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Shenandoah council debates legal limits on using public funds for private storm recovery help
Summary
Council members reviewed Texas constitutional limits after a tornadic storm and asked the city attorney to draft options that could allow narrowly tailored assistance (such as debris removal from public rights-of-way) without violating Article III, §52(a). They agreed to seek legal guidance before adopting any exceptions for individuals.
Shenandoah city council members spent the opening portion of their Aug. 14 meeting debating how far the city can go to help individual residents after a recent tornadic event.
The discussion focused on Texas Constitution Article III, §52(a), which a council member (speaker 6) read aloud and summarized as prohibiting a city from granting public money to an individual or corporation: “We can only aid the public in general. We cannot help individuals,” the…
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