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“ This project seeks universal structures and qualifications for incorporated and unincorporated municipal districts in Texas with the goal of organized incorporation. A ‘universal structure’ must be based on current Texas municipal law and standards, but this paper will stress areas of incorporation that are historically problematic. A historical analysis will precede a detailed account of universal transitional problems encountered with incorporation, followed by a case-study of the north Houston suburb of The Woodlands.”This paper was funded from March 2010-March 2011 by the URSA grant at Baylor University. It was presented at the annual SSSA conference in Las Vegas, NV. :::WWW.BETTERHOMETOWN.WORDPRESS.COM:::
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Mr. Tate’s HometownUniversalization of Incorporation
in Texas Towns Presented by Jillian Buttecali, Honors/BIC
Junior, URSA Recipient
Presented at:
2011 Annual SSSA Conference on March 17th , Las Vegas, NV
2011 Scholar’s Week on April 4th, Baylor University
About the Paper• Project began as an Honors contract but quickly developed into an URSA grant application
• Funded by Baylor March 2010-March 2011
• Proposes thesis that incorporation is in the best interest of a community looking for stability and independence
• Used funding to purchase research materials, research in the Library of Congress and national Law Library, present at Southwestern Social Sciences Assn. conference in Las Vegas, NV
Every hallway looks the same...Had many self-led tours.
Methods of Research• Scholarly interviews with Houston community leaders Roger Galatas, Joel Deretchin, and Nelda Luce Blair
•Research in the University's libraries, Library of Congress, Law Library, Online resources
•Case-study of The Woodlands, Texas
Paper Outcomes“ This project seeks universal structures and qualifications for incorporated and unincorporated municipal districts in Texas with the goal of organized incorporation. A ‘universal structure’ must be based on current Texas municipal law and standards, but this paper will stress areas of incorporation that are historically problematic. A historical analysis will precede a detailed account of universal transitional problems encountered with incorporation, followed by a case-study of the north Houston suburb of The Woodlands.”
TX Cities: A Historical Evolution• 1835-1945: No significant laws on
municipal structure/city governance in Texas (wild, wild west…); legislature wrote charters for incorporation•1880s: Annexation allows competing cities (Chicago/NY) to increase municipal revenue and aids rural residents. Chicago once doubled its population.• 1913: “Home Rule Amendment” allows localities to write own charters so long as abided federal/state law• 1913-1930s: (Informal) Public Administration Movement; municipal “clubs” from era still survive• 1954: Building a Better Hometown is written and published in Chicago, IL•1960s: Environmental movement manifests formally
Common Problems, Universal Solutions• One: Annexation and the Control of
Suburban Sprawl•ETJ and historical complications of sprawl
• Two: Insufficient Tax Base•Businesses leaving, no commercial/MUD revenue
• Three: Infrastructure•Roads are a KEY factor
• Four: Urban Crime•Suburban areas have benefit of time to educate and prevent crime (especially in youths)•Community centers??
Why This Topic Matters • We are all identify with a hometown that we love
• Understanding the benefits of incorporation and structured development help provide independence and dissuade historical urban problems
• My way of giving back to my hometown through information and research on their upcoming 2014 vote on incorporation
•Citizen knowledge creates POWER to make one’s community better
