Edinburg Sets Legislative Priorities
Edinburg TX – January 18, 2023
The Edinburg City Council approved a resolution at last night’s regular meeting outlining its 2023 legislative priorities for the 88th State Legislature, which began on January 10, 2023 and ends on May 29, 2023.
In preparation, the City solicited feedback regarding legislative priorities from the City Council, City Departments, and from the general public through public comment, a public hearing held on December 6, 2022, and a presentation of a draft set
of priorities on January 3, 2023.
The list generated and presented in the draft document represent the City’s policy priorities and anticipated legislative opportunities to address the needs of residents.
Now that the priorities have been vetted and approved, the City Council, City staff, and the City’s legislative consultants will work with departments and the community to identify, analyze, and take advocacy positions on legislation.
The draft list of Legislative Priorities is separated into topics: economic development, local decision making, infrastructure, safety, open government, education, healthcare, and quality of life. The priorities also include legislation specifically impacting funding for public safety, utilities, and transportation.
The following priorities were adopted by the City Council:
1. The City supports legislation which strengthens the local economy by providing resources to attract and retain competitive-wage employers, supporting locally-owned small businesses, and creating a more revenue-diversified city:
a. Support legislation to provide meaningful property tax relief through increased state funding for public education, which reduces the burden on local taxpayers, and tax policies that target those most in need.
b. Support legislation that empowers local governments to remove barriers to housing for low-income families and increase the local affordable housing stock.
c. Support the continuation of local and state incentives to supplement local economic development strategies to recruit and retain employers.
d. Support legislation that invests in educational and job placement programs to provide support for our growing workforce to complement the City’s voter-approved workforce initiative, SA Ready to Work, to include veterans and military spouses.
e. Support legislation that enhances an effective and sustainable education system from early childhood to higher education.
2. The city supports the continued ability to equitably collect tax revenue and implement local decisions, ordinances, and policies to address the specific and individualized needs of its community:
a. Support legislation that would benefit the City and the continued ability of local elected officials, the level of government closest to the people, to pass ordinances to meet the unique needs of the community.
b. Oppose legislation that would be detrimental to the City’s interests and results in the loss of revenue or negatively impacts the authority to generate revenues, including mandates that increase costs to cities.
c. Oppose legislation that would erode municipal authority to enforce development-related regulations, such as land use, permitting, and inspections, as well as legislation that interferes with our cost-recovery model.
d. Legislation regarding the annexation authority of the City and the City’s regulation authority for development in the City’s extraterritorial jurisdiction.
e. Support legislation clarifying that the City may limit the time period that political campaign signs may be placed on private property.
3. The City supports legislation and funding to address the need for critical community development infrastructure:
a. Resources for added flood mitigation & drainage improvements;
b. Support legislation to address Edinburg’s rapid population growth and reduce congestion; and ensure a continued and fair allocation of state transportation funding.
c. Support legislation that would enhance pedestrian safety and continue to support safety initiatives;
d. Support opportunities for enhanced transportation infrastructure such as airport, road, hike and bike trails, and public transit.
e. Environmental quality & waste management.
f. Support legislation, in coordination with stakeholders, that ensures and funds infrastructure, connectivity and affordability of broadband internet service.
4. The City supports legislation which provides the highest level of community safety to all Edinburg residents:
a. Increased community and neighborhood policing resources;
b. Support efforts to prevent and eliminate domestic violence and enhance the protection of survivors/victims.
c. Intervention and victim protection programs;
d. Expanded social services, and
e. Emergency management recovery assistance.
5. The City supports legislation which enhances open government and accountability to the residents of the City:
a. Support efforts to allow for internet publication of legal notices rather than requiring publication in a paper of record.
b. Support legislation that expands local transparency efforts.
c. Oppose legislation that seeks to require declarations of political party affiliation in local municipal elections.
6. The City supports legislation which advances access to quality education, from preschool through higher education where each student has the educational resources to achieve success:
a. Expanded broadband coverage;
b. Suitable education facilities and properly trained/paid educators;
c. Increased access to student meal programs, and
d. Additional higher education programs aligned with in-demand, local occupations.
7. The City supports legislation which creates greater healthcare systems and improved access to suitable, low-cost, and preventative health care coverage and resources:
a. Removal of healthcare barriers for low-income, socially at-risk, venerable, genetically predisposed, and individuals with chronic mental or health conditions;
b. Supports legislation that encourages responsible pet ownership and improves the health, safety and welfare of our residents and pets.
8. The City supports legislation which contributes to the expansion of “quality of life” resources and infrastructure providing numerous health, economic, and development benefits to the city:
a. Expanded funding for parks & recreational facilities;
b. Additional hike n’ bike trail systems;
c. Expansion of museums and cultural arts amenities;
d. Preservation and expansion of green space;
e. Support legislation to enhance library services, including broadband access, digital education resources, and workforce training abilities.
SECTION 3. The City will monitor legislation that impacts:
1. Public safety funding and tactics,
2. Emergency authorization authority,
3. LCRA and water supplies (including groundwater issues),
4. Emergency Service Districts (ESD), Water Supply Corporations (WSC), and any other special purpose districts (such as MMDs or MUDs), and
5. Funding for Texas Department of Transportation Projects impacting the City of Edinburg.