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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
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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
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Every hallway looks the same...Had many self-led tours.
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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
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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.”
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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
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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??
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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