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Waco officials monitoring more than 2,100 bills that affect cities as Texas Legislature advances
Summary
Chief of staff Ashley Notcher told the Waco City Council that 6,635 bills were filed this session and more than 2,100 have potential impacts for cities; she highlighted priority topics including property tax, water infrastructure, housing and potential changes to municipal authority over zoning and annexation.
Ashley Notcher, chief of staff to the city manager, briefed the Waco City Council at its April 1 work session on the mid‑session status of the Texas Legislature and federal appropriation planning affecting the city.
Notcher said the bill‑filing deadline has passed and that lawmakers filed roughly 6,635 bills; of those, she said, more than 2,100 contain provisions that affect cities. “As we progress through April and May, we will see many of those bills start to drop off as the ones that are not moving,” she said, noting a May 12 committee reporting deadline and a scheduled sine die target in early June.
She highlighted state priorities with direct implications for Waco — property tax relief, water investments, education savings accounts, housing and changes to land‑use authority — and said the city has been active in advocacy. Notcher said the city provided testimony in support of House Bill 1080 (allowing alternative media postings in lieu of newspaper notices where viewership metrics justify it) and submitted letters in support of House Bill 2626, which would create a Central Texas Water Alliance to coordinate water services across counties and water districts.
Notcher reviewed several topic areas that could affect municipal operations if bills pass in their current form: modifications to property‑tax rules and election timing; proposals to preempt local rules on accessory dwelling units and multifamily development; bills affecting extraterritorial jurisdiction and annexation; restrictions on development moratoria and third‑party plan review; and potential changes to franchise and cable fees for right‑of‑way use. She also noted public‑safety bills under consideration, including measures related to active‑shooter planning and cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
On fiscal matters, Notcher said the state budget proposals totaled about $335 billion in the biennium, with roughly $24 billion in projected surplus and about $28 billion directed toward the state stabilization fund; she said those numbers mean funding is being discussed for some governor and lieutenant governor priorities. On federal appropriations, Notcher said guidance for fiscal 2026 earmarks was not yet issued but the city has sent requests to Congress for $5 million each to support air‑traffic‑control tower rehabilitation, the Flat Creek reuse project and a Lake Waco Watershed Protection Program.
Council members expressed concern about proposals that would limit municipal financing options — including tighter rules on certificates of obligation and bond elections — and urged residents to engage with state lawmakers. Notcher said city staff will continue weekly monitoring and provide council updates, and that the city remains prepared to testify or submit comments as bills are posted to committee agendas.
Notcher did not present formal council actions in this update; the briefing was informational and intended to guide subsequent advocacy and council direction.
