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Plainview council adopts legislative agenda for 89th Texas Legislature
Summary
The Plainview City Council on a motion approved resolution R-25-652 to establish the city's legislative priorities for the 89th Texas Legislature, directing staff to transmit the positions to state lawmakers and to the Texas Municipal League.
Interim City Manager Johnston presented a resolution (R-25-652) establishing the City of Plainview's legislative priorities for the 89th Texas Legislature and recommended the council approve the positions at the regular meeting.
Johnston said the priorities reflect issues the city will support and oppose, noting that "during the 2023 session, more than 8,000 bills or significant resolutions were filed" and that roughly 230 of the measures subsequently enacted had a direct effect on cities. He said the city has provided its legislative priorities to state lawmakers, including Senator Charles Perry (Senate District 28) and Representative Ken King (House District 88), and works with the Texas Municipal League on a grassroots legislative program.
Among items Johnston listed as supported by the city were policies to support local growth and redevelopment; state funding and policy to address water challenges; designation, funding and construction of Interstate 27 (Ports-to-Plains corridor) to improve safety and freight mobility; allowing municipalities the option to publish legal notices on a municipal website as an alternative to an official newspaper; changes to sales-tax refund and allocation processes; automatic city-specific local sales-tax reporting from the Texas Comptroller; full funding for the Texas Recreation and Parks Account local grant program; requiring marketplace providers of short-term rentals to remit local hotel-occupancy tax directly to municipalities; and increased state funding for mental-health treatment to support police and other city services.
Johnston told the council the city opposes measures that would: diminish or restrict an elected city council's ability to provide required services; impose pass-through or regulatory fees on cities without commensurate compensation; limit municipal participation in the legislative process or the ability to hire representatives using public funds; curtail municipal home-rule authority or otherwise preempt local ordinances; and remove municipal original jurisdiction in utility rate-making proceedings or the ability to recover regional expenses in such proceedings.
Council Member House moved to adopt resolution R-25-652 and the motion was seconded. Interim City Manager Johnston said the positions will be transmitted to Senator Charles Perry and Representative Ken King and that the Texas Municipal League will also be involved in advocacy. The clerk recorded a vote announced in the record as "we have a vote of 74"; the exact tally is not specified in the transcript.
The resolution directs staff to convey Plainview's positions to state officials and to cooperate with the Texas Municipal League on shared priorities. No implementation actions beyond transmission and advocacy were taken at the meeting.
