DRIPPING SPRINGS – The new year is officially underway and leaders in Dripping Springs are looking at their legislative priorities.
On Jan. 3, Dripping Springs City Council unanimously approved a resolution to establish priorities for the 88th Legislative Session in Texas upon recommendation by city staff.
City leaders are primarily focusing on maintaining local control while also supporting the following legislation.
• Funding: Assisting the city with additional tools for funding for transportation, parks and other essential services.
• Infrastructure: Assisting the city with the acquisition of property, permitting and construction of infrastructure to serve development within the city limits and ETJ.
• Land Use: Making beneficial amendments to allow greater authority for regulation of exterior design and building materials and more flexibility/predictability in processing plat and site plan applications.
• Lighting: Expanding the city’s authority to regulate lighting and Dark Sky requirements.
• Property Tax: Increasing transparency in the ad valorem (property) tax and budget adoption by coordinating state, county and city timelines for review, notice and approval. Council also supports legislation that would increase the accuracy of appraisals of all types of property.
• Sales Tax: Making beneficial amendments to district or other taxing jurisdictions to authorize cities to replace some or all sales taxes in an area with city sales taxes, provided a district or other taxing jurisdictions’ existing sales tax debt is proportionately and reasonably provided for in some manner.
• Signs: Affirming state and city authority over off-premise and other commercial signs. The council supports legislation that bolsters scenic highways in the Hill Country.
• Transportation: Providing direction and funding for future projects within the city limits and ETJ. The council also supports any effort that increases communications with TxDOT and other regional partners.
Following the adoption of the legislative program, the city will send it to the Texas Municipal League — a nonprofit that represents all Texas cities.
The 88th Legislative Session started on Tuesday, Jan. 10 and will continue through Monday, May 29.
