The supporters of this issue are working city by city. Currently, Austin and San Antonio are two cities where preliminary discussions have taken place at the council level. No action has been taken to date. The impact on local business would be severe. A patchwork of local rules superimposed on federal standards would be inefficient and counterproductive.
Price competition is acute particularly in the service industries.
The Legislature should also authorize the creation of metro, consolidated or regional governance structures upon a vote by citizens in the affected areas. The rapid growth of urban areas into surrounding counties has created a situation of duplication of services such as law enforcement, fire and emergency services between the county and city. City residents who pay county taxes perceive that most of their taxes are funding services that are offered only in the unincorporated areas of the county. Allowing local jurisdictions the option of consolidating, forming metro governments or creating regional governance structures would provide improved planning and efficiency of government services. The Chamber is on record at the Legislature for supporting the local option for the creation of metropolitan government.