Texas Local Government Code 42.901 – Apportionment of Extraterritorial Jurisdictions That Overlapped On August 23, 1963
(a) If, on August 23, 1963, the extraterritorial jurisdiction of a municipality overlapped the extraterritorial jurisdiction of one or more other municipalities, the governing bodies of the affected municipalities may apportion the overlapped area by a written agreement approved by an ordinance or a resolution adopted by the governing bodies.
(b) A municipality having a claim of extraterritorial jurisdiction to the overlapping area may bring an action as plaintiff in the district court of the judicial district in which the largest municipality having a claim to the area is located. The plaintiff municipality must name as a defendant each municipality having a claim of extraterritorial jurisdiction to the area and must request the court to apportion the area among the affected municipalities. In apportioning the area, the court shall consider population densities, patterns of growth, transportation, topography, and land use in the municipalities and the overlapping area. The area must be apportioned among the municipalities:
(1) so that each municipality’s part is contiguous to the extraterritorial jurisdiction of the municipality or, if the extraterritorial jurisdiction of the municipality is totally overlapped, is contiguous to the boundaries of the municipality;
(2) so that each municipality’s part is in a substantially compact shape; and
(3) in the same ratio, to one decimal, that the respective populations of the municipalities bear to each other, but with each municipality receiving at least one-tenth of the area.
Terms Used In Texas Local Government Code 42.901
- Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Municipality: means a general-law municipality, home-rule municipality, or special-law municipality. See Texas Local Government Code 1.005
- Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.
- Population: means the population shown by the most recent federal decennial census. See Texas Government Code 311.005
- Property: means real and personal property. See Texas Government Code 311.005
- Written: includes any representation of words, letters, symbols, or figures. See Texas Government Code 311.005
(c) An apportionment under this section must consider existing property lines. A tract of land or adjoining tracts of land that were under one ownership on August 23, 1963, and that do not exceed 160 acres may not be apportioned so as to be in the extraterritorial jurisdiction of more than one municipality unless the landowner gives written consent to that apportionment.