Category Archives: Local Governmental Entities
Stafford’s Case Study in No Property Taxes
Texas cities rely on taxpayer dollars to generate revenue to fund local governmental services and infrastructure. The vast majority of cities across our state generate the bulk of their revenue from property taxes. For nearly 30 years, however, the City of Stafford, Texas has operated without collecting any property taxes. Due to their unique… Read More »
Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA)
The federal law to regulate telephone solicitations is known as the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA); implemented by President Bush over 30 years ago. Any person, business, or entity that conducts telephone solicitations should comply with the TCPA; this includes voice calls, faxes, VoIP calls, and text messages. The TCPA also introduced the requirement… Read More »
Order in the Council Chambers
At the beginning of a City Council meeting, the Mayor says: “I call this meeting of the city council to order.” But what does order in a city council meeting look like and how can it be established and maintained? Texas state law does not establish rules of order for city council meetings; however,… Read More »
Go Speed Racer, Go! (Or Maybe Don’t)
Those of a certain vintage might remember the late 1960’s animated Speed Racer series and others might be more familiar with the re-airing of the series in the 1990’s or even the 2008 movie remake, but either way, you probably now have the earworm opening song stuck in your head. Speed Racer sought to… Read More »
In Political Advertising, Time (and Slogans) Equal Money
Under the Texas Elections Code, an officer or employee of a political subdivision may not knowingly spend or authorize the spending of public funds for political advertising. Tex. Elec. Code § 255.003. Political advertising is defined as “a communication supporting or opposing a candidate for nomination or election to a public office or office… Read More »
Farmer Joe
Since we don’t have enough wars raging presently, Texas has declared war to protect farming. Did you know that was a problem? Proposition 1 (that’s how important this is, first place on the ballot) will seek to amend the Texas Constitution for the 518th time since 1876. It seeks to restrict regulations and ensure,… Read More »
“Please Release Me, Let Me Go!”
Previously, our office blogged about what an ETJ is. To recap, the extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) is the legal authority that a city holds to regulate and make decisions in areas that are outside of its formal city limits, but still within a designated surrounding boundary. The ETJ allows a city to plan for future… Read More »
Fifth Circuit Overturns Title VII Discrimination Law Precedent
Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, §§ 2000e et seq., it is unlawful for an employer “to discriminate against any individual with respect to his compensation, terms, conditions or privileges of employment, because of such individual’s race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.” 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-2(a)(1) (emphasis added). For… Read More »
HB 1817 Places Onus on Cities to Escape Potentially Voidable Contracts
In 2015, the Texas Legislature adopted House Bill 1295 – an ethics law requiring a written disclosure of interested parties by business entities that enter certain contracts with governmental entities, including municipalities. Now, before entering into a contract with a Texas municipality that requires an action or vote by the city council before the… Read More »
“Sovereign Citizens and Your Local Government”
IMLA, the International Municipal Lawyer’s Association, featured an article by Judith El Masri, as their cover story for their July/August magazine. “Sovereign Citizens and Your Local Government” examines the historical roots of the movement, how and where municipal or government officials may encounter them in their city, and the justice system, and what to… Read More »