On the eve on Sine Die, Lieutenant Dan allowed Senator Menéndez to filibuster the municipal annexation bill, SB715. This bill would force a vote on whether areas could be annexed or not. The Kingwood Tea Party fought long and hard for this bill. They should because Houston has not been kind to Kingwood.
The witnesses supporting the annexation bill included homeowners from around the state as well as the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, Texas Farm Bureau, and the Texas Public Policy Foundation. The anti-SB 715 crowd consisted of city lobbyists.
Governor Abbott, we saw what Lt. Dan did here, the Kingwood Tea Party could sure use your help, please!
Let Governor Abbott know that you want the annexation issue covered in the call for the special session by contacting
Daniel Hodge, Chief of Staff for the Governor’s Office at 512.463.1762 or
Drew DeBerry Policy Director for the Governor’s Office, at 512.463.1778.
Thank you, Don, for your strong support of including Annexation Reform in a needed Special Session. Most folks don’t realize Texas is one of ONLY 5 remaining States that still allow cities to plunder property owners by annexing them without a vote!
Forced Annexation is un-TEXAN as well as in-American. Kingwood TEA Party has fought beside an impassioned group of property owners from around the State who are, or may soon be forcibly annexed by Texas cities WITHOUT A VOTE!
Please visit my webpage below to read the letter we’ve signed asking Gov. Abbott to save the 85th Session by calling our legislators back for a Special Session until they finish the People’s work.
http://makeaustinlisten.com/make-austin-listen-2/gov-abbott-special-session/
Thank you, Don for your support for Annexation Reform–and the END to Forced Annexation in Texas. I am ashamed to say that Texas is one of only 5 States that still allows cities to rape innocent property owners into paying off fiscally irresponsible cities’ debt and unfunded liabilities and pensions without a VOTE!
This is a Property Rights issue that attacks the most basic right of a Free People–that of owning Private Property. Many folks don’t remember, but two of the basic rights of being free include the right to keep & enjoy the fruits of your own labor, and the right to protect yourself, family, and your PROPERTY.
Gov. Abbott, Kingwood TEA Party has stood Should to shoulder with you for several Freedom issues. We are looking forward to continuing to fight with you for Property Tax & Annexation Reform, Educational Funding with School Choice, and for the Sunset Safety Net that will allow some of our important agencies to continue to perform their important functions!
Not sure where I would stand on this, normally would be in favor, but why are only land owners allowed to make the decision as to whether to allow annexation? Residents of apartment complex would not be allowed to vote. What if it is a corporation who gets the vote? If property is jointly owned how many votes would be allowed?
I did notice that the Democrats get credit for stopping it but knowing how politics work, they had support from some Republicans who did not want to vote for it.
Imagine being FORCIBLY annexed into the city of Houston and suddenly being responsible for not only Houston’s property taxes, but their existing $8 Billion debt.
Why do some of you feel there’s a pressing need to include annexation in a special session? Has Houston announced it is going to annex an area in the next ten years? Since Kingwood was annexed 20 years ago, has Houston annexed any significant, populated areas that didn’t request it other than those limited purpose deals where MUDs were begging the city to include them? There’s nothing on the city’s required three year plan to annex but contrary to the previous assertion, annexation is as Texan as BBQ and big oil, Houston starting off as a small lot of swamp before annexation allowed it to grow so large.
Pete,
Unsuspecting conservatives are likely to be annexed into Houston to pay for the staggering debts being racked up by liberals. If you look at the those opposed to the bill you will note people I suspect you know from the City of Houston’s mayors office;-)
Don, on the Bill’s witness list, I saw one “for” and one “against” from this area, most of the rest coming from other large cities or from Boerne. I’m personally against annexations but again, they have been commonplace in Texas history since the very beginning. Is there some evidence the city of Houston is about to embark on an annexation spree sometime in the near future or is this another manufactured crisis? It’s a fair question.
Pete,
A friend Jim and Robin Lennon have fought this battle for years, Kingwood has a very visceral disdain for annexation, I get it. Now Special Purpose Annexations absolutely should end. In Houston, this takes money from, responsible adults, and gives it to irresponsible spendaholics like Sylvester Turner. This has been a big problem for years. This is why Bill Kelley showed up to oppose it, he represents the spendaholics side of the argument;-)
Don, I concur on the special purpose annexations but every single one of them is voted on by MUD boards out in the county that are usually comprised of fellows who otherwise identify as hardcore GOP. The answers they give when approached range from how the agreements will “Keep Houston away”, some of them of the belief that agreeing to them staves off general purpose annexations, to the need for additional monies to upgrade facilities without bond elections, a premise that is not very conservative in my book.
With general purpose annexations, which I am not a fan of either, there just appears no pressing need for change since Houston doesn’t have anything listed on their required annexation schedule to come out and grab us. If the legislation included provisions to de-annex an area, I’m sure friends in Clear Lake and Kingwood would do anything they could to make it happen but that also doesn’t appear to be the case. I just can’t find any push on the part of anyone in this region to annex conservatives whether they are suspecting or not, one person listed as for the bill balanced by one against not really showing any actual threat. If there’s something in the works none of us know about, I’d like to hear it as would others.