This section lets qualified voters petition for an election to limit school district tax funds dedicated to a junior college district, and sets petition, timing, and ballot rules.
Sec. 26.085. ELECTION TO LIMIT DEDICATION OF SCHOOL FUNDS TO JUNIOR COLLEGE. (a) If the percentage of the total tax levy of a school district dedicated by the governing body of the school district to a junior college district under Section 45.105(e), Education Code, exceeds the percentage of the total tax levy of the school district for the preceding year dedicated to the junior college district under that section, the qualified voters of the school district by petition may require that an election be held to determine whether to limit the percentage of the total tax levy dedicated to the junior college district to the same percentage as the percentage of the preceding year's total tax levy dedicated to the junior college district. (b) A petition is valid only if: (1) it states that it is intended to require an election on the question of limiting the amount of school district tax funds to be dedicated to the junior college district for the current year; (2) it is signed by a number of registered voters of the school district equal to at least 10 percent of the number of registered voters of the school district according to the most recent official list of registered voters; and (3) it is submitted to the governing body on or before the 90th day after the date on which the governing body made the dedication to the junior college district. (c) Not later than the 20th day after the day a petition is submitted, the governing body shall determine whether the petition is valid and pass a resolution stating its finding. If the governing body fails to act within the time allowed, the petition is treated as if it had been found valid. (d) If the governing body finds that the petition is valid (or fails to act within the time allowed), it shall order that an election be held in the school district on a date not less than 30 or more than 90 days after the last day on which it could have acted to approve or disapprove the petition. A state law requiring local elections to be held on a specified date does not apply to the election unless a specified date falls within the time permitted by this section. At the election, the ballots shall be prepared to permit voting for or against the proposition: "Limiting the portion of the (name of school district) tax levy dedicated to the (name of junior college district) for the current year to the same portion that was dedicated last year." (e) If a majority of the qualified voters voting on the question in the election favor the proposition, the percentage of the total tax levy of the school district for the year to which the election applies dedicated to the junior college district is reduced to the same percentage of the total tax levy that was dedicated to the junior college district by the school district in the preceding year. If the proposition is approved by a majority of the qualified voters voting in an election to limit the dedication to the junior college district in a year following a year in which there was no dedication of local tax funds to the junior college district under Section 45.105(e), Education Code, the school district may not dedicate any local tax funds to the junior college district in the year to which the election applies. If the proposition is not approved by a majority of the qualified voters voting in the election, the percentage of the total tax levy dedicated to the junior college district is the percentage adopted by the governing body. Added by Acts 1983, 68th Leg., p. 5374, ch. 987, Sec. 2, eff. June 19, 1983. Amended by Acts 1993, 73rd Leg., ch. 728, Sec. 86, eff. Sept. 1, 1993; Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 165, Sec. 6.78, eff. Sept. 1, 1997.