Marble Falls city sets 2025 state legislative platform

The Marble Falls City Council on Aug. 6 approved a resolution establishing the city’s official platform on 20 legislative issues expected to come up in the 89th session of the Texas Legislature, which begins in January 2025. The resolution supports policies that would reinforce the authority of local governments and opposes those that would reduce local regulatory authority. 

The platform outlined in the resolution will be passed on to the Texas Municipal League, which advocates for a large coalition of cities before the Legislature. The platform was also sent to state Sen. Pete Flores (District 24), state Rep. Ellen Troxclair (District 19), and state Rep. Andrew Murr (District 53). 

Marble Falls is not limited to the platform approved in the resolution. Stances can be amended as issues arise or circumstances change. The resolution only serves as a guide for the city and its collaborators.

Of particular note is the city’s desire to see Texas House Bill 2127 and Texas Senate Bill 2038 revoked. 

HB 2127, also known as the Texas Regulatory Consistency Act, or the “Death Star” bill, was passed in 2023 during the 88th legislative session. It removes powers from local governments to regulate beyond the overarching laws of the state.

SB 2038 allows residents within a city’s extra-territorial jurisdiction to petition to leave that jurisdiction, which could reduce a city’s influence on its surrounding area and impact its ability to grow and shape development.

Below is the full scope of Marble Falls’ legislative agenda as approved on Aug. 6.

The city supports:

• Inclusion of population brackets in the development of bills. Population brackets are used to differentiate between cities with varying population sizes because state laws could affect them differently. For example, a strict water conservation measure could impact a city with a population of 50,000 or less much differently than a city with a population of 250,000 to 1,000,000.
• Upholding the authority and powers of local governments.
• Protecting a city’s authority to manage its public rights-of-way.
• Revocation of HB 2127 and SB 2038.
• Allowing cities to better manage growth and development using policies based on drought conditions, permitting, resource limitations, and more.
• Supporting a city’s ability to better manage water resources.
• Affirming a city’s power to regulate commercial signage within its limits.
• Expanding a city’s power to regulate lighting and requirements for Dark Skies conditions.
• Providing tools for increased collaborationbetweenacityandtheTexasDepartmentofTransportation, including policies allowing additional funding.
• Increasing transparency in the property taxation process and pushing for more accuracy in property appraisals.

The city opposes:

• Weakening the power of local governments and strengthening state authority over local issues.
• Restricting the ability of organizations like the Texas Municipal League to advocate for local governments.
• Reducing a city’s power to regulate its extra-territorial jurisdictions.
• Eliminating any source of municipal revenue, including property taxes and policies that would put revenue caps on property taxes or property appraisal caps.
• Restricting a city’s ability to preserve scenic landscapes and trees.
• Limiting the authority of municipalities to enforce water quality protections and standards.
• Limiting a city’s ability to regulate signage within its jurisdiction.
• Weakening municipal authorities to regulate land use, review site plans and plats, and pass authority to do any of this on to the state rather than the city.
• Limiting or eliminating a local court’s ability to pass and enforce judgments.
• Limiting municipal controls on local elections.

dakota@thepicayune.com