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2025 City of Richardson Legislative Agenda

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City of Richardson Legislative Agenda 
89th Texas Legislature 
119th United States Congress 

Richardson’s Highest Priority

The City of Richardson's highest priority is to preserve the ability for locally elected officials to govern and respond effectively and efficiently to the individual and market driven needs of its residents and other stakeholders. As a result, the City will oppose any legislative action that would erode home rule authority of municipalities or establish unfunded mandates that constrain the ability of cities to allocate scarce resources to locally determined priorities. In addition, the City will seek to restore local control eroded by prior legislation.  Additionally, the City will support legislation that blocks any attempt to prohibit the authority to use public funds to communicate with legislators and state agencies as well as pay membership dues to organizations that hire lobbyists.

Fiscal Management

The City of Richardson is committed to financial accountability and transparency through prudent financial policies and fiscal practices. Richardson has received the highest-level award for online financial transparency by the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts and both Moody's and Standard and Poor's rating agencies have repeatedly assigned "AAA" to the City's outstanding debt obligations for the City's strong management, financial policies and practices, and budgetary performance.

The City of Richardson will support legislation that results in greater public fiscal transparency; however, the City will oppose legislation that will limit the City's ability to be a strong fiscal steward of the resources entrusted to it by Richardson residents, businesses, and visitors.

  • Oppose legislation that would impose additional revenue caps of any type including implementing further reductions to the voter-approval rate, mandatory tax rate ratification elections, reduced petition requirements, or limitations on overall expenditures to maintain local control.
  • Oppose legislation that would reduce the appraisal growth cap established in current law
    Oppose legislation that reduces the ability of cities to provide economic and efficient methods of financing local purchases and projects, including limiting the City’s ability to control and manage its debt.
  • Oppose legislation that would cap or eliminate the tax exemption for municipal bonds.
  • Support legislation that ensures fair and equitable valuation and taxation of all real property including mandatory disclosure of purchase or sale prices of real property.
  • Support legislation that simplifies the notice of tax rates to the public.
  • Support legislation that does not allow a local government, or an authority or corporation created by that local government, to exempt property located outside of their jurisdictional boundary from paying property taxes, without the approval of the local government in which the property is located.

Transportation

The City of Richardson is committed to being accessible by a variety of modes of transportation. As a member of Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART), Richardson hosts several bus routes and four light rail stations, with two additional commuter rail stations planned for service in 2025. Strategically located with I-635 to the south, S.H. 190 to the north, and U.S. 75 running through the City, Richardson believes efficient and effective transportation solutions support the economy and improves the lives of its residents and other stakeholders. 

The North Texas Region is projected to experience expansive population and employment growth for the next two decades.  A thoughtfully planned and well-funded regional transportation system will be key to accommodating this regional growth.  Local governments across the North Texas region continue to examine strategic initiatives to sufficiently fund traditional roadway mobility infrastructure as well as a coordinated expanded transit service model to support the projected growth and maintain the economic vibrancy of the region while seeking the State's assistance in these efforts.

  • Support legislation that ensures adequate funding of statewide and regional efforts to maintain and improve multi-modal transportation systems.
  • Support legislation that allows regional mobility authorities to fund and manage their systems in a manner that best serves their riders’ needs.
  • Support legislation that is aligned with and supportive of the goals of the NCTCOG-RTC Regional Transit 2.0 study.
  • Support legislation that discontinues diversion of transportation revenue to non-transportation purposes.
  • Support legislation that allows all tools necessary for successful planning and development of new and/or expanded multi-modal transportation corridors and technology.
  • Support legislation that expands and sustains regional transportation funding options that account for economic inflation and enhanced motor vehicle fuel efficiency.
  • Oppose legislation to increase freight truck weight limits above 80,000 pounds.
  • Support legislation that improves the safety of the statewide transportation system for all users.
  • Support legislation that encourages transportation system innovations through technology, autonomous vehicles, autonomous freight, connected vehicle infrastructure, and broadband expansion.
  • Support legislation for high-speed rail development in Texas.

Economic Vibrancy

Richardson has shown it can provide and serve the diverse and distinct needs of its community. Cities regulate private real property through a variety of ways such as zoning and platting, and prohibition of specific nuisances. The specific regulation varies based on the individual needs of the community. While there are issues that affect all Texans, the needs of Richardson residents and other stakeholders may be vastly different than the needs of residents in west Texas or on the Gulf Coast. 

As such, the City of Richardson will support legislation that allows the State of Texas to address matters of statewide concern as well as legislation that entrusts discretion over the use of local fees, and policies to address the needs of individual communities. Richardson will also support legislation that enhances the City’s ability to provide cultural and recreational amenities through state and/or federal grant funding and programming.

