HomeMy WebLinkAbout031036 RES - 01/10/2017 Resolution ,.. 1) 31 0 3 6
Adopting the City of Corpus Christi's
State Legislative Priorities for the 85th Texas Legislature and
Federal Legislative Priorities for the 115h U.S. Congress
WHEREAS, the 85th Regular Session of the Texas Legislature will convene on January
10, 2017 for 140 days; and
WHEREAS, the 115th United States Congress will convene on January 3, 2017 for two
annual sessions and is scheduled to adjourn on January 3, 2019; and
WHEREAS, the City of Corpus Christi, its residents, businesses, industry, governments,
agencies and institutions benefit significantly from federal and state government agency
programs and services provided in the community and are greatly impacted by legislative
activities; and
WHEREAS, Every state legislative session and congress, 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 in Austin, TX, and Meyers & Associates, LLC, in Washington, D.C., and
coordinating legislative activities with other public and private sector entities and
municipal advocacy organizations; and
WHEREAS, to be successful, this ever-evolving business environment requires close
contact and constant communication with legislative leadership, external legislative
consultants, national and statewide municipal advocacy organizations, national and
statewide partners, community leadership, and community stakeholders.
WHEREAS, it is necessary to provide guidance for the City's officers and representatives
in conducting the City's state and federal legislative efforts and relations;
Now, therefore, be it resolved by the City Council of the City of Corpus Christi, Texas:
SECTION 1. The City Council generally SUPPORTS federal and state legislation and/or
administrative actions that:
• Protect and enhance City revenues;
• Reduce or eliminates costs to the City;
• Furthers local control;
• Protects policies previously established by City leadership through Charter,
ordinances,resolutions and master plans; and
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• Provides increased educational opportunities and job creation/retention for the
citizens of Corpus Christi and the Coastal Bend region through the Port of Corpus
Christi authority, public schools, community colleges and universities.
SECTION 2. The City Council generally OPPOSES federal and state legislation and/or
administrative actions that:
• Undermine the principle of home rule and local control by the City;
• Results in the loss of revenue or negatively impacts potential revenue growth to the
City;
• Diminishes the authority of cities to regulate and manage their growth and
development;
• Nullify or undermine 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; and
• Imposes unfunded mandates that requires any expenditures by the City unless all
costs are fully reimbursed by the mandating governmental entity.
SECTION 3.The City Council adopts the following policy issues as its federal legislative
agenda for the two annual sessions of the 115th Congress:
A. PRIORITIES
Require significant new requirements for the Department of Defense Site Clearinghouse
before authorizing construction of a wind farm if the proposed project interferes with the
navigational radar and poses a threat to national security, pilot safety or public safety.
Authorize City and Navy to exchange City-owned land in clear zones of Navy landing
fields for Navy-owned land on State Highway 358.
Eliminate the Production Tax Credit for wind farms within a certain distance of a military
installation if the proposed project interferes with the navigational radar and poses a threat
to national security, pilot safety or public safety and support legislation as proposed by
U.S. Senator John Cornyn to achieve this goal.
Oppose legislation eliminating the tax exempt status of municipal bonds.
Support continued investment in the development of Interstate 69 and Marine Highway 69
as an international freight corridor providing strategic intermodal connections from the
Texas-Mexico border and ultimately through eight states to the US-Canada border.
B. ACTIVELY SUPPORT
Support legislation directing federal agencies to classify all investment grade municipal
securities as High Quality Liquid Assets.
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Support passage of a National Defense Authorization Act which provides a predictable
budgetary structure and minimizes the uncertainty and indecision of sequestration.
Support the Marketplace Fairness Act, which allows states to tax sales from out-of-state
online vendors.
Support Water Quality Improvement Act advocated by the US Conference of Mayors'
Water Council. Creates Integrated Planning Permit lasting a minimum of five years,but no
more than 10 years. Clarifies definition of"attainable water quality"by mandating that it
be both "technically achievable" and "economically affordable". Eases EPA enforcement
penalties for cities that do integrated planning.
Prohibit the Army Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency from
redefining "waters of the United States", which expands the definition of which surface
waters and wetlands are subject to the Clean Water Act's regulatory requirements and
protection.
