One resolution relates to public improvement districts, or PIDS, while the other three focus on water-related legislation.
The specifics
The Hays County Commissioners Court passed a resolution in support of Senate Bill, or SB 937, to amend a local government code regarding PIDS.
A PID is a special district created by a city or county that allows the developer of a subdivision to charge a fee in addition to property taxes, according to the Hays Caldwell Economic Development Partnership. This fee funds the construction of additional infrastructure.
Currently, cities don’t have to go through a competitive process called bidding when using special fees to pay for improvements like sidewalks or roads. The proposed amendment would make the bidding process for public improvement projects more consistent between cities and counties while also improving how these projects are funded and managed across Texas, including in Hays County, according to the court’s resolution.
“It’s just basically what the cities currently have,” Precinct 4 Commissioner Walt Smith said. “If we are doing a PID in the county, we should have the same authority as the city.”
The resolution was only dissented by Precinct 2 Commissioner Michelle Cohen.
Also on the agenda
Commissioners also passed multiple water-related resolutions, including one supporting SB 1669, which would allow more counties to enforce stormwater regulations to comply with the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, or NPDES, permitting program. The amendment would expand this authority to counties that include part of the Edwards Aquifer but have fewer than 800,000 residents, as well as those within the Hill Country Priority Groundwater Management Area, or PGMA.
A PGMA is a region identified by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality as experiencing—or expected to experience within 50 years—critical groundwater issues, such as water shortages, land subsidence from groundwater withdrawal, or contamination.
“This is just a measure, additional measure, we can do for large developments to be sure they’re clearing up their water that goes into the stormwater that then turns into our drinking water," Precinct 3 Commissioner Morgan Hammer said.
In similar news
Hays County commissioners passed a resolution supporting an amendment that would provide additional funding for the Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District, or HTGCD.
The resolution supports SB 2660, which calls for an amendment that allows HTGCD to impose certain production fees.
The resolution cites the need for additional funding as HTGCD’s primary revenue source—connection fees—will diminish once permitted water reaches its maximum allowed amount. Without new funding, the district would have little to no revenue at a time when groundwater resource management will be increasingly critical.
The additional funding, according to the resolution, would help HTGCD manage groundwater resources by supporting district operations and gathering the scientific data necessary for long-term water management strategies.
“We have a huge water problem in Wimberley, and that is where my heart is,” Hammer said. “Giving them additional funding to be able to manage that problem is of extreme importance.”
Related highlights
The last resolution passed by the court supports SB 2661, which increases civil penalties for certain violations of groundwater conservation district rules.
The amendment would allow groundwater conservation districts to impose higher penalties for rule violations. Under the bill, a district may issue penalties of up to $25,000 per day per violation, with each day of a continuing violation considered a separate offense.
Additionally, if a district determines that a violator gained an economic benefit exceeding $25,000 from the violation, the penalty may be increased beyond the maximum to eliminate the financial advantage.
