Travis County Commssioners Court
May 20, 2003
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Item 42
Let's call up item no. 42 a and b. 42 a to discuss legislative issues, including
proposed bills and take appropriate action. 42 b to consider other bills if
any in response to action taken by the legislature and take appropriate action.
And we got baseball here and -- and any --
>> good morning, dana debeauvoir, Travis County clerk. I am bringing you a bill that's already had a lot of work done on it. But I would like to ask for a little more help because this will be an important revenue source for county government. The bill is on the senate side, senate bill 1731, the author is gallagos. It has legs. Basically what this bill does is -- let me just preface this by saying it is not a new tax. This law has been in place for at least two years. The border counties implemented is for the last two years. It is now permissive, what it says if you are one of those counties that has a large archive of old, old records, that you can implement a $5 archive fee to take care of -- of restoring and organizing all of those old records. So it's very like the records management fee, only it is specifically for archive. So it's an incredibly important to your records management department. Okay? The -- the senate bill is the one that is working nicely. And what -- whater looking at here is -- what we are looking at here is the $5 fee to take care of county government's archive records would generate about another million $ just like the records management fee for the county clerk. Okay? Do you have question abouts this bill?
>> what do we need to do?
>> well, I would like for you to -- we don't have a fourth member today. /?txuwhat I was hoping what I was hoping for was that we could approve the court's endorsing the bill. It's coming up for hearing in county affairs attorney, I plan to be there. You may want to provide support to that meeting as well. It's looking pretty good. The title companies are finally this evening with it. The people who might care about this don't care about it because they recognize if you are one of these counties, like Travis County is with the large archive, you know, we have needed this for quite some time. The records management fund is not sufficient to cover everything that needs to be done. So that's what I知 asking for an endorsement, I知 asking for support for help. County clerks are speaking in favor of the bill. [indiscernible] well, since we are a quorum today, would that suffice.
>> not really.
>> I didn't realize that you didn't have the fourth.
>> okay.
>> now, we met with c.u.c. On Wednesday, so to the extent that -- that there is action required after tomorrow, we could try to get the c.u.c. To take a position, I didn't know why they wouldn't support it.
>> there are -- this is -- well, we can -- we can speculate.
>> we can ask them. From the different counties on Wednesday to support it and I知 assuming that the other urban counties have pretty much the same --
>> that's exactly right. [multiple voices]
>> right.
>> thank you for the help.
>> thank you.
>> if an individual letter from us would help, maybe even from the county judge as county judge, if you have got something real short for me, I can put it on my stationary and -- stationery and get it to you today.
>> [inaudible - no mic]
>> I think that would be appropriate.
>> are you the only one that can sign it.
>> we can do separate letters.
>> separate letters.
>> all right. Dana, if you will get a letter to my office, I will sign it as well. [one moment please for change in captioners] the first one is hcr 223, which is the concurrent resolution requesting permission to sue Travis County and there was a hearing on that last week and judge Biscoe testified the bill is still pending and there's been no change in that.
>> okay.
>> on senate bill 1017, which is the -- the bill by representative nixon and senator wentworth, waiving sovereign immunity to sue counties in contract, there is -- there was a meeting last Friday with the Travis County attorneys with -- with c.u.c. With -- with the county judges and Commissioners association as well as associated general contractors and Texas construction association. And they have submitted language to -- to us and -- and it's my understanding that those negotiations are ongoing. I believe we are going to submit some language back to them. And that's where it stands right now. But there's been no -- no decision made yet as to whether or not the -- an agreement will be reached.
>> okay.
>> I have that language if you wanted to see -- we would like to send it back to them.
>> I知 fine.
>> I知 fine with that.
>> you authorize the county judge to keep working on that.
>> sure.
>> that's my motion.
>> keep working with the county attorney's office and mr. -- all in favor? That passes by unanimous vote.
>> I will say generally, most of the other Travis County bills that we have are on locale door, they all look pretty good. The only one that we had in just one house was senate bill 1161. By barrientos. That's the one to give you permission for internet services. And that's up for hearing tomorrow in house county affairs. It's already passed the senate, if -- it looks like there's still time for that one.
>> the hospital district bill on -- on -- on the consent calendar? The health care district bill for Travis County?
>> I don't -- I don't know the status of that one right now. I have been told that -- that -- that there are several routes they are taking, so I had the impression that the -- where he can find that out. We can find that out. The so-called webberville bill passed the house. It was over in senate igr this morning. When we had to leave it had not yet been heard. We did put a card in, on half the Commissioners court in on -- on behalf of the Commissioners court in opposition to the bill. I don't know if they are going to be continuing their hearing after the senate comes out this afternoon, but -- don't have any further information on that one right now.
>> okay. House bill 104, which you know is representative baxter's bill, senator wentworth's bill, that passed out of the senate igr this morning. And it went to local consent calendar. Senator wentworth put on two amendments, which vicinity seen, but I understand that -- which I haven't seen but I understand there are some other bills that he had, senate bills that relate to county land development. So that bill is out. The Texas municipal league finally had signed off the bill just this morning. The city of Austin was there to testify and they said that -- that they were almost in agreement with it. There was still one outstanding issue and -- but despite that the bill passed. So they made a representation to the committee that they were continuing to work with Travis County to try to work out that last issue. I think it was on the road plan.
>> transportation plan.
>> yeah.
>> okay. That's -- that's all that have. I'll be happy to answer any questions that you may have about any other bills.
>> that's it.
>> thank you.
>> any other bills we should hear about. Nobody?
>> move recess.
>> Commissioner Gomez moves that we recess until 10:30. -- until 1:30, seconded by commis sioner Daugherty, that passes by unanimous vote.
Last Modified: Wednesday, May 21, 2003 5:13 PM