Christie Fogle, Denton’s chief of staff, briefed the Denton City Council on the status of the 89th Texas Legislature during the May 6 work session, outlining bills the city is tracking and the potential local impacts if measures pass.

Fogle said the session was on day 113 of 140 and the city was tracking 709 filed bills, 142 of which had received committee hearings; roughly 34 of those bills directly relate to the city’s legislative priorities and the city has registered positions where appropriate. “This is crunch time,” she said, noting June 2 is the legislature’s last day for this session and September 1 is the typical effective date for most bills that pass.

Fogle summarized bills of potential municipal impact discussed by staff:

- HB 9 (property tax exemption): House and Senate negotiators were reported to be moving toward a compromise to expand exemptions, though Fogle described that as preliminary.

- Bills addressing THC product regulation (Senate “ban” and House amendments): Fogle said the Senate had passed a fuller ban while the House sent amendments that would allow some low-dose products; the lieutenant governor’s position remained a variable.

- Funding for mental-health services: Fogle said Representative Ben Bumgarner had filed or secured two budget amendments that were in the conferees’ review: $75,000,000 for a Denton County state hospital and $20,000,000 for community mental-health services in Denton County; those amounts were included in the conferees’ budget discussions at the time of the briefing.

- Bills limiting municipal authority or revenue: Fogle mentioned SB 19 (restricting municipal use of registered lobbyists), bills restricting franchise-fee authority for solid-waste services (one bill would limit franchise fees to 2%) and HB 19 (limits on debt issuance and timing of debt elections); staff said some measures had stalled in committee after city opposition.

- Land use and development bills: Fogle highlighted bills affecting extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ), accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and plat review requirements — citing SB 2522 (ETJ limits), SB 673 (ADU rules), HB 23 (third-party plat review) and HB 24 (changes to protest and amendment procedures) — and said staff were monitoring possible impacts and negotiating carve-outs or amendments where feasible.

- Procurement and finance bills: Fogle noted SB 1173 would raise the competitive-bid threshold from $50,000 to $100,000, which would alter procurement practices if enacted.

- Water and utilities: Fogle described several priorities including SB 7 and HJR 7 (Texas Water Fund and advisory committee, and a proposed constitutional amendment to authorize large water-funding capacity) and bills aimed at increasing flexibility to fund local transportation projects.

During the Q&A, council members asked for updates on energy legislation and how potential state or federal actions could affect the city’s renewable-energy portfolio. A utilities official identified in the meeting as Tony, the utility general manager, told council that federal tariffs on imported solar panels and extended delivery timelines for wind and turbine equipment were affecting timelines and costs; he said multi-year delivery waits are being reported across supply chains.

Councilmembers also asked for follow-up on several items, including the status of the budget conferees’ review of the mental-health amendments and whether bills to move municipal elections to November were gaining traction. Fogle said conferee work was ongoing and staff would send updates to the council on specific bills and budget items.

No formal council action resulted from the briefing; staff said they will continue to monitor the session and return with updates as deadlines approach.