Support funding to continue investment in the development of Interstate 14(the Gulf Coast
Strategic Military Highway) to provide the energy production area of West Texas and the
various Texas military facilities improved access to Corpus Christi and the Gulf Coast.
Support amendment to add another segment from the Permian Basin to the Interstate 14
designation to better connect Corpus Christi to West Texas.
Oppose increases in overweight trucks on federal highways above the current 80,000
pounds limit.
Enact re-authorization of the Federal Aviation Administration to provide stability,
predictability and reliability to airports,pilots, airlines, and the aviation industry.
Support legislation to direct the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration
Center, at the Department of Homeland Security, to coordinate with State and local
governments on securing their information systems.
Support continued funding and oppose further cuts of Community Development Block
Grants and HOME program through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development.
Support funding to prevent, prepare for, and respond to Zika virus, other vector-borne
diseases, and related health outcomes.
SECTION 4. The City Council endorses the federal legislative priorities and
recommendations of affiliate professional, trade, community and services organizations in
which the City, its elected officials, and/or staff in their official capacity are members of
or serve on the boards of directors, when those policy recommendations are aligned with
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the mission of the City and are not in conflict with a specific policy adopted by the City
Council. Those entities may include,but are not limited to the United States Conference of
Mayors, the National League of Cities, the National Community Development
Association, the Alliance for Interstate 69 Texas, 1-14 Gulf Coast Strategic Military
Highway Coalition, Building America's Future, Association of Defense Communities,
Army Aviation Association of America,the Coalition for Sustainable Flood Insurance, the
United Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce, the South Texas Military Facilities Task
Force, the Corpus Christi Convention and Visitors Bureau, Del Mar College, Texas A&M
University Corpus Christi, Workforce Solutions of the Coastal Bend, the Corpus Christi
Housing Authority, and the Coastal Bend Council of Governments.
SECTION 5.The City Council adopts the following policy issues as its agenda for the 85th
Regular Session and any potential Special Called Sessions of the Texas Legislature.
A. PRIORITIES:
Support the continued ability of local officials to determine the amount of revenue
necessary to provide critical services for the protection, safety and welfare of its
residents.
Support the continued ability of local elected officials to responsibly manage growth
through annexation and protect the rights of city taxpayers, who bear the costs of
providing services to the region's growing population.
Support the continued ability of local elected officials to pass ordinances for the benefit
and best interests of their constituents.
Oppose changes to the eminent domain laws.
Oppose pre-emption of its existing ordinances, which protect the public,health, safety and
welfare of its residents.
Support increasing FY 2018-2019 biennial appropriation to $60 million for the Defense
Economic Adjustment Assistance Grant (DEAAG) Program to invest in preserving jobs
and economic sustainability of Texas military installations.
Support prohibiting construction of wind turbines within a reasonable distance of a military
installation.
Support prohibiting school districts from granting Chapter 313, Tax Code, tax abatements
for wind farms within a reasonable distances of a military installation
Support adding a provision to the seller's disclosure notice to make buyers of certain
residential property aware that the property could be located near a military installation and
could be affected by high noise or air installation compatible use zones or other operations.
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Encourage the Texas A&M University System, the Board of Regents, communities
within Nueces County and Kleberg County to discuss and review the potential merger of
Texas A&M University Corpus Christi and Texas A&M University Kingsville
comprehensively and be inclusive of all groups. Oppose any legislation or proposal that
would adversely affect,be harmful or detrimental to those affected communities.
Oppose revisions to the reforms achieved in SB 900(84th Regular Session,2015),including
the restructuring of the governing board to put policyholders on equal footing with
insurance industry members, establishing TWIA financial structure that provides a stable,
sustainable and affordable rate structure capable of covering a 1-in-100 year storm,
requiring member insurance companies to pay allowable assessments sooner, establishing
a small statewide catastrophic storm fund for excess losses, and structuring a more
financially beneficial re-insurance program.
Support allowing local elected officials and/or voters to consider additional funding
options for cities to address streets, sidewalks and other transportation needs that are not
otherwise met by current funding sources.
B.ACTIVELY SUPPORT
Support continue reliable, sustainable and predictable funding for the Texas Department of
Transportation(TxDOT)to build and maintain Texas'highways,roads,bridges, and multi-
modal transportation infrastructure to protect the health, safety and welfare of the traveling
public.
