ORDINANCE calling public hearings at which interested persons will be given the opportunity to be heard on: strategic partnership agreements between the City of Houston and FORT BEND COUNTY MUNICIPAL UTILITY DISTRICT NO. 24 and MONTGOMERY COUNTY WATER CONTROL AND IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT NO. 1 and on proposals for the City of Houston to annex for limited purposes certain territory located within such districts in FORT BEND AND MONTGOMERY COUNTIES; a proposed strategic partnership agreement between the City of Houston and FORT BEND COUNTY MUNICIPAL UTILITY DISTRICT NO. 185 and on a proposal to annex for limited purposes territory located within and in the vicinity of such district in FORT BEND COUNTY; proposed amendments to strategic partnership agreements between the City of Houston and FORT BEND COUNTY MUNICIPAL UTILITY DISTRICT NO. 133, SPRING CREEK UTILITY DISTRICT, and WEST HARRIS COUNTY MUNICIPAL UTILITY DISTRICT NO. 21 and on proposals for the City of Houston to annex for limited purposes certain territory located within such districts in Fort Bend, Montgomery, and Harris Counties; proposed amendments to strategic partnership agreements between the City of Houston and FORT BEND COUNTY MUNICIPAL UTILITY DISTRICT NO 142 and HARRIS COUNTY MUNICIPAL UTILITY DISTRICT NO 36 and on proposals for The City of Houston to annex for limited purposes territory within and in the vicinity of such districts in FORT BEND AND HARRIS COUNTIES; proposals of the City of Houston to impose the City of Houston’s sales and use tax in such territory; providing for the publication of notice of such hearings - DISTRICTS A - STARDIG; B - DAVIS; E – MARTIN; F – NGUYEN; K – GREEN and ETJ

In 1999, the State Legislature gave the City of Houston the right to enter into Strategic Partnership Agreements with utility districts. Such agreements allow the City to annex all or part of these districts for limited purposes. The City can then levy a sales tax and provide specified, limited services to the area. The City cannot levy a property tax in areas annexed for limited purposes. 

Pursuant to Section 43.075 of the Texas Local Government Code:

Before the governing body of a municipality or a district adopts a Strategic Partnership Agreement, it shall conduct two public hearings at which members of the public who wish to present testimony or evidence regarding the proposed agreement shall be given the opportunity to do so.  

The hearings called by this ordinance are for agreements, or amendments to existing agreements, with the following Utility Districts:

New Agreements:

Fort Bend County MUD 24

Fort Bend County MUD 185

Montgomery County WCID 1

Amendments to existing Agreements:

Fort Bend County MUD 133 (Amendment 1)

Fort Bend County MUD 142 (Amendment 1)

Harris County MUD 36 (Amendment 2) 

Spring Creek UD (Amendment 2)

West Harris County MUD 21 (Amendment 1)

Consistent with usual practice, the sales taxes collected in each of these Districts will be divided evenly between the City and the District. The City is only annexing commercial property and undeveloped land. There is no population located in these territories proposed to be annexed for limited purposes.

The hearings will be held on November 4, 2015 and November 10, 2015 in City Council chambers.

________________________________ 

Patrick Walsh, P.E.

Director

Planning and Development Department