What about our property rights, Senator Campbell?

GEAA’s Rachel Hanes has been traveling to Austin to testify at interim committee hearings on a number of topics, including the hot topic of the summer – data centers. It is commonly acknowledged that data centers are being sited in unincorporated areas because of the limits the State places on county governance. Recognizing this, county commissioners from throughout Texas have testified on the need for expanded county authority to allow them to deny and/or set conditions on data centers seeking to locate in their jurisdiction.

At the Senate Finance Committee this past Monday, Richard Simms, who is running for county commissioner in Parker County, reiterated the need for Texas counties to have the authority to protect his would be constituents from the adverse impacts of data centers. 

WATCH SENATOR DONNA CAMPBELL’S RESPONSE IN THE VIDEO HERE:

Senator Campbell, Governor Abbott, and the majority of the Texas Senate think they can force us to think like they do. They have consistently taken actions advocated by their major campaign donors to curb the power of local governments in favor of uniform and drastically limited state-wide regulation. In other words, they clearly favor the rights of vested interests over the property rights of their constituents.

Conversely, we here at GEAA hear regularly from folks who are concerned about the impacts that ill-advised projects will have on the value of their homes and their quality of life. Since 2005, GEAA has recognized the need to empower county governments and advocated for legislation that would enable counties to:

• Prohibit incompatible land uses – counties currently cannot deny plans to site industrial operations like data centers, cement quarries, and wastewater treatment plants in the midst of residential neighborhoods.
• Have authority for floodplain management and impervious cover limits
• Have authority for noise and light restrictions and buffer zones
• Have authority for adopting and enforcing updated building standards
• Have authority for expanded water availability requirements for developments

Because local governments are the most immediately responsive to the needs of their constituents, counties should have the autonomy and authority necessary to represent the best interests of their citizens, especially on issues where state government is not directly impacted, not able to be flexible, or not interested in providing resources for a solution.

Different communities have different ways of doing things. Texas is strengthened by this diversity, and heavy-handed mandates from the State Legislature benefit nobody.

We anticipate that there will be a battle, much of it centered on the regulation of data centers, over whether the State will accord county governments the authority they are seeking. Now is the time to let Governor Abbott and your state senator know that you support our counties and, to cast your vote in the November elections for elected officials who will represent your interests.

Don’t know who your senator is? Click HERE to find out.

Stay tuned for GEAA’s upcoming report on how the state has proceeded to pre-empt the authority of local governments, and the impacts this legislation has had on local governments.

We sincerely hope you will work with us now and during the upcoming legislative session to make sure that Texans get what we deserve. You can read more about united efforts to address data centers HERE. You can read GEAA’s report on data centers HERE.