  • Oppose legislation that limits the City’s existing economic development authority.
  • Oppose any attempt at preempting local regulatory authority related to land-use and zoning, local amendments to model building codes, local building permit fees, and eminent domain.
  • Oppose legislation that further erodes municipal authority over the rights-of-way or erodes municipal authority to collect reasonable compensation for the use of rights-of-way.
  • Support legislation that would continue, maintain, protect, and/or enhance the utilization of state and local funds for economic and community development funds including the Texas Enterprise Fund, Chapter 312 and Chapter 313 Tax Code, Skills Development Fund, Tax Increment Financing, Section 380 Agreements, and other economic development tools that enable Texas to compete for projects.
  • Support legislation that restores equity in economic development between communities able to utilize 4A/4B sales tax and those who utilize sales tax funding for regional transportation.
  • Support legislation that allows cities to regulate exterior building and site materials to maintain the character, property value, and economic vitality of neighborhoods and commercial districts.
  • Support legislation that provides resiliency, enhances, and maintains a strong electric grid.
  • Support legislation that promotes and/or enhances Richardson’s existing arts and culture as well as recreation and leisure amenities throughout the community.
  • Support legislation that restricts or eliminates predatory lending.
  • Support legislation that requires all lenders and brokers of payday, auto title, or other consumer loans to be licensed with the State and to comply with the same standards and consumer protection laws of licensed lenders under Chapter 342 of the Texas Finance Code.
  • Support legislation that establishes clear instructions and the ability for citizens to electronically report possible violations of state regulations related to credit access businesses to the appropriately identified state agency, and for state officials to investigate and prosecute violations in a timely manner.
  • Support legislation that clearly defines operating standards for group homes within residential zoned areas.

Public Safety

Richardson residents expect and deserve to be in a safe, secure, and inclusive community where they live, work, travel, and play. The City of Richardson holds a steadfast commitment to maintaining best-in-class Police and Fire Departments. We support our high standards and levels of service for our first responders by providing state-of-the-art facilities and training, and by supporting community-based programs that reflect our community’s deeply held values.  

The City of Richardson supports legislation such as state and/or federal funding that enhances the ability for local public safety to protect and serve their community, using the latest in technology, and promoting transparency, and community policing efforts. Richardson also supports statewide efforts to ensure criminals are efficiently and effectively processed through the judicial system.

  • Support legislation that provides grant funding and/or resources to protect local law enforcement officers and enhance their ability to serve.
    • Support asset forfeiture
    • Safeguard the current ability for custodial class C arrests
    • Protect Law Enforcement Officers Standards & Education (LEOSE) funds
    • Oppose legislation that decriminalizes marijuana
  • Support legislation that enhances collection of court-imposed restitution.
  • Support legislation that prioritizes the manufacturing of public safety vehicles.
  • Support legislation that protects law enforcement’s ability to responsibly utilize artificial intelligence to combat criminal behavior.
  • Support legislation that enhances the abilities of law enforcement to fight cybercrime.

Environment

The City of Richardson promotes a high quality of life for residents and other stakeholders through its commitment to the environment through the creation of public open space and parks as well as conservation of water and other natural resources. Richardson has a variety of successful community programs that promote environmental stewardship. 

While significant progress has been made to increase the funding for water development, the City of Richardson supports additional initiatives to continue to ensure Texans have enough water supplies to meet current and future demand with reliable and reasonably priced water as well as adequate capacity to treat wastewater. The City of Richardson also supports efforts to enhance local parks and open space amenities through state and/or federal grant opportunities.

  • Support legislation that improves access and funding available to expand or enhance Richardson’s existing parks and recreational opportunities.
  • Support legislation that accelerates the permitting process for development of new water resources and wastewater treatment facilities in Texas, preserves water storage options, and advances viable projects in the statewide water plan.
  • Support legislation that identifies new funding sources and improves access to existing funding for new water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure development and regulatory agency compliance.

Education & Workforce

The City of Richardson is located within two school districts, the Richardson Independent School District and Plano Independent School District. The Texas Legislature must design a school finance system fit for our dynamic and fast-growing State’s unique characteristics. Also located within the City of Richardson, UT Dallas is a Tier One research institution that receives essential state funding for operations and for research initiatives.

  • Support legislation that ensures and protects adequate funding for public school districts to meet the state’s education standards.
  • Support legislation that allows local control for locally elected public school board trustees.
  • Support increases to academic institution formula funding to account for enrollment growth and inflation at UT Dallas.
  • Support increased funding for key research programs important to UT Dallas such as for the Texas Research Incentive Program (TRIP) to match private funds given for research and the National Research University Fund (NRUF) to provide targeted funding to help the University on its trajectory as a major national research university.
  • Support legislation that appropriates and/or directly benefits public library service as libraries support the workforce, education, and economic development of local communities.
  • Oppose legislation that erodes local control of pension, insurance, and compensation of public employees

Regional & Community Collaboration

The City of Richardson is committed to productive collaboration with several community partners, so all residents, businesses, and stakeholders enjoy innumerable amenities and a high quality of life and are proud to call Richardson "home." 

As such, the City of Richardson will support the Legislative Agendas and initiatives of the following: