A person seeking a law to create or expand a special district with Chapter 375 power must give mailed notice to affected property owners, and later mail a second notice after introduction with the bill number.
Sec. 313.006. NOTICE FOR LAWS ESTABLISHING OR ADDING TERRITORY TO MUNICIPAL MANAGEMENT DISTRICTS. (a) In addition to the other requirements of this chapter, a person, other than a member of the legislature, who intends to apply for the passage of a law establishing or adding territory to a special district that incorporates a power from Chapter 375, Local Government Code, must provide notice as provided by this section. (b) The person shall notify by mail each person who owns real property proposed to be included in a new district or to be added to an existing district, according to the most recent certified tax appraisal roll for the county in which the real property is owned. The notice, properly addressed with postage paid, must be deposited with the United States Postal Service not later than the 30th day before the date on which the intended law is introduced in the legislature. (c) The notice is sufficient if it contains a statement of the general purpose and substance of the intended law and the name of the person paying for the publication. Notice of the particular form of the intended law or the terms used in the intended law is not required. (d) The person is not required to mail notice under Subsection (b) or (e) to a person who owns real property in the proposed district or in the area proposed to be added to a district if the property cannot be subject to an assessment by the district. (e) After the introduction of a law in the legislature establishing or adding territory to a special district that incorporates a power from Chapter 375, Local Government Code, the person shall mail to each person who owns real property proposed to be included in a new district or to be added to an existing district a notice that the legislation has been introduced, including the applicable bill number. The notice, properly addressed with postage paid, must be deposited with the United States Postal Service not later than the 30th day after the date on which the intended law is introduced in the legislature. If the person has not mailed the notice required under this subsection on the 31st day after the date on which the intended law is introduced in the legislature, the person may cure the deficiency by immediately mailing the notice, but the person shall in no event mail the notice later than the date on which the intended law is reported out of committee in the chamber other than the chamber in which the intended law was introduced. If similar bills are filed in both chambers of the legislature, a person is only required to provide a single notice under this subsection not later than the 30th day after the date the first of the bills is filed. (f) A landowner may waive any notice required under this section at any time. Added by Acts 2005, 79th Leg., Ch. 981 (H.B. 1830), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2005. Amended by: Acts 2017, 85th Leg., R.S., Ch. 761 (S.B. 1987), Sec. 1, eff. June 12, 2017. Acts 2017, 85th Leg., R.S., Ch. 761 (S.B. 1987), Sec. 2, eff. June 12, 2017. Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 815 (H.B. 2365), Sec. 2, eff. September 1, 2019.