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Home My WebLink AboutR2014-044S:\Legal\Our pocuments\Resolutions\14\Legislative Program Resolution (2015).docx RESOLUTION NO. �� 14-0� A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF DENTON, TEXAS, ADOPTING THE CITY OF DENTON'S 2015 STATE LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM FOR THE 84th TEXAS LEGISLATURE; AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE. WHEREAS, the 84�h Texas Legislature will commence in January 2015; and WHEREAS, appraisal caps, revenue caps, budgeting authority and revenue sources, and many other legislative issues affecting local government will be considered; and WHEREAS, the City of Denton desires to adopt its 2015 State Legislative Program for the 84th Texas Legislature; NOW, THERFORE, THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF DENTON HERBY RESOLVES: SECTION 1. The City of Denton's 2015 State Legislative Program for the 84th Texas Legislature is adopted as set forth herein and made a part of this resolution for all purposes. SECTION 2. The Mayor and City Council, City Manager and the City Attorney, or their designees shall communicate the items included in the 2015 State Legislative Program to members of the Texas Legislature. SECTION 3.. The City Manager, or his designee, is directed to draft appropriate legislation, seek a sponsor, and actively pursue passage of such legislation by providing testimony from the Mayor and City Council and City Staff and through other appropriate means. PASSED AND APPROVED this the � day of December 2014. �� ` � � � ��. � � � � �� - --------___ _ � ��h? T`� VV�'ATTS, MAYOR ATTEST: JENNIFER WALTERS, CITY SECRETARY � �� BY: ,�"�„ �-'�"�"� `��`� ..,� �,.:��..�.�� APPR(.�t�' ��:I:`� � �. :I`�"� LEGAL FORM: ANITA BURGESS, CITY ATTORNEY ��°. ,-�-..',�...� � � � � ,� �� ;� � � BY: ��` � � � � , , �� er � � City of Denton 2015 State Legislative Agenda 84t" Texas Legislature TABLE OF CONTENTS L City of Denton Mayor and Council Contact Information 3 IL City Manager, City Attorney and City Staff Contact Information 4 IIL 2015 State Legislative Program Adopting Resolution 5 IV. General Legislative Policy G V. Priority Legislative Agenda 8 VL Discussion of Priority Legislative Issues 9 VIL General Legislative Agenda 15 Page 2 GregJohnson At-Large, Place 6 Greg.Joh nson @cityofdenton.com Joey Hawkins District 4 Joey.Hawkins@cityofdenton.com Citv of Denton Citv Council Members Mayor Chris Watts Chris.Watts@cityofdenton.com Mayor Pro Tem Jim Engelbrecht District 3 Jim.Engelbrecht@cityofdenton.com John Ryan District 2 Dalton Gregory At-Large, Place 5 Dalton.Gregory@cityofdenton.com John.Ryan@cityofdenton.com Kevin Roden District 1 Kevin.Roden@cityofdenton.com Page 3 City of Denton City Hall: (940) 349-8200 215 E. McKinney Denton, Texas 76201 www.cityofdenton.com Please feel free to contact the Denton City Council and staff to provide additional information and research on legislative issues. George Campbell City Manager o/ (940) 349-8306 C�ec�r°�e. ��mt�bell(� �ityc��dentc�n.�c�m Howard Martin Assistant City Manager Utilities o/ (940) 349-8232 I� c��a�r°d.I��rtin(� �itvc��dentc�n. �c�m John Cabrales, Jr. Assistant City Manager Development Services o/ (940) 349-8509 Jc�l�n. ��br°�les� �itvc��dentc�n.�c�m Lindsey Baker Intergovernmental Relations/Public Information Officer o/ (940) 349-8234 c/ (817) 994-7133 L,indsev.��l�er(��ityc��dentc�n.�c�m Anita Burgess City Attorney o/ (940) 349-8336 1�nit�.�ur�ess c�,�itvc��dentc�n.�c�m Jon Fortune Assistant City Manager Operations o/ (940) 349-8535 Jc�n.F'c�r°tune�,�ityc��dentc�n.�c�m Bryan Langley Assistant City Manager Administrative Services o/ (940) 349-8224 £�r°y�n.L,�n�le�cr,�ityc��dentc�n.�c�m Page 4 S:\Lega(\Our pocuments\Resolutsons\14lLegislaiave Program Resolution'(2015}.docx RESOLUTION NO. �� 14-044 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF DENTON, TEXAS, ADOPTING THE CITY OF DENTON'S 2015 STATE LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM FOR THE 84��' TEXAS LEGISLATURE; AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE. ' WHEREAS, the 84th Texas Legislature will commence in January 2015; and WHEREAS, appraisal caps, revenue caps, budgeting authority and revenue sources, and many other legislative issues affecting local government will be considered; and WHEREAS, the City of Denton desires to adopt its 2015 State Legislative Program for the 84`" Texas Legislature; NOW, THERFORE, THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF DENTON HERBY RESOLVES: SECTION 1. The City of Denton's 2015 State Legislative Program for the 84th Texas Legislature is adopted as set forth herein and made a part of this resolution for all purposes. SECTION 2. The Mayor and City Council, City Manager and the City Attorney, or their designees shall communicate the items included in the 2015 State Legislative Program to members of the Texas Legislature. SECTION 3. The City Manager, or his designee, is directed to draft appropriate legislation, seek a sponsor, and actively pursue passage of such legislation by providing testimony from the Mayor and City Council and City Staff and through other appropriate means. PASSED AND�APPROVED this the �day of December 2014. � � � ,�" �' �� 't��TTS, MAY ' OR ATTEST: JENNIFER WALTERS, CITY SECRETARY ► BY: ._ � �'�`� �- �.