Sec. 509.010. PUBLIC MEETING

(a) The division may not take an action under Sections 509.006(a)(1) through (6) relating to a community corrections facility established after August 31, 1989, unless a public meeting is held about the proposed action before the action is taken.

(b) Before the 30th day before the date of the meeting, the division, the department that the facility is to serve, or a vendor proposing to operate the facility shall:

(1) publish by advertisement that is not less than 3-1/2 inches by 5 inches notice of the date, hour, place, and subject of the hearing required by Subsection (a) in three consecutive issues of a newspaper of, or in newspapers that collectively have, general circulation in the county in which the proposed facility is to be located; and

(2) mail a copy of the notice to each police chief, sheriff, city council member, mayor, county commissioner, county judge, school board member, state representative, and state senator who serves or represents the area in which the proposed facility is to be located, unless the proposed facility has been previously authorized to operate at a particular location by a community justice council under Section 76.003.

(c) If a private vendor, other than a private vendor that operates as a nonprofit corporation, proposes to operate a facility that is the subject of a public meeting under this section, the private vendor is responsible for the costs of providing notice and holding the public meeting required by this section.

(d) In describing the subject of a hearing for purposes of publishing notice under this section, the notice must specifically state the address of the facility on which a proposed action is to be taken and describe the proposed action.

(e) The division, a department, or a private vendor shall hold a public meeting required by Subsection (a) at a site as close as practicable to the location at which the proposed action is to be taken. The division, department, or vendor may not hold the meeting on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday and must begin the meeting after 6 p.m.

(f) A department, a county, a municipality, or a combination involving more than one of those entities may not take an action under Section 76.010 unless the community justice council serving the entity or entities holds a public meeting before the action is taken, with notice provided and the hearing to be held in the same manner as provided by Subsections (a) through (e).

Added by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 76, Sec. 7.01, eff. Sept. 1, 1995. Amended by Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 478, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1997.