[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6568335,"mediaKeyId","3203232-ca185bbdd4397c322fa1ba1d83850c0d","parentId",3203232,"title","Council hears update on 89th Texas Legislature; bills on taxes, water, utilities and local authority tracked","audioSeconds",1395,"startMs",1378000,"endMs",2773000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3203232-ca185bbdd4397c322fa1ba1d83850c0d&start=1378&end=2773","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3203232-ca185bbdd4397c322fa1ba1d83850c0d/thumbnail_1378000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6568335/Denton-City/Denton-County/Texas/Council-hears-update-on-89th-Texas-Legislature-bills-on-taxes-water-utilities-and-local-authority-tracked","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6568335-0551cdb2eb49248d7abafe3a2ce6faf4/orig.mp4?Expires=1770891069&Signature=iUHiy2YJSJqmLNsMoGrVntkUmiG7jmBrSJQS3z7abCRb3Tqkuo5s~OtZo1ozZULf9vP0RdxPFTo0U8V64aNAsgCQrQR5RK03t0vNMEJlvKSc0fs0CB16~gRyv6aQ66879f5M71Z2P-sDq8lZ4R7uMHm5RErN7aU-C71cFZyfh8wT5CF8afgnLAtcvbuEhYnuLb6xWRlBPo93-fgpL~Qj4NtC9lzN18Ixlx0kVZAA8RCXfSOCUNzzWW0oRIOg~0Xcea0Sjg7suTThls5Ok6t-bm7L7ODzLcCypB-XH~GSDfyHhKIiOJaimhIkU0oUERbBFCKGy-ndUeNULIgLszYNBQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Denton","date","2025-05-06T00:00:00Z","article","Christie Fogle, Denton’s chief of staff, briefed the Denton City Council on the status of the 89th Texas Legislature during the May 6 work session, outlining bills the city is tracking and the potential local impacts if measures pass.

Fogle said the session was on day 113 of 140 and the city was tracking 709 filed bills, 142 of which had received committee hearings; roughly 34 of those bills directly relate to the city’s legislative priorities and the city has registered positions where appropriate. “This is crunch time,” she said, noting June 2 is the legislature’s last day for this session and September 1 is the typical effective date for most bills that pass.

Fogle summarized bills of potential municipal impact discussed by staff:

- HB 9 (property tax exemption): House and Senate negotiators were reported to be moving toward a compromise to expand exemptions, though Fogle described that as preliminary.

- Bills addressing THC product regulation (Senate “ban” and House amendments): Fogle said the Senate had passed a fuller ban while the House sent amendments that would allow some low-dose products; the lieutenant governor’s position remained a variable.

- Funding for mental-health services: Fogle said Representative Ben Bumgarner had filed or secured two budget amendments that were in the conferees’ review: $75,000,000 for a Denton County state hospital and $20,000,000 for community mental-health services in Denton County; those amounts were included in the conferees’ budget discussions at the time of the briefing.

- Bills limiting municipal authority or revenue: Fogle mentioned SB 19 (restricting municipal use of registered lobbyists), bills restricting franchise-fee authority for solid-waste services (one bill would limit franchise fees to 2%) and HB 19 (limits on debt issuance and timing of debt elections); staff said some measures had stalled in committee after city opposition.

- Land use and development bills: Fogle highlighted bills affecting extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ), accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and plat review requirements — citing SB 2522 (ETJ limits), SB 673 (ADU rules), HB 23 (third-party plat review) and HB 24 (changes to protest and amendment procedures) — and said staff were monitoring possible impacts and negotiating carve-outs or amendments where feasible.

- Procurement and finance bills: Fogle noted SB 1173 would raise the competitive-bid threshold from $50,000 to $100,000, which would alter procurement practices if enacted.

- Water and utilities: Fogle described several priorities including SB 7 and HJR 7 (Texas Water Fund and advisory committee, and a proposed constitutional amendment to authorize large water-funding capacity) and bills aimed at increasing flexibility to fund local transportation projects.

During the Q&A, council members asked for updates on energy legislation and how potential state or federal actions could affect the city’s renewable-energy portfolio. A utilities official identified in the meeting as Tony, the utility general manager, told council that federal tariffs on imported solar panels and extended delivery timelines for wind and turbine equipment were affecting timelines and costs; he said multi-year delivery waits are being reported across supply chains.

Councilmembers also asked for follow-up on several items, including the status of the budget conferees’ review of the mental-health amendments and whether bills to move municipal elections to November were gaining traction. Fogle said conferee work was ongoing and staff would send updates to the council on specific bills and budget items.

