Senate Local Government Committee advances more than a dozen MUD and MMD bills

The Senate Committee on Local Government advanced more than a dozen bills creating or changing municipal utility districts and municipal management districts during its committee hearing, moving most measures to the full Senate with committee recommendations to pass.

The bills covered a range of local development actions: boundary realignments for an existing conservation district in Hays County, new MMDs and MUDs for planned master‑planned developments in multiple counties, and technical or validating fixes to earlier district creations. Senator Campbell (sponsor) said of one measure, “This bill simply redefines the boundaries of the existing Driftwood Conservation District to reflect the 522 acres in the district's original creation and several property annexations,” describing recent petitions that added “approximately 104 acres on 2 separate landowner's petitions.”

Why it matters: MUDs and MMDs can finance roads, utilities and other infrastructure through assessments, fees, bonds or, in some cases, voter‑approved taxes. Changes to district boundaries or powers affect which properties pay for and receive district services and can influence local land development and infrastructure financing.

What the committee did - The committee laid out and reported multiple measures to the full Senate, commonly adopting committee substitutes…