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<br />Meetings Act. In addition, the bill provides that notice of an emergency meeting or supplemental <br />notice of an emergency item added to the agenda to address the emergency must be given to <br />members ofthe news media not later than one hour before the meeting. <br /> <br />Other Bills <br /> <br />H.B. 1 - State Budeet / Parks: this is the state budget bill. Of interest to cities, local parks grant <br />funding will be affected as follows: (1) the allocation of sporting goods sales tax revenue to the <br />local parks grant account will increase from $5.2 million per year to $15.5 million per year; (2) <br />total general fund revenue to the local parks grant account will increase from $0.8 million for the <br />biennium to $16.7 million; and (3) $16.7 million oflocal parks grant funding will be "earmarked" <br />for eighteen specific local park projects. (Total funding will increase from $11.3 million to <br />$47.658 million per biennium.) <br /> <br />H.B. 11- Alcohol and Tobacco Taxes: improves the state's procedures relating to the filing of <br />alcohol and tobacco sales reports with the state comptroller, and is estimated to generate roughly <br />$5 million in municipal revenue statewide in fiscal year 2008 and $17 annually by fiscal year <br />2012. <br /> <br />H.B. 730 - Certificates of Oblieation: extends from 14 to 30 days the required time period <br />between the first newspaper notice of a city's intention to issue certificates of obligation and the <br />meeting date at which the city council authorizes their issuance. <br /> <br />H.B. 1268 - Attorney's Fees: provides that a governmental contract for general construction, an <br />improvement, a service, a public works project, or a purchase of supplies, materials, or equipment <br />may not provide for the award of attorney's fees to the governmental entity in a dispute unless the <br />contract provides for the award of attorney's fees to each other party to the contract. <br /> <br />H.B. 1456 - Annual Financial Statement: extends from 120 days to 180 days the time period, <br />following the last day of a fiscal year, for a city to file the annual financial statement for the fiscal <br />year with the city secretal1:" <br /> <br />H.B.. 1560 - Liabilitv: expands the definition of recreation to include "paint ball use," and <br />provides that a city must post a sign containing specific language on any premises that a city <br />owns, operates, or maintains on which certain recreational activities are conducted. <br /> <br />>feH.B. 2365 - Postemplovment Benefits/GASB 45: provides that: (1) a city's accounting and <br />financial reporting system must be consistent with state law and may not misrepresent financial <br />activities; (2) a city may follow the "statutory modified accrual basis" method of financial <br />accounting; (3) any generally accepted accounting principles that require reporting of <br />postemployment benefits in any method other than "pay as you go" do not have to be used by <br />Texas or its political subdivisions; and (4) "other postemployment benefits" must be disclosed in <br />a city's annual financial statement in the detailed manner laid out in. the bill. (Note: finance <br />officers and auditors should carefully review this bill. It will take effect immediately when <br />it is signed by the governor.) <br /> <br />H.B. 2438 - Hotel Occupancy Taxes: authorizes a city to use hotel occupancy tax revenue to <br />own or finance a transportation system that transports tourists from hotels to the commercial <br />center of the city, a convention center, other hotels, or tourist attractions in the city. This bill also <br /> <br />12 <br />