A municipal annexation bill passed by the Texas Senate on Friday was sent to Governor Abbott’s desk on Sunday to be signed.
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It marks the fifth piece of legislation to get there from an originally proposed 20 items.
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“Members, this is a great deal,” Donna Campbel, the bill’s author, said in a statement Sunday. “… It is a huge victory for property rights of Texans.”
Her legislation allows residents near large cities to vote on whether those jurisdictions can annex communities outside of their limits.
When a city annexes a smaller town, the area is prospectively subject to the regulations of the larger city, an issue long prompting public outrage and calls for annexation reform.
Among other problems, residents of outlying communities claim they are subject to higher tax rates as a result of annexation by large cities.
When the bill was passed, an amendment was added to create a five-mile buffer zone around military bases, another common source of concern.
Some worried annexing cities would close the sites if they were no longer deemed necessary.
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The buffer also keeps land around the bases from being developed, something some lawmakers further worry could hinder base missions.