� ,� ...�� '` � �-� AP��'�� ,'� .�,� �'�� '��0 LEGAL FORM: ANITA BURGESS, CITY ATTORNEY � � � �� ..., �:�� ti � BY° ��'� .�� `y� �� +.- . �. � a�� GENERAL LEGISLATIVE POLICY PRES'ERVE THE CITY'S STRATEGIC GOALS & INTERESTS STATEMENT OF PRESERVATION As a general policy, the City will oppose any legislation viewed as detrimental to the City's strategic goals; or that is contrary to the health, safety, and welfare of its citizens; or that mandates increased costs or loss of revenues; or that would diminish the fundamental authority of the City. SUPPORT LEGISLATION THAT AD i�ANCES THE CITY'S STRATEGIC GOALS & INTERESTS STATEMENT OF SUPPORT Likewise, the City supports any legislation viewed as advancing the City's strategic goals; or that improves the health, safety, and welfare of its citizens; or that responsibly increases revenues; or that advances the City's authority to conduct the public's business. The City will oppose any initiatives that seek to erode municipal authority or that otherwise ha�e a negative impact on municipal operations, including but not limited to legislation that would: • Erode home rule authority; • Detrimentally affect the City's financial position by reducing revenue streams or increasing costs; • Erode the authority of Texas cities to manage and control their rights-of-way or other public property, and to be reasonably compensated for such use; • Erode current municipal economic development authority; • Erode the current authority of Texas cities to enact a system and set the level of impact fees for new development; and • Further restrict cities' ability to adopt or amend zoning regulations, and annex property in a city's extraterritorial jurisdiction. FORM COALITIONS WITH PARTIES THAT SHARE COMMON GOALS AND INTERESTS WITH THE CITY FORM COALITIONS The City will form strategic partnerships with cities, political subdivisions, and private sector entities that share common goals with the City of Denton. Additiona]ly, the City will work in coordination with organizations such as the Texas Municipal League when their adopted positions are in-line with the legislative obj ectives and goals of the City. The formation of strategic partnerships and coordinated efforts is intended to provide the City with a stronger presence in the legislative process. GOALS OF THE CITY'S' LEGISZTIVE ACTIVITIES Page 6 STATEMENT OF GOALS The fundamental goal of all City of Denton's legislative activities is to produce positive outcomes for the citizens of Denton as a whole. Numerous proposals in the Texas Legislature have the potential to seriously impact the ability of the City to carry out its overall mission. By taking a proactive role in monitoring and commenting on proposals in the Texas Legislature, we are working to ensure that the citizens of Denton can continue to enjoy the quality of life they have come to expect and deserve. Page 7 PRIORITY LEGISLATIVE AGENDA PRIORITY LEGISLATIVE ISSUES l. Preserve Local Budgeting Authority and Revenue Sources Oppose legislation that would unduly restrict the ability of the City to set its own budget or raise the necessary revenue to provide services to City residents and businesses. 2. Preserve Local Control of Land Use Planning and Zoning Support legislation that preserves local land use authority. Oppose legislation that would erode local land use authority by restricting the ability of cities to zone or rezone properties. Support legislation that would clarify that the state 's vested rights law does not apply to subsurface mineral development as it relates to permits issued by the municipality for oil and gas development activities. 3. Preserve Local Control of Denton Municipal Electric • Oppose legislation that would deregulate Municipally Owned Utilities or amend their governing structure. • Support legislation that would preserve Municipally Owned Utilities' authority and governing structure that maintain a diversified energy portfolio. Page 8 DISCUSSION OF PRIORITY LEGISLATIVE ISSUES Preserve Local Budgeting Authoritv and Revenue Sources The City of Denton will oppose legislation that will unduly restrict the ability of the City to set its own budget or raise the necessary revenue to provide services expected by City residents and businesses. ISSUE During the last several Texas Legislative Sessions, proposals have been set forth that would severely limit the ability of cities to set their budgets or raise adequate revenues to carry