The City Council is scheduled to vote tonight on the priorities Frisco will push when the Texas Legislature convenes for its 90th session in 2027, a list that asks Austin to help cover the cost of big golf events, pay for Exide remediation and fund growth at UNT Frisco.
The 2027 State Legislative Agenda is item 30 on the regular agenda for Tuesday's meeting at the George A. Purefoy Municipal Center. The meeting opens at 5 p.m. with a closed session, and the public portion is set to begin at about 6:30 p.m.
A memo from Rustin Stewart, the city's assistant director of administrative services, says city staff and members of the council's Legislative Committee wrote the agenda. Staff recommend approval and list no cost to the city.
Local control comes first
The document opens by calling the city's ability to govern itself its highest priority. Frisco says it will back bills that protect local decision-making and oppose any that would erode municipal authority, impose costs, cut into revenue or bring what it calls blanket preemption.
On money, the city says it will fight revenue caps and any limits on its 4A and 4B economic development tools or on how it issues and manages debt.
It wants a carve-out from debt ratio rules for cities with AAA bond ratings, the power to charge market-based rates for use of its rights-of-way, and a way to correct mistakes that appraisal districts make on certified tax rolls.
Public safety gets its own section. The city asks that public safety funding be exempted from any revenue cap so more can be invested locally in school and community safety, and it opposes unfunded mandates on public safety programs.
Golf, Exide and UNT
Several items are specific to Frisco:
- Golf events: adding the PGA Championship, Senior PGA Championship, Women's PGA Championship and Ryder Cup to the state's Major Event Reimbursement Program list.
- Exide: supporting reauthorization of H.B. 2708 and seeking state money for Exide remediation efforts tied to fees held in the state's hazardous and solid waste remediation fee account.
- UNT Frisco: partnering with the University of North Texas to seek state funding for expansion of its Frisco campus.
- Hotel tax: legislation letting Frisco take part in Project Finance Zones for hotel and motel tax revenue.
