Missouri City — The Missouri City Council on Jan. 6 adopted the city’s 2025 legislative agenda and added a new priority that directs staff to propose or support legislation limiting the distance between concrete plants and residential areas.

A staff presentation described the agenda’s broad priorities — property tax reform, appraisal-process changes, jurisdictional authority over extraterritorial jurisdiction and corporate limits, land-use authority to influence building materials, infrastructure resilience, group-home regulation, economic development measures, election timing, and railroad crossing improvements — and noted the addition of priority No. 11 to address concrete plant siting. The presentation identified the city’s legislative consultant, Karen Kennard, as having participated in preparing the agenda.

Councilmembers used the discussion to push for proactive legislative drafting. Councilmember Boney asked that staff work with state legislators and the city’s consultant to prepare and file bills rather than wait for outside authors, particularly on matters such as concrete plants, railroad crossing funding and protections for vulnerable residents in residential facilities. "I want us to solicit ... some bills that are introduced to address these things versus waiting on someone else to propose them," Boney said.

Staff said the city already had requested draft language on group-home regulation and that the approved agenda authorizes staff to pursue bills and attach city language to related measures when appropriate. The council and staff also discussed incidents at senior living properties where power outages left residents with limited access to exits; councilmembers said they want state or local rules to better protect vulnerable occupants and encouraged staff to pursue legislative remedies quickly given the March 14 deadline for filing legislation.

The motion to adopt the 2025 legislative agenda passed unanimously (mover: Councilmember Boney; second: Councilmember Riley). City staff said adoption gives them the authority to work with legislators and the city's consultant to pursue bills during the 2025 session.