out their fundamental functions. For example, numerous proposals to "cap" local revenues and property appraisals have been filed in the Texas Legislature. Every elected official in the City of Denton is sensitive to the tax burden our citizens and businesses pay, and is accountable to the local electorate for the decisions they make. We are also mindful, however, that it takes a great deal of flexibility with our local budget to meet the unique demands for services while at the same time preserving the high standards our community has come to expect. PROBLEM Appraisal and revenue caps undermine the ability of local governments to meet the individual needs and circumstances of their cities. Additionally, one size fits all "caps" violate the fundamental principle of local control. Citizens and businesses have numerous opportunities to provide input to the City of Denton's budget and tax rate setting processes. Most importantly, the citizens of our City get to voice their approval or disapproval of our budgeting performance and tax rates every time we hold a City election. Unfortunately, extremely low appraisal and revenue caps can produce numerous problems. For instance, appraisal caps shift the inequitable tax burden to businesses and new homeowners. This inequitable shift can produce serious long-term negative consequences for the local economy. Revenue caps, on the other hand, require the City to cut services or take on more debt to fund local projects and services. These types of "caps" are particularly harmful to a city like Denton, because it prevents the City from adequately dealing with the infrastructure needs brought on by tremendous population growth. It is inappropriate for the State of Texas to expect local governments to provide numerous public services with no funding from the State, while at the same time unduly restricting the ability of local governments to raise the necessary levels of revenue to provide the required services. SOLUTION If revenue caps are going to be applied to local governments they should be applied uniformly to the state budget as well. In short, the same rules should apply to all levels of government. The State could also supplement local government funding as other states that impose revenue caps have done. Page 9 Preserve Local Control of Land Use Plannin� and Zonin� The City of Denton will support legislation that preserves local land use authority and oppose legislation that will erode local land use authority by restricting the ability of cities to zone or rezone properties. ISSUE Over the past few legislative sessions various proposals have been introduced to restrict the ability of cities to enforce their traditional land use controls. Specifically, legislation that requires cities to compensate landowners any time a zoning classification change is effected (often referred to as a"downzoning"), has come dangerously close to becoming the law. Under these proposals, cities would have to compensate landowners, even if the proposed zoning changes did not interfere with the current or intended use of the property. In addition to compensating landowners for zoning changes, proposals have been considered that would require compensation for numerous types of city regulations. For example, previously proposed legislation would have required cities to compensate landowners if they restricted the ability of patrons to smoke on premises or limited the time of day that alcohol could be served. All of these types of local restrictions have been debated under the theory of "regulatory takings." Additional legislative proposals would have prevented cities from ever changing the zoning classification of a property if any type of basic permit or site plan has been filed with any governmental entity. Since 1999 the Texas Legislature has continually expanded the "permit vesting" statute to include different aspects of city land use authority. The expansion of the "permit vesting" statute is beginning to interfere with the ability of cities to impose orderly, efficient, and comprehensive land use and development plans for their communities. PROBLEM Restricting the ability of cities to properly regulate land uses ultimately prevents them from being able to respond to the needs and demands of their citizens. For example, land use controls are used to keep undesirable businesses from locating in neighborhood-type settings. Additionally, one of the main reasons people live in cities is to have the protection of a regulated land use system. In short, when a home or business locates in a particular city they do so, in part, to ensure that an incompatible structure will not be placed next to their property. SOLUTION The ability of most cities to manage growth and development is based on the Texas constitution's home rule provisions. Cities are allowed to amend charters and pass ordinances as long as they do not conflict with the constitution or general laws enacted by the state legislature. This means that each home rule city can make its own decisions about what planning tools and techniques are most appropriate to its situation unless those tools have been proscribed by the Texas legislature. The State should be very cautious in proscribing solutions that are only applicable to individual situations because of the vast differences between cities in this large state. Page 10 Preserve Local Control of Land Use Plannin� and Zonin� Support legislation that would clarify that the state's vested rights law does not apply to subsurface mineral development as it relates to permits issued by the municipality for oil and gas development activities. ISSUE Denton, Texas is a home rule city acting under its Charter adopted by the electorate pursuant to Article XI, Section 5 of the Texas Constitution and Chapter 9 of the Local Government Code. Denton, along with other cities in North Texas, identified that its gas well regulations did not fully implement the goals of allowing gas well operations while protecting the public's health, safety and general welfare. The rising demand for clean alternative fuel sources, and the advent of new drilling and production technologies, including hydraulic fracturing, has encouraged mineral development, including in the Barnett Shale gas play, a massive reservoir of natural gas underlying a substantial portion of southern Oklahoma and North Central Texas. The most active production zone of the Barnett Shale is situated under the highly urbanized Denton, Tarrant, and Wise counties. The City of Denton has witnessed significant conflict between increased drilling and urban expansion. The conflict between land use issues, that of gas well operations and that of surface owners seeking the peaceful and quiet enj oyment of their property, has become commonplace. Potential harmful impacts of gas well drilling and production within municipal boundaries fall heavily on neighborhoods and properties adjacent to gas well drilling and production operations, and the balancing of interests of the mineral owners and operators as against quality of life issues for those citizens working and living near drilling sites and production infrastructure has proven challenging. By way of example, during our ordinance review, citizens presented compelling evidence of the impacts of gas well drilling in an urban environment, to include noise, dust, odor, light pollution, vibrations, fire safety, visual aesthetics, surface property value impacts, negative changes to neighborhoods, incompatibility of land uses, impacts to infrastructure related to public health and welfare such as water wells, concerns over setbacks, landscaping, public notice, signage, issues related to operating hours, operator insurance issues, road impacts, and other quality of life issues. Additionally, gas well flaring, gas well completion techniques, closed loop systems, vapor recovery units, water and soil impacts, other environmental impairment issues, methods of plugging and abandoning wells, pits involved in gas well operations, emergency operation plans, and other operational aspects of extraction of minerals trigger public health, safety, property preservation, and order and security of the City of Denton and its inhabitants. Gas well operations have the propensity for polluting or degrading streams, drains, recharge features, or tributaries that may constitute or recharge the City of Denton's drinking water supply. Notwithstanding these concerns, the City encountered substantial resistance from local operators on its ability to prevent or moderate potentially harmful impacts of gas well drilling and production activities on adjacent and proximate land uses. Page 11 PROBLEM The concept of vested rights, in particular, is argued to restrict a City's authority to address impacts of gas well drilling: vested rights, regulatory takings, and preemption. This paper is offered in support of the City's Resolution asking the Texas Legislature to clarify the state's vested rights law. "Vested rights" claims are grounded in Tex. Loc. Gov't Code, Chapter 245, as interpreted by the case of Harper Park Two, LP v. Austin, 359 S.W. 3d 247 (Tex.App.-Austin 2011). Under Chapter 245, once an application for the first permit required to complete a property development "project" is filed with the municipality that regulates the use of the property, the municipality's regulations applicable to the project are frozen in their then-current state and the city is prohibited from enforcing subsequent regulatory changes to further restrict the property's use. However, these vested rights protections are lost to the extent that the development being pursued constitutes a new or different "proj ect" from the one for which the initial permit was sought. A"project" is defined in Chapter 245 is an "endeavor" that requires a series of permits to complete. It is the filing of the first permit in the series of required permits that triggers the vested rights protection under the statute. In the context of commercial or residential development, the application of the vested rights law is somewhat problematic, as illustrated by Harper Park Two. In the context of gas well drilling, it is even more difficult to apply. For example, assume that a gas well operator filed a gas well plat in 1992, identifying one well and a series of tank batteries on the plat. In 2007, the operator desires to drill five more wells, one of which is on the pad site of the original well, and three of which are on a pad site 5,000 feet distant from the original site. What is the project? Is it only that pad site identified on the original plat? Is it one well, or two wells, or five wells? Is the project the complete exhaustion of the mineral stores of the mineral lease, no matter the necessity of burdening the surface estate with additional wells and gas infrastructure? In an urban environment with underlying gas plays, the answer to these questions determines the health and safety and the quality of life of a municipality's citizens. SOLUTION It is Denton's position that the Texas Legislature never intended the vested rights analysis to apply to subsurface mineral development and that legislative clarification is need in this respect. Page 12 Preserve Local Control of Denton Municipal Electric The City of Denton will oppose legislation that deregulates Municipally Owned Utilities or amends their governance authority. ISSUE For the first time in over a decade, the 2011 State Legislative session saw bills introduced regarding partial deregulation for specific Municipally Owned Utilities (MOU). Ultimately, none of the bills passed into law. However, this type of legislative pressure toward specific MOUs can have a widespread, negative impact and unforeseen consequences on MOUs throughout the state. Municipalities owning an electric utility, such as in Denton's case, retain local regulatory authority through its main governing body, the City CounciL It is the role and choice of these City Councils to determine each MOUs energy future by exercising its authority whether to opt- in to the deregulated market or to retain its local authority. In April, 2001, the Denton City Council took a wait-and-see approach and exercised its authority choosing not to opt-in to deregulation. To date, there has been no viable reason for Denton to enter into the deregulated market. Requiring MOUs to participate in the deregulated market essentially eliminates the authority of the governing bodies of MOUs and forces them to operate under the same guidelines as investor owned utilities. Historically, DME electric rates have remained stable and competitively priced. Mandating that an MOU participate in the deregulated market not only increases its financial burden, but also ensures that the increased costs are passed through to the DME ratepayers, thus placing DME at a com�etitive disadvanta�e in the electric market. In addition, should an MOU such as that owned by the citizens of Denton be required to opt-in, it mitigates the strategic measures that the local citizens have enacted such as requiring more renewable resources from their MOU. PROBLEM Austin Energy's (AE) rate increase has raised the deregulation issue and it is anticipated that legislation will be proposed to deregulate all or a portion of AE. The opt-in discussions concerning AE may be expanded to include all MOUs. For Denton to enter the deregulated market, the additional operating expense would be substantial. The current and additional operating expenses could be spread across a smaller customer base should customers exercise their "power to choose." A reduction in DME's customer base would ensure that its remaining customers would have to absorb the increased costs in the form of higher electric rates. SOLUTION MOUs must preserve the local authority and governing structure to provide affordable electric service and energy portfolio diversity to its ratepayers. Page 13 Preserve Local Control of Denton Municipal Electric The City of Denton will support legislation that preserves the authority and governance structure of Municipally Owned Utilities that maintain a diversified energy portfolio. ISSUE During recent sessions of the Texas State Legislature, proposals were sent forth regarding Texas' Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) and its proposed soft target for non-wind renewable generation. Restricting the types of generation which would qualify for inclusion in the RPS essentially eliminates the authority of the governing bodies of Municipally Owned Utilities (MOU) to procure renewable energy sources that are financially feasible for the MOU to maintain a diversified