With the 85th Texas Legislative session kicking off earlier this month, Buda city leaders are contemplating which items of legislation they plan to support or possibly introduce in the future.
Earlier this month, Buda Assistant City Manager Chance Sparks provided a list of legislative priorities for the Buda City Council to review and decide on by Feb. 7.
As a member of the Texas Municipal League (TML), Buda has an opportunity to support legislative priorities designed to benefit all Texas cities, as well as those that could be advantageous to the city.
Out of the 14 different TML legislative priorities on the agenda, Sparks identified at least two that are more Buda driven in interest.
Storing water for not-so-rainy days in Buda
Sparks said the passage of legislation to support implementation of Aquifer Storage and Recovery, (ASR) was an area that Buda was focused on due to the city’s need for a backup water supply.
ASR is the practice of storing a measured amount of potable water within an aquifer, which creates a sort of pocket or “bubble” that can travel along the aquifer, but can be drawn by an entity during peak demand.
“We’re trying to make ASR a more affordable and viable option that can help with things like drought contingency planning and peek demand issues,” Sparks said regarding removing restrictions to ASR, “It’s scalable.”
Hotel occupancy tax potentially used for sports/events facilities
Sparks said legislation to potentially allow Hotel Occupancy Tax (HOT) to be used for improvements to Sporting and Events facilities would offer flexibility to utilize those funds to finish building out the Buda sportsplex and encourage more league sports events there.
“The sportsplex needs improvement to be a tournament quality facility,” Sparks said, “The Buda hoteliers are actually pursuing this legislative priority due to the high occupancy rates that come with hosting large sporting events.”
Sparks said the HOT fund has limitations on what kind of expenses can be drawn from it, which forwards the need for legislation to remove certain HOT fund limitations.
“There are projects that could promote higher hotel occupancy that do not qualify for funding through the HOT fund because they may not meet the eligibility standards,” Sparks said.
Bringing Buda down to speed
In addition to the Buda driven legislative priorities, Sparks said Buda might be pursuing legislation in support of a statewide law setting speed limits in neighborhoods to 25 miles per hour.
“The reality of it is that the difference of 5 miles between 25 mph speed limits and 30 mph speed limits makes a huge difference in pedestrian safety,” Sparks said.
Sparks referenced National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statistics that were presented via city documents that showed a three-fold increase in pedestrian fatalities from 25 to 30 mph.
Opposing caps on appraisal values
Sparks said Buda could also back items that oppose the passing of certain legislation. On example would be potentially opposing legislation that puts a cap on appraisal values and revenues.
“We aren’t opposed to capping appraisal values necessarily, but we think it should be a local government decision, not a state government one, since local governments have more direct contact with the public,” Sparks said.
Yes to municipal lobbying
Another priority council could support is opposing legislation that restricts municipal lobbying, Sparks said.
Municipalities are often represented by organizations like TML who represent their interests at legislative hearings and try to prevent unfunded mandates being passed down from the State level, Sparks said.
It’s unknown at this time what items city council members plan to pursue. The legislature is scheduled to adjourn in May.
