tobacco and tobacco products. Recently, however, new types of shops have popped up, calling themselves “hookah bars” and “vape lounges.” They have become so popular that Governor Greg Abbott recently signed into law a bill that raises the… Read More »
A Growing Problem: Distinguishing Between Hemp and Marijuana under Texas Law
The laws surrounding hemp and marijuana have become increasingly convoluted in recent years. What’s legal in one state isn’t necessarily legal in another. Then last year, President Trump signed the 2018 Farm Bill into law. The bill legalized hemp products federally and gave the primary authority to the individual States to develop State plans… Read More »
Strengthening Cybersecurity for Municipalities in Texas is Now a Mandate
Sunday, September 1st, opens dove season in the north zone in Texas, college football will have started, and new laws go into effect in Texas. That priority is intentional! One new bill mandates that cities train their personnel in cybersecurity every year. Of course, this is an unfunded mandate but still good policy. House… Read More »