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City manager summarizes 89th Texas Legislature; water funding and local bills affect Lubbock
Summary
City officials heard a city manager briefing on key outcomes of the 89th Texas Legislature and the likely items in a July special session, including a major water-funding amendment, school property tax changes, and several bills that affect municipal zoning, mobile vendors and first responders.
The Lubbock City Council heard a detailed briefing July 8 from the city manager on highlights from the 89th Texas Legislative session and items on the governor's special‑session call.
The city manager told the council the session was “extremely busy,” with 8,719 actionable bills filed statewide and 1,231 enacted, and noted an unusually low overall pass rate. He said several enacted measures and pending special‑session items are directly relevant to Lubbock.
Why it matters: several bills change local land‑use, procurement and public‑safety rules that shape how Lubbock governs growth and procures services. One bill — Senate Bill 7 — also creates a large, statewide funding mechanism for water infrastructure that city officials say could deliver significant new dollars to local projects.
Key items described by the city manager included: - Water funding (Senate Bill 7). The city manager said the legislature approved a constitutional amendment that, if approved by voters, would create $1,000,000,000 in net new state dollars per year for 20 years, splitting funds 50/50 between existing infrastructure improvements (pumps, pipes, tanks) and new water supply. He also said the legislature provided a separate one‑time appropriation of $2,500,000,000 in current funds to the Texas Water Development Board.
- Local zoning and housing bills. The manager summarized House Bill 24 (changes to protest thresholds and area calculations for certain residential or mixed‑use zone changes), Senate Bill 15 (changes to minimum lot sizes for certain “tiny lot” unplatted residential lots; final minimums in the enrolled version were 3,000 square feet and 30 feet width), and several housing‑related laws that require cities to permit HUD‑code manufactured housing in at least one residential district. He noted the new laws leave deed‑restriction enforcement to private parties, not the city.
- Mobile food vendors and inspections. House Bill 2844 now allows a license issued in one jurisdiction to be recognized across jurisdictions; the manager said the state must still adopt implementing rules.
- Protections for first responders. The manager highlighted multiple bills expanding presumptive illness coverage and screenings for firefighters (House Bills 198 and 331), and a measure (House Bill 2313 series of items noted) dealing with school security and first‑responder training (referred to in the briefing as the “Uvalde Strong Act”). He also cited a bill that clarifies military leave for firefighters.
- Procurement and lobbying. The manager explained that a bill changing procurement for lobbying and government‑relations contracts now requires competitive procurement (instead of the request‑for‑proposal method he said the city had used). A proposed taxpayer‑funded lobbying restriction was noted as having failed in committee.
- Local wins and bills sponsored/supported by Lubbock. The manager said Lubbock secured the only newly created Project Financing Zone (PFZ) in the session and won a provision removing the Public Utility Commission (PUC) from disputes in some city‑to‑city water/wastewater contracts. He also cited passage of a cybersecurity exemption to the Public Information Act for certain meetings and records, and a bill allowing virtual participation for some TIRZ/PID/TIF‑type boards.
- Special session preview. The manager said the governor’s July special‑session call lists six items (the governor’s vetoes) and that redistricting and taxpayer‑funded lobbying are likely additions when the special session begins July 21.
Council reaction and next steps: Mayor and council members thanked staff and the city’s legislative team and said they will continue to monitor implementing rules (for example, for SB 2844 mobile vendor recognition) and the special session. The city manager and council said staff will follow rulemaking timelines and return with implementation actions as needed.
Quotes in this briefing came from the city manager and from council members during the work session.
