Category Archives: Local Governmental Entities
Public Facility Corporations
Recently, the Houston Chronicle wrote a story about Public Facility Corporations (“PFCs”) a statutory organizational mechanism provided for in the Local Government Code which allows developers to purchase land in one local jurisdiction, remove it from that jurisdiction’s tax rolls through a statutory tax exemption, and partner with another local jurisdiction which then purchases… Read More »
Municipal Moneyball: Misappropriation of Public Funds
In recent weeks, Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre has been in the news for some pretty unscrupulous reasons. CBS reports that, “in May of 2020, the Mississippi state auditor announced that the Department of Human Services had wasted tens of millions of dollars in federal money which was intended to help needy families”…. Read More »
Parkland Dedication
Every city needs recreational facilities and green spaces for the pleasure and personal health of its residents. How can a city provide these amenities for its citizens? One way is through parkland dedication. A parkland dedication is a requirement imposed by city ordinance on subdivision developers, mandating that developers dedicate land for parks or… Read More »
The Texas Whistleblower Act
Do two wrongs make a right? Some government employees report what they suspect to be governmental wrongdoing to – for example – either the governing body of the entity or the local police department during or after what they believe to be adverse personnel action or wrongful termination. These governmental employees then claim to… Read More »
Film Friendly and Music Friendly Designation for Texas Communities
The Texas Film Commission’s Film Friendly Program (FFTX) trains municipal leaders about the film production process and how to generate economic development by facilitating filming requests in their community. The program started in 2007 as a certification process, and a marketing program initiated and overseen by the Texas Film Commission. The Texas Film Commission… Read More »
Incentives to Draw Commercial Business to Your Municipality
What are the key incentives to draw commercial business to municipalities in Texas? At the state level here in Texas, there are multiple incentives, not the least of which is no state income tax for businesses that relocate their employees to our state. The following are a few of the common incentive offerings that… Read More »
Regional Councils and Disaster Relief
It is likely that none of us pictured a hurricane or even flooding when we first read “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” where Samuel Taylor Coleridge describes “water water everywhere”. While heat is usually the topic of summer conversation, June 1st through November 30th is hurricane season in Texas. In fact, hurricanes and… Read More »
Municipal Code Enforcement
This blog follows my earlier blog regarding Texas Municipal Courts. Most Texans have received a parking ticket or traffic ticket and are likely familiar with the municipal court in the city they reside. In addition to the prosecution of traffic and parking offenses, city municipal courts also have the jurisdiction to enforce the city… Read More »
Show Me the Bacon: Davis-Bacon Wage Determination in Federally Funded Public Works Projects
With budgets falling into place and the beginning of the new fiscal year drawing near, grant season is officially around the corner. Federal projections have estimated approximately $1 trillion for aid to State, local, tribal, and territorial governments in 2023. With the annual review of public finances, along with the accompanying updates to local… Read More »
Public Information: Establishing Proper Identification
Governmental bodies subject to the Texas Public Information Act are not able to inquire into the purpose for which the requested information will be used. In fact, a single statute governs all of the inquiries that a governmental body may make of a requestor, the heading for which is aptly named “Permissible Inquiry by… Read More »