Vote Recommendation | Economic Freedom | Property Rights | Personal Responsibility | Limited Government | Individual Liberty |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
No | Negative | Neutral | Neutral | Negative | Neutral |
HB 3605 seeks to create the Joshua
Farms Municipal Management District No. 2 to: further the public
purposes of developing and diversifying the economy of the state; eliminate
unemployment and underemployment; develop or expand transportation and
commerce; promote the health, safety, and general welfare of residents,
employers, potential employees, employees, visitors, and consumers in the
district, and of the public; provide needed funding for the district to
preserve, maintain, and enhance the economic health and vitality of the
district territory as a community and business center; and promote the
health, safety, welfare, and enjoyment of the public by providing pedestrian
ways and by landscaping and developing certain areas in the district, which are
necessary for the restoration, preservation, and enhancement of scenic beauty.
The
district would not be able to impose an ad valorem tax.
The
district could not establish, operate, maintain, or finance a police or fire
department without the consent of the city by ordinance or resolution.
The
addition or removal of district territory would need to be approved by the
city.
The
district would not be authorized to construct, acquire, maintain, or operate a
toll road.
The
district would have eminent domain authority.
The
district would be allowed to undertake an improvement project or service that
confers a special benefit on a definable area in the district and levy and
collect a special assessment on benefited property in the district.
the
district may borrow money for a district purpose, including the acquisition or
construction of improvement projects authorized by this chapter and the
reimbursement of a person who develops or owns an improvement project
authorized by this chapter, by issuing bonds, notes, time warrants, or other
obligations, or by entering into a contract or other agreement payable wholly
or partly from an assessment, a contract payment, a grant, revenue from a zone
created under Chapter 311 or 312, Tax Code, other district revenue, or a
combination of these sources.
The
district would be allowed to impose an assessment on property in the district
to pay for an obligation or an authorized improvement project.
HB 3605 would give
this new management district authority allowing it to promote, develop,
encourage, and maintain employment, commerce, transportation, housing, tourism,
recreation, the arts, entertainment, economic development, safety, and the
public welfare in the district
The Joshua Farms
Municipal Management District No. 2 would be a part of a broader class of
special districts known as Municipal Management Districts (MMD). This bill
would grant municipal-type authority to a non-municipal entity, essentially
creating a city within a city that lacks true accountability, which does not
bode well towards supporting our liberty principles.
For these reasons, we oppose HB 3605 because it is not the proper role of government to spur economic growth development. The idea that government can and should play such a role in the economy has always been an insidious backdoor towards more government which distorts the marketplace, picks economic winners and losers, and infringes on individual liberty. For these reasons we oppose HB 3605.