No formal council action resulted from the briefing; staff said they will continue to monitor the session and return with updates as deadlines approach.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Denton - City Council on 2025-05-06 2:00 PM - May 06, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Christie Fogle, Denton’s chief of staff, briefed council on the 89th Texas Legislature’s status and bills that could affect municipal authority, finance and services. Council members asked for follow-up on energy and mental-health funding and noted key deadlines before session adjourns.","taxTitle","Denton City, Denton County, Texas","taxId",2787,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6568339,"Denton council reviews plan to move expiring economic-development incentives into Catalyst Fund",1290,73000,1363000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3203232-ca185bbdd4397c322fa1ba1d83850c0d&start=73&end=1363","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3203232-ca185bbdd4397c322fa1ba1d83850c0d/thumbnail_73000.jpg","/articles/6568339/Denton-City/Denton-County/Texas/Denton-council-reviews-plan-to-move-expiring-economic-development-incentives-into-Catalyst-Fund","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6568339-b8a507449c33aec26342c941457f147a/orig.mp4?Expires=1770891069&Signature=oFCCfMEtqrbYF-DILloeYhqSMW7lf0bPAp3o~HvIYZwFZcDOCagOEHWgMfD-idcq64m8yeFzQ8Dh00CPvVguFsCpI2mOz8k3Y6bfZfbMFnk7qR37xuAIuSCbAOwejigkYITUhUjQdlmPPPAQNhDt-M322JetTw3sDwf-YgAEDdB7DsSnuHk9OmXPd0NvI6HNopAsLkjteyMUB2IkIak4cxc~HZAzpkHyMn0U4tf6e9yVRaSIAx0d-N3z8h1dcp-pvKG-RAAdVfHR3o1PW6Q-0Esz7HkuhrVCBnxR2T43csStcKaDT40NgonD5xTADNAkDZZu317YN2ojJXTVhhpDxQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Christine Taylor, Denton’s assistant city manager, presented a proposal at the May 6 Denton City Council work session to redirect budgeted portions of expiring economic-development incentives to the city’s Catalyst Fund.

Taylor said the goal is to create a sustainable, recurring funding source by taking the portion of incentives that had been budgeted in the general fund and, once those incentives expire, rolling that budgeted amount into the Catalyst Fund subject to annual budget review. “Staff’s recommendation is to relocate expiring economic development incentives to the Catalyst Fund,” she said.

The Catalyst Fund was created in 2022 and had an ending fund balance of about $5,300,000 in the most recent fiscal year, Taylor said. The fund was initially seeded with a one-time transfer of $2,000,000 from utility (water and wastewater) funds, carries an annual dedicated $150,000 contribution from mixed beverage tax revenue and this fiscal year includes a $1,000,000 budgeted data-center revenue contribution. The fund is intended for job-based grants, entrepreneur/tech grants, infrastructure assistance, headquarters grants, deal-closing funds and land acquisition or state and federal matching funds.

Taylor showed a 10-year forecast that, if council opted to roll eligible, expiring incentive-budget amounts into the Catalyst Fund annually, the fund balance could approach roughly $9,000,000 — a level consultants recommended in Denton’s 2021 economic-development strategic plan as improving the city’s competitiveness in the North Texas market.

Taylor described likely program parameters from the forecast: an average estimated cost per job of roughly $1,700, entrepreneur/tech grants around $25,000 (with an expectation of issuing roughly 18 over 10 years), occasional infrastructure-assistance grants, deal-closing awards that could be on the order of $250,000 depending on project, and potentially two land acquisitions over a 10-year period for large catalyst projects.

Council members asked whether the rollover would be automatic or subject to annual budget deliberations; Taylor said the ordinance wording would make the transfers contingent on the budget process so council could decide year-by-year how much, if any, to roll into the Catalyst Fund. “We’d show the amount of the expiring incentive during the budget process, [and] be able to have a conversation with council,” she said.

Several councilmembers expressed support for the concept while emphasizing flexibility. A councilmember identified in the record as Representative, District 6, called the proposal “a start” and said the approach would not take funding from existing programs: “We’re not cutting positions anywhere. We’re not drawing it from anywhere that it’s being used right now,” the councilmember said, adding that the funding would act like a savings account to increase competitiveness.

No formal vote was taken during the work session. Taylor said that if council recommends moving forward, staff will return with an ordinance to the Economic Development Partnership Board and then to the council for formal consideration.

The discussion closed with council members confirming that the proposed transfers would be evaluated as part of the annual budget process so that council could weigh general-fund needs, data-center revenues and other pressures before directing any rollovers.","City staff proposed rolling budgeted portions of expiring economic-development incentives into the Catalyst Fund to create a recurring, dedicated source for job grants, infrastructure assistance and deal-closing funds; staff will draft an ordinance for future committee and council consideration.","actionData","errors"]

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Council hears update on 89th Texas Legislature; bills on taxes, water, utilities and local authority tracked

Denton council reviews plan to move expiring economic-development incentives into Catalyst Fund