HomeMy WebLinkAbout030320 RES - 10/21/2014 RESOLUTION
Adopting the City of Corpus Christi's State Legislative Agenda
for the 84th Texas Legislature
WHEREAS,the 84th Regular Session of the Texas Legislature convenes on January 13, 2015;
WHEREAS, Every session, thousands of bills are filed and many have the potential to either
directly or indirectly impact the City of Corpus Christi (City), its programs and services, its citizens,
the tax base, and community needs; and
WHEREAS, The City's Intergovernmental Relations (IGR) Department is responsible for
monitoring state and federal governmental activities, developing legislative priorities approved by
City Council, managing the City's legislative consultants at Focused Advocacy, and coordinating
legislative activities with other public and private sector entities and municipal advocacy
organizations; and
WHEREAS, it is necessary to provide guidance for the City's officers and representatives in
conducting the City's legislative efforts and relations; and
WHEREAS, to be successful, this ever-evolving business environment requires close contact and
constant communication with legislative leadership, external legislative consultants, municipal
advocacy organizations, statewide municipal partners, community leadership, and community
stakeholders.
Now, therefore,be it resolved by the City Council of the City of Corpus Christi, Texas:
SECTION 1. The City Council generally supports bills that:
• Protects& enhances City revenues.
• Reduces or eliminates costs to the City.
• Supports local control.
• Protects policies previously established by City leadership through the Charter, Ordinances,
Resolutions or Master Plans.
• Provides increased educational opportunities for the citizens of Corpus Christi and the
Coastal Bend region by supporting its public schools, community colleges and universities.
SECTION 2. The City Council generally opposes bills that:
• Undermines the principles of Home Rule and Local Control.
• Results in the loss of revenue or negatively impacts potential revenue growth.
• Diminishes the authority of cities to regulate and manage their growth and development.
• Nullifies or undermines the City's policies contained in existing provisions of the Charter,
Ordinances, Resolutions and Master Plans - unless such changes expand the City's ability to
manage its own affairs.
• Imposes unfunded mandates that require any expenditure by the City unless all costs are full
reimbursed by the mandating governmental entity.
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SECTION 3. The City Council adopts the following priorities as its agenda for the 84th Texas
Legislature.
PRIORITY
1. Support the passage of new, long-term, sustainable funding sources for transportation
infrastructure; and the dedication of existing revenue generated from taxes, fees, or receipts related
to transportation to the maintenance, improvement and expansion of roads, rail and public
transportation.
2. Provide cities and counties with additional local funding options and resources to address
transportation needs that are not otherwise met by current funding sources or to offset any new
transportation related costs or requirements by state or federal government. Examples could include
gasoline tax,vehicle registration fee, an exemption of the sales tax cap, or other option.
3. Appropriate adequate funding for the Fiscal Years 2016-2017 biennium for the State of
Texas to partner with local project sponsors to implement one or more seawater desalination
projects to provide uninterruptible water supply and have corresponding positive impacts for water
supplies in adjacent regions which will strengthen Texas' economy and sustain economic
prosperity.
4. Appropriate $150 million in grant funding to Texas Military Preparedness Commission to
assist defense communities with military value projects that enhance the installation's mission,
improve operational efficiencies, and proactively address impacts from sequestration or other base
realignment and closure activities that may happen in the future.
5. Amend Chapter 436, Government Code, to increase the cap on project awards for the
Defense Economic Adjustment Assistance Grant(DEAAG) program from $2 million to $5 million.
6. Secure for Corpus Christi and Port Aransas an equitable two percent (2%) portion of the
state's Hotel Occupancy Tax for Gulf and Bay beach cleaning, maintenance and coastal erosion
exactly as already provided to other barrier island municipalities.
7. Windstorm insurance reform that restructures the governing board of the Texas Windstorm
Insurance Association (TWIA) to put consumers on equal footing with insurance company
members; creates incentives to promote voluntary coverage of windstorm and hail policies in the
Texas seacoast; establishes a financial structure at TWIA that provides a stable, sustainable and
affordable rate structure to be able to cover on an annual basis up to $4.3 billion in loss claims at
TWIA, would cover a 1-in-100 year storm; requires member insurance companies pay allowable
assessments sooner; establishes a small statewide catastrophic storm fund to pay for excess losses,
and structures a more financially beneficial re-insurance program.
8. Amend Texas Utilities Code to allow municipalities to purchase energy wholesale from a
co-generation facility to provide low-cost power for seawater desalination plant.
9. Amend Chapter 212, Local Government Code, to empower municipalities to regulate
development of wind farms within a municipality's extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ).
