Our Blogs

Government Speech: When does a city’s speech cross the line into unlawful censorship?

• Scott Francis
• March 13, 2023

When it comes to exercising control over city-sponsored programs, Texas municipalities are often confronted with difficult First Amendment issues. For example, can a city’s Facebook […]

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Municipal Authority to Slow Drivers Down

• Judith El Masri
• March 6, 2023

In Texas, most of the side streets and residential streets in cities have a speed limit of 30 miles per hour.  There is a reason […]

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Adopting County Budgets and Refusal to Comply

• Brandon Morris
• February 27, 2023

Cities and counties alike are required to adopt a new budget each fiscal year in order to levy taxes and obtain the funding necessary to […]

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Local Bills in the Legislature

• Megan J. Mikutis
• February 20, 2023

The 88th Legislature’s regular session began on January 10 and will continue to run through May 29, 2023. With the filing deadline of March 10 […]

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Local Hotel Occupancy Taxes

• Randlelaw
• February 14, 2023

If your city doesn’t have a hotel, then local hotel occupancy taxes may not apply to your city. However, just what is a hotel? The […]

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Texas Cities Pay for the State Legislature’s Political Statement

• Scott Francis
• February 7, 2023

In recent years, lawmakers in Texas have been sending a clear message to the financial industry: banks that take contrary political stances need not apply. […]

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When May a City Place a Lien on Real Property?

• Randlelaw
• November 14, 2022

The purpose of a municipal lien on real property is for the city to recoup unpaid assessments, bills, and fines. Under what circumstances may a […]

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Public Facility Corporations

• Megan J. Mikutis
• November 2, 2022

Recently, the Houston Chronicle wrote a story about Public Facility Corporations (“PFCs”) a statutory organizational mechanism provided for in the Local Government Code which allows […]

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Municipal Moneyball: Misappropriation of Public Funds

• Brandon Morris
• October 24, 2022

In recent weeks, Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre has been in the news for some pretty unscrupulous reasons. CBS reports that, “in May of […]

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