Gov. Greg Abbott spent Monday in a municipality supporting the notion that state regulations should trump those that come out of municipalities like it. The Texas Tribune was in Fort Worth for Abbott’s keynote speech during a Texas Conservative Coalition Research Institute luncheon, where he said things like “Is the name of our country the United States of Municipalities? The answer is no.”
Abbott’s selling his argument against local control on the basis of it being a boon for business. The state has previously spiked regulations voted on by the residents of Denton to ban fracking within city limits. Now, Abbott’s highlighting the dustup between the city of Austin and ridesharing companies like Uber and Lyft, which aren’t operating there because the City Council voted to require their drivers pass a background check.
From the Trib:
“Which city is going to govern the hail-riding car that you’re in?” Abbott asked. “Is it going to change every time you cross city lines? Is it going to be where you start, you end and every place in between? The answer is: Who knows? The answer is it gets very complicated for a company doing businesses to know which rules and regulations they have to comply with.”
Abbott’s gone so far as to call for “a broad-based law” that would allow the state “to pre-empt local regulations.” Urban mayors, including the leader of the city where Abbott made his statements on Monday, have coalesced to denounce the state’s attempts to overrule their governance. Bennett Sandlin, the executive director of the Texas Municipal League, wrote a salty editorial last week arguing that the rules would essentially destroy city neighborhoods and the will of the voters.
From Sandlin:
As cities have grown larger and more crowded, people have insisted upon having community rules that protect their property values, their safety, and their health. Local zoning rules protect your home value by preventing your neighbor from putting a toxic waste dump next door or putting a strip club next to your child’s day care center. Local health regulations and inspections enable restaurants to flourish because customers have confidence that the food is safe.
There is nothing new about cities adopting rules that reflect the will of the voters who live there. And there is nothing new about special interests running to the state legislature when they can’t get a city to conform to their desires.
When Gov. Abbott and special interests complain about “a patchwork quilt of local regulations,” what they are saying is the convenience of big businesses – usually out-of-state corporations – is more important than the desire of Texans to have a voice in shaping the character of their neighborhood and their community.
The lege has already tried to limit the growth of property taxes and block plastic bag bans. Sine die isn’t until May 29, so there’s plenty of time for more far-reaching bills aimed at kneecapping regulations established by cities.