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ACTIVELY SUPPORT
1. Appropriate funding to TxDOT and include specific riders in the General Appropriations
Act for TxDOT securing funding for the construction of passing lanes for SH 361 between Corpus
Christi and Port Aransas and for improvements to the Port Aransas ferry system.
2. Continue investing in Texas tourism promotion in the Governor's Office of Economic
Development and Tourism.
3. Maintain the existing public school start date, which is vitally important to the tourism
economy of the Coastal Bend.
4. Amend statutes to eliminate impediments to development of water supply sources to meet
the long-term needs of the State, whether it is through conservation, surface water, groundwater,
aquifer storage and recovery, interbasin transfers, rainwater harvesting, or other strategies.
5. Repeal the limitations in state law on the number of design build civil works projects a
governmental entity is allowed to undertake.
6. Amend state law to increase in the administrative change order authority from $100,000 to
5% of the base contract value, not to exceed $500,000.
7. Protect integrity of ballots by supporting consistent requirements for all political
subdivisions, including the State of Texas; opposing inclusion of meaningless and superfluous
calculations that serve no comparative purpose; opposing unnecessary expansive ballot language
designed to create taxpayer confusion and increase the cost of elections, and support the elimination
of data reporting redundancies.
8. Free up $1 billion of previously collected Texas Emission Reduction Program (TERP) funds
to improve air quality in near non-attainment areas instead of using those funds to certify the state
budget.
9. Change notice requirements for public oil and gas waste disposal permit applications in
watersheds.
10. Support Marine Jobs Bill which encourages large marine vessel currently registered in other
states and foreign countries to be registered in Texas and dock those vessels in Texas marinas and
creates incentives for vessels bought and sold in Texas to remain docked in Texas.
ENDORSE
1. Support appropriation requests by Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi for:
(a) capital projects (Life Sciences Research and Engineering Building and Arts and Media
Building) whether funded through tuition revenue bonds or other sources,
(b) $11.5 million exceptional item funding for the Lone Star Unmanned Aircraft System
Center for Excellence and Innovation for engineering/computing support staff and research
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fellows critical to the continuing research and development and operation of the program,
including support of command and control center operations, range management and
operation, and increased test site programming efforts;
(c) $3 million exceptional item funding for expansion of engineering programs; and
(d) $400,000 exceptional item funding for two staff positions and operational funding to
support clients and the continued development of the Coastal Bend Innovation Center
program.
2. Support appropriation/policy requests by Del Mar College.
3. Support legislation that enables the Corpus Christi Regional Transportation Authority's
(CCRTA) compressed natural gas (CNG)re-fueling station to be used by City and other
governmental entity fleet vehicles. Amend statute to allow fuel deliveries to vehicles of other
governmental entities without jeopardizing the CCRTA's continued use of the decal system for its
payment of fuel taxes.
4. Oppose efforts to reduce or eliminate the original jurisdiction of cities in rate cases (TCAP).
5. Remove barriers to utilizing electric transmission right of way for municipally-owned hike
and bike trails (TCAP).
6. Promote public-private partnerships to develop small scale generation projects. This would
renew an effort from the last regular legislative session(TCAP).
7. Maximize the use of revenues from the sporting goods sales tax and federal funds to
increase funding for parks and recreation programs for both Local and State parks and that all Texas
Recreation & Parks Account Local Park Grant Program (TRPA) and Urban Account funded park
projects be subject to the established Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) competitive
scoring system (TRAPS).
8. Restore funding to the TRPA and Urban accounts at Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
in the amount of at least $15.5 million per fiscal year(TRAPS).
9. Support legislation to enhance state regulation of payday and auto title lending practices.
Oppose legislation that preempts city regulations by ordinance.
10. Support funding the Texas Workforce Commission to enhance skills development, job
creation, literacy and numeracy training and other services to meet the demands of business and
industry in the Coastal Bend.
SECTION 4. The Legislative Agenda remain in effect until amended by the City Council.
SECTION 5. The IGR Director is directed to distribute the City's Legislative Agenda to the local
legislative delegation, legislative leadership, external legislative consultants, municipal advocacy
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organizations, statewide municipal partners, community leadership, and community stakeholders to
solicit their advice, support, and active engagement in the legislative process.
This resolution takes effect upon City Council approval on this the 9, I day of
00 ,beif , 2014.
ATTEST: THE CITY OF CORPUS CHRISTI
1 2k
Rebecca Huerta Nelda Martin
City Secretary Mayor
Corpus Christi, Texas Corpus Christi, Texas
The above resolution�� was passed by the following vote:
Nelda Martinezl/
l_
Kelley Allen 14.
Rudy Garza aty—
Priscilla LealEW
David Loeb Oy._,
Chad Magill
Colleen McIntyre'(t °I
AL I
Lillian Riojas ii
Mark Scott4
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