Richardson will oppose any state or federal legislation that would reduce local control over the city, Chief of Police Gary Tittle said at the Oct. 26 City Council meeting. Tittle presented preliminary information on the city's legislative priorities, with local control ranked as the highest. Council is set to approve the full agenda at a future meeting.
Tittle said the agenda will guide city officials in testimony, letters, calls and meetings on legislative action. He said the city will work to prevent home rule authority from being further eroded, including state limits on city control of taxes, revenues or spending. Other focus areas include fiscal management, transportation, economic vibrancy, public safety, environment, and education and workforce. Tittle said the agenda is similar to last session's.
The 90th Texas Legislative Session and the 120th U.S. Congress will both convene in January. Tittle said city staff tracked roughly 1,000 bills affecting city responsibilities and 1,000 criminal justice bills last session and expect similar numbers next year. Richardson will hold a Legislative Day at the Texas State Capitol on Feb. 23-24.