Support continued policy of non-diversion of revenue from the State Highway Fund. Urge
consideration of a Constitutional Amendment to prevent such diversions in future
legislative sessions.
Support funding for TxDOT to continue investment in the development of Interstate 69
(along US Highway 59, US Highway 77, US Highway 281, US Highway 84, Interstate 2
and State Highway 44) and Marine Highway 69 (the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway) as an
international freight corridor providing strategic intermodal connections from the Texas-Mexico
border and ultimately through eight states to the US-Canada border.
Support funding for TxDOT to continue investment in the development of Interstate 14
(the Gulf Coast Strategic Military Highway)to provide the energy production area of West
Texas and the various Texas military facilities improved access to Corpus Christi and the
Gulf Coast.
Support efforts to fully implement Propositions 1 and 7 and ensure equitable distribution
of funding among the districts. Oppose any efforts to reduce anticipated funding from
these two revenue sources.
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Support sufficient funding for engineering, right-of-way acquisition, and related project
development costs to ensure that high priority projects are made shovel-ready for these
new revenue sources.
Support legislation regulating the sale,storage,transportation,and disposal of scrap or used
tires, including an adequate fee structure to implement strategies to eliminate potential
mosquito breeding sites for the Zika, West Nile, and other viruses.
Support amending the Open Meetings Act (Chapter 551, Government Code), to clarify
existing authorization for closed sessions on cybersecurity threats.
Support amend the Texas Tax Code making the State's sales tax on large marine vessels
competitive with other coastal states.
Support maximize funding at the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to assist
near non-attainment communities remain in compliance with newly revised U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency National Ambient Air Quality Standard for Ozone.
Oppose changes to the school start date law(4th Monday in August), which allows Texans
to vacation through August, bringing millions of sales tax dollars to the Coastal Bend.
Oppose legislation that negatively impacts the gains made by the SSO bill last session(SB
912, 84th Regular Session 2015)or biosolids land application(HB 2248 and HB 2460, 84th
Regular Session 2015).
SECTION 6. The City Council endorses the state legislative priorities and
recommendations of affiliate professional, trade, community and services organizations
in which the City, its elected officials, and/or staff in their official capacity are members
of or serve on the boards of directors, when those policy recommendations are aligned
with the mission of the City and are not in conflict with a specific policy adopted by the
City Council. Those entities may include,but are not limited to the Texas Municipal
League, the Transportation Advocates of Texas, the Alliance for Interstate 69 Texas, the
Gulf Coast Strategic Highway Coalition, the Texas Recreation and Parks Society
(TRAPS), the Texas Mayors of Military Communities, Texas Coalition for Affordable
Power(TCAP), Texas Chapter of Solid Waste Association of North America
(TxSWANA), H204 Texas Coalition, Water Environment Association of Texas
(WEAT), Texas Water Conservation Association(TWCA), the United Corpus Christi
Chamber of Commerce, the Corpus Christi Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Future
of the Region South Texas, Del Mar College, Texas A&M University Corpus Christi,
Workforce Solutions of the Coastal Bend, the Corpus Christi Housing Authority, and the
Coastal Bend Council of Governments.
SECTION 7.The Legislative Priorities remain in effect until amended by the City Council.
SECTION 8. The City Manager is directed to distribute these Federal and State
Legislative Priorities to the local legislative delegation, legislative leadership, external
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legislative consultants, municipal advocacy organizations, federal and state municipal
partners, community leadership, and community stakeholders to solicit their advice and
support.
This res lution takes effect upon City Council approval on this the f tJ day
of 4P-17.
ATTES : THE CITY OF CORPUS CHRISTI
pcicbcde. --4(A2,y --- ., -- '
Rebecca Huerta Dan Mc ueen
City Secretary Mayor
Corpus Christi, Texas
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of W 1/1 2017
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The above resolution was passed by the following vote:
Mayor Dan McQueen
Carolyn Vaughn IL'
Ben Molina
Lucy Rubio
Greg Smith
•
Rudy Garza
Paulette Guajardo f
Michael Hunter
Joe McComb
4
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