For Immediate Release:
January 21st, 2021
AUSTIN – State Representative Jacey Jetton announces a bill adding transparency to special districts in Texas. These special districts provide important infrastructure and flood mitigation projects , allowing for the tremendous growth of residential developments across the state. As special districts collect property taxes to fund these projects, it is important the people in those districts are able to find pertinent information about these governing bodies.
“Special purpose districts can run million dollar budgets each year, but many people in my district do not realize they live in a special district or know how to contact the board members,” Jetton said. “These districts are a key factor in what made Fort Bend County prosperous and I want to ensure people have a sense of connection and trust in their local governments. Constituents should also have an ability to contact special purpose district and receive important updates.”
House Bill 1154 will require special purpose districts to display essential information on a website. If the districts have multiple websites, each of these websites must reference the others so residents can be confident they can find all relevant information. Websites must include contact, meeting, debt and other information. Residents’ water bills must also include a link to the relevant website.
###