Texas Senate Bill SB 3029

Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

• Filed: 3/17/25
• Out of Senate Committee: 4/30/25
• Voted on by Senate: 5/9/25
• Out of House Committee: 5/20/25

Caption

Relating to the powers and duties of the Far North Fort Worth Municipal Utility District No. 1 of Tarrant and Wise Counties; providing authority to establish defined areas and to impose a tax and issue bonds.

Summary

SB 3029 amends the Special District Local Laws Code to give the Far North Fort Worth Municipal Utility District No. 1 in Tarrant and Wise Counties express authority to create and maintain defined areas or designated property within the district. Within those areas, the district may impose taxes and issue bonds under Chapter 54, Water Code, to finance improvements, facilities, or services that primarily benefit the defined area rather than the district as a whole. The bill also states that a defined area may include a noncontiguous tract, expanding how the district can structure development and financing boundaries. The bill is a local enabling measure for a single municipal utility district, preserving all existing powers while adding flexibility for targeted infrastructure financing. It does not broadly change statewide municipal utility district law, but it creates a specific statutory exception to the acreage requirement in Section 54.801(a), Water Code, for this district. The act includes standard procedural findings about notice and review by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, and it takes effect immediately if passed by a two-thirds vote in each house, or otherwise on September 1, 2025.

Impact

SB 3029 would modify the governing statute for Far North Fort Worth Municipal Utility District No. 1 by authorizing defined areas or designated property and allowing those areas to be taxed and bonded separately for localized improvements. This affects the district, property owners within any defined area, and potential developers or bondholders by creating a mechanism to finance area-specific infrastructure costs. It also creates a narrow exception to general Water Code acreage rules for this district and permits noncontiguous tracts within a defined area.

Sentiment

The available legislative history suggests the bill moved without recorded opposition in the provided vote snippets, and there is no committee transcript indicating controversy. The measure appears to have been treated as a routine local government bill, advancing through the process and being returned to the Local & Consent Calendars. The absence of recorded yeas and nays in the listed votes and the lack of transcript discussion indicate limited visible debate in the provided materials.

Contention

No specific points of contention are documented in the provided transcripts. Potential areas of concern inherent in the bill include the district’s ability to levy taxes and issue bonds for benefits that do not accrue to the district as a whole, and the authorization for noncontiguous defined areas, which can raise questions about fairness, governance, and infrastructure financing. However, no named opponents or supporters are identified in the available record.