TMPR has been fortunate to build a professional network that helps us either be a part of or allows us to create a complete team to work toward our clients’ objectives.
We received a phone call from one of those strategic partners in October 2014 informing us of a city’s desire to create a new political subdivision focused on public safety.
We were told that city officials would contact us.
Although provisions in state law would have allowed this to be done through a public referendum under certain circumstances, the complexities involved in this effort required that the new entity be created through an act of the state legislature instead.
Meeting with city leaders, TMPR sketched a rough framework of legislative, grassroots, and grasstops advocacy actions that would give this effort its best chance for success, and we began working immediately.
Since this new entity would include unincorporated areas of two counties, a special tax district, and a city, it was important to have all of the players on board.
The law firm representing the city drafted the bill’s initial provisions.
TMPR then worked with each affected group to modify those provisions in to a proposal all parties were comfortable introducing as legislation.
Working with the area’s House and Senate members, the bill was filed in the House on the first day of the legislative session in January 2015.
After securing additional sponsors and legislative support from both counties and working with appropriate subcommittee and committee chairs and staff members, the bill passed the House 77-0 and the Senate 35-2.
Although the Governor’s Office raised some issues, we were able to address their concerns and explain why we executed the strategy we did.
The Governor signed the bill in to law less than six months after the legislation was introduced, and the stage is set for drastically improved public safety in the newly established district, but it was an effort that wouldn’t have succeeded without the team that was in place to make each piece move the right way.