energy portfolio. As such, the increased financial burden for the City of Denton would be passed through to Denton Municipal Electric (DME) ratepayers. The City of Denton is a nationally recognized environmental leader because of its continued diversification of DME's energy portfolio. At no additional cost to its ratepayers, DME provides more wind energy per capita than any other city in the United States and offers one of the largest rebates for the installation of renewable energy generation in Texas. The City of Denton and DME recognize the importance of reducing the overall dependence on fossil fuel generation, while, at the same time being fiscally responsible to its citizens and ratepayers. PROBLEM Any legislation that eliminates MOUs' authority to determine and maintain a diversified energy portfolio is fiscally irresponsible to the ratepayers. While some areas are more suited for specific types of renewable generation, not all utility scale generation is appropriate in all locations. For example, the cost of constructing and operating solar energy generation can be prohibitive. While solar costs have declined over recent years, the capital costs, scarcity of land, lack of electric infrastructure, and diminished levels of generation output, as compared to conventional generation, can substantially drive the cost per megawatt-hour of solar energy production upward. It is unrealistic and cost prohibitive for the State of Texas to expect MOUs to provide economically priced electricity to its citizens, while requiring a diversified energy portfolio that includes predetermined amounts of specific renewable sources without funding from the State. SOLUTION MOUs must preserve the local authority and governing structure to provide affordable electric service to its ratepayers. If energy portfolio diversity becomes a requirement, MOUs should have the option to determine which renewable generation source is most suited to each MOU's service area. If a generation requirement is mandated, it should be applied uniformly to investor owned utilities, cooperatives, and MOUs. In addition, the State should supplement local government funding of the construction of utility scale renewable generation to offset the impact to the citizens of Denton. Page 14 GENERAL LEGISLATIVE AGENDA Revenue and Taxation • Support legislation that would improve the appraisal process to ensure equal and uniform application of property taxes. • Oppose legislation that would restrict the ability of cities to impose and collect municipal impact fees from new developments. Land Use and Resources • Support legislation that would provide municipalities the authority to regulate and enforce zoning, building codes, and property maintenance codes within extraterritorial jurisdictions (ETJ). • Support legislation that would address the failure of utility companies to relocate their facilities in a timely manner as required by current law. • Oppose legislation that would reduce a municipality's authority and discretion to approve the creation of a special district within a city's incorporated area or ETJ, including the expansion of a district's boundaries or powers. • Oppose legislation that would erode city annexation authority. • Oppose legislation that would reduce or eliminate development fees, exactions, or building permits. • Oppose legislation that would restrict cities' ability to adopt or amend zoning regulations, vest, or otherwise create a property right in a zoning classification. • Support legislation that would allow local governments to enact ordinances relating to health and safety regulations as applied to gas drilling and production activities. • Support legislation that would allow cities to enact ordinances regulating zoning and development, including but not limited to issues related to Chapter 245 Local Government Code. • Support the preservation of municipal authority to reduce the effects of oil and gas development on city residents. Utilities • Support legislation that preserves Congestion Revenue Rights (PCRRs) assigned to municipal utilities in exchange for supporting the nodal market construct. • Support legislation that preserves the Self Regulation of Municipal Electric Utilities. Page 15 • Support legislation that protects the ability of governmental entities to maintain confidentiality of certain critical documents and activities. • Support legislation that requires market participants and Retail Electric Providers (REPs) to be properly capitalized before they are allowed to participate in the ERCOT market. • Support legislation that requires more stringent credit requirements for the startup of Retail Electric Providers (REPs). • Oppose legislation that requires municipal electric utilities to pay uplifted charges for those ERCOT Retail Electric Providers (REP) that declare bankruptcy or for any other ERCOT short pay charges. • Oppose