When it comes to legislation and how to spend your tax dollars … which decisions should be made at a state level, and which should be left to cities? The topic generated some discussion during today’s Wichita Falls city council meeting.
Councilor Jim Ginnings brought up Senator Craig Estes’ eminent domain bill, being considered by lawmakers. Mayor Lanham Lyne says he thinks cities risk losing some of their authority to state lawmakers. It’s the floor where ideas are debated and decisions are made.

“Over seven thousand bills were filed for this, and I’ve said it a number of times: There aren’t seven thousand things wrong with the state of Texas,” Mayor Lyne said.

State Representative David Farabee says typically, only 15-hundred of those bills become law.

“That’s probably the way the system should work,” Farabee said. “So somebody has the ability to be heard … but after they’re heard, if it’s not in the best interest of the state as a whole, it doesn’t pass.”

Mayor Lyne says Texas cities don’t receive much funding from the state … “But at the same time, they pass legislation that impacts us and raises costs,” Lyne said.

For instance, he says the state wants cities to chip in for work on roadways such as Southwest Parkway — which Mayor Lyne says should be TexDOT’s responsibility.

“We have limited resources,” Farabee said. “So, the state of Texas is interested in providing the majority of the money – but we do want to engage local entities as partners.”

There’s the issue of eminent domain. A bill sponsored by Senator Craig Estes and supported by Farabee might require cities to pay for relocation costs on top of the price of land. Lyne and Councilor Ginnings say it’s not in the best interest of cities.

“From a local level, we can negotiate these things,” Lyne said. “We live here – so we try to treat people fairly.”

“Negotiation, by definition, is a give-and-take process,” Farabee said. “What’s happened too frequently with eminent domain is the government has been heavy-handed.”

Mayor Lyne says state legislators need to take more time to carefully consider the impact of their decisions. “Legislation should be hard,” Lyne said. “It should be hard to do, hard to pass. It shouldn’t just flow right through. And if it’s not done right, it can wait.”

Since Representative Farabee served on the Wichita Falls city council, he says he understands the relationship between local and state government.