HBA-LJP H.B. 3693 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 3693 By: Keffer Natural Resources 4/29/2001 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Texas faces a difficult challenge in developing water policies that serve both state and regional interests. The Texas Constitution authorizes the creation of water control and improvement districts to supply and store water for use, operate sanitary wastewater systems, and provide irrigation, drainage, and water quality services. House Bill 3693 creates the Lake Granbury Water Improvement District in Hood County without the necessity of voter approval at a confirmation election. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. ANALYSIS House Bill 3693 creates the Lake Granbury Water Improvement District (district) in Hood County without the necessity of voter approval at a confirmation election. The bill sets forth the boundaries of the district (SECTIONS 1 and 3). The bill provides that the district is governed by a board of directors of the district and sets forth provisions regarding the composition, the election, qualification, vacancy, and the terms of the directors. The bill provides that the board is composed of eight directors and that two directors are elected from each of the four voting precincts. The bill names the temporary directors of the board and sets forth the general powers of the board. The board is authorized to submit to the voters at the election of the directors propositions to authorize the issuance of bonds, a maintenance tax, and a tax to make payments under a contract (SECTIONS 6-11). The bill sets forth the authorization for the exclusion of land from the district. The bill requires the district to provide written notice by certified mail and return receipt to each retail sewer utility providing retail sewer utility service within the boundaries of the district that states the existence of the district and its purposes, and that the governing body of a retail sewer utility is authorized to request that any area in the district in which the retail sewer utility is providing retail sewer utility service be excluded from the boundaries of the district. The bill provides for the exclusion of territory from the district by a retail sewer utility, including a retail sewer utility that is a municipality, and filing a written resolution with the district that contains an accurate description of the area to be excluded from the district within a specified time period. The bill sets forth the requirement of the board to exclude from the district the area described in a written resolution by a retail sewer utility. The City of Granbury in Hood County is a retail sewer utility for the purposes of this Act (SECTION 12). EFFECTIVE DATE On passage, or if the Act does not receive the necessary vote, the Act takes effect September 1, 2001.