legislation that would extend electric subsidies provided by municipal utilities to four-year state universities, upper level institutions, Texas state technical colleges, or liberal arts colleges. • Oppose any legislation that will increase ERCOT Fees. • Oppose legislation that provides any further exemptions to the drainage fee. • Oppose any legislation that would limit or prohibit a city's ability to make and sell compost/mulch products, inside and outside of the city limits. • Oppose legislation that would impose state "tap fees" or any other type of state charge on municipal water systems. • Support legislation that would raise the exemption amounts for public works projects in the Texas Engineering Practices Act. • Support legislation that clarifies TCEQ's sanitary sewer overflow reporting standards. Transportation • Support legislation that would retain limited authority for TxDOT to enter into public- private partnerships on specific projects. • Support legislation that would identify additional transportation revenue to enhance statewide and regional ability to maintain and improve transportation infrastructure, and that would provide metropolitan areas with flexible solutions to solve problems and ensure that areas contributing to transportation solutions will not be penalized with a loss of traditional transportation funding. Support legislation that would constitutionally protect all revenues in Fund 6 and discontinue the diversion of transportation revenues to non-transportation purposes, and appropriate all revenues from highway user fees and taxes to fund transportation. Support legislation that would index the motor fuels tax to reduce the decline in purchase power of transportation funding. Page 16 • Support legislation that would increase vehicle registration fees to address transportation funding needs. • Support legislation that would enforce existing regulations and penalties of driving requirements (e.g. vehicle registrations, driver licenses, and vehicle insurance). • Oppose legislation that would remove or negate the strictly voluntary nature of highway turnbacks. • Oppose legislation that would create a Regional Mobility Authority in the four county area of North Central Texas including Dallas, Denton, Collin and Tarrant Counties for the purpose of administering funds received through revenue sharing agreements. • Support legislation that directly benefits Denton County Transportation Authority, if such proposals do not adversely affect the city's interest. Public Safetv • Support legislation that would require 100 percent reimbursement of costs incurred by cities for services provided during emergency evacuation and shelter operations resulting from an emergency evacuation ordered by the governor or the governor's Division of Emergency Management. • Oppose legislation that further restricts a city's ability to implement a photographic red light enforcement system to use cameras at traffic lights and impose a civil penalty for running the light. • Oppose legislation that would allow open-carry firearms in municipally-owned facilities. • Oppose legislation that would restrict a city's authority to use license plate readers by law enforcement agencies. General Government • Oppose state preemption of municipal authority in the regulation of payday lenders, unless proposed legislation provides adequate protections from aggressive and harmful lending practices. • Support legislation that heightens environmental standards, improves air and water quality and protects the health, safety, and welfare of Texans. Support legislation that would exempt cities from any federal collective bargaining legislation that may become law in the future. Support legislation amending Section 11.1825 of the Tax Code by adding that community housing development organizations (CHDOs) must receive an exemption from taxation from any affected municipality prior to receiving a tax exempt status from the local property appraisal district. Page 17 • Support legislation that would provide additional state funding for local and regional initiatives related to reducing the number of homeless persons and those at risk of homelessness in our community. • Support legislation that would provide state funding to assist local non-profits in providing adequate and coordinated mental health services throughout Denton County. • Support legislation that would provide funding for Early Childhood Programs, including full-day service pre-kindergarten programs. • Support legislation that directly benefits LTNT and/or TWU, if such proposals do not adversely affect the city's interest. • Support legislation that directly benefits Denton ISD, if such proposals do not adversely affect the city's interest. • Oppose legislation that would further reduce funding to Denton ISD, if such proposals do not adversely affect the city's interest. Page 18