{"id":2256361,"date":"2024-05-31T03:06:02","date_gmt":"2024-05-31T07:06:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-one-texas-neighborhood-seceded-from-the-democrat-run-city-hall-ruining-their-lives\/"},"modified":"2024-05-31T03:13:15","modified_gmt":"2024-05-31T07:13:15","slug":"how-one-texas-neighborhood-seceded-from-the-democrat-run-city-hall-ruining-their-lives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-one-texas-neighborhood-seceded-from-the-democrat-run-city-hall-ruining-their-lives\/","title":{"rendered":"How a Texas Community Broke Away from Democrat-Controlled City Hall and Regained Control of Their Destiny"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">32<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fhow-one-texas-neighborhood-seceded-from-the-democrat-run-city-hall-ruining-their-lives%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2256361&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The Lost Creek neighborhood in Austin, Texas, made headlines by voting overwhelmingly (91%) to secede from the city, sparking\u200b interest in Texas and beyond. This move \u2062was made possible by a new\u200c state law (House Bill 3053) that revised the disannexation process, allowing communities to gain independence from municipal \u2063control. Residents sought better services and representation, leading to this significant decision.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-content\">\n<p>It\u2019s not often that a low-key municipal election makes international news, but one recent contest in an affluent Austin suburb has people excited about its result \u2014 and its potential implications for the rest of Texas and beyond.<\/p>\n<p>On May 4, Austin\u2019s Lost Creek neighborhood <a href=\"https:\/\/results.enr.clarityelections.com\/TX\/Travis\/120748\/web.317647\/#\/detail\/0007\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">voted 91 percent in favor<\/a> of seceding from the city and regaining some measure of self-determination, prompting in-depth <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/news\/texas\/article-13421905\/texas-austin-secession-vote-lost-creek-crime.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">coverage<\/a> by the U.K.\u2019s Daily Mail. What allowed Lost Creek to chart its own course was a new state law (<a href=\"https:\/\/capitol.texas.gov\/BillLookup\/History.aspx?LegSess=88R&#038;Bill=HB3053\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">House Bill 3053<\/a>) that made some small but important changes to Texas\u2019 disannexation process.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2-long d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-1195405488\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1379703300879-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-089eb23d1eefa7479e409aa9a88028e6 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-089eb23d1eefa7479e409aa9a88028e6\"><\/div>\n<p>Disannexation broadly refers to a practice wherein \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.texaspolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/2023-03-GftP-Disannexation-Reform-QuinteroStathatosBonura.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">residents of a particular area [may] disassociate themselves from a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/covid-hit-shanghai-unveils-257-billion-in-projects-in-infrastructure-push\/\" title=\"COVID-hit Shanghai unveils 7 billion in projects in infrastructure push\">municipal government\u2019<\/a>s control and jurisdiction.<\/a>\u201d In normal speak, it\u2019s the way a community can break up with an abusive city government.<\/p>\n<p>While disannexed areas may lose access to certain city services \u2014 like no longer being able to call the Austin Police Department, which is already stretched thin and <a href=\"https:\/\/cbsaustin.com\/news\/local\/austin-police-say-staffing-shortages-call-priority-behind-slow-response-time-to-homicide\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">understaffed by 500<\/a> \u2014 they also gain the opportunity to seek out better services elsewhere, either through an existing provider, like the Travis County Sheriff\u2019s Office, or through some new source, like the private sector. In the same way, residents have a good chance of getting more and paying less for all other expiring city services, such as trash pick-up and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/california-vaccine-guidelines-prioritize-marijuana-workers-over-teachers-promoting-equity\/\" title=\"California Vaccine Guidelines Prioritize Marijuana Workers Over Teachers, Promoting \u2018Equity\u2019\">emergency medical services<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>To that very point, the Daily Mail quoted Austin public safety activist Cleo Petricek as saying, \u201cI\u2019m really jealous that they will have better management and would rather do it on their own than have anything to do with the city.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Of course, the hunt for better services and lower costs only partially explains why Lost Creek residents voted so heavily in favor of city secession. Another major reason why was the total lack of political representation at city hall.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-54e9059289126d8f8dae27dbca56f38a fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-6\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-54e9059289126d8f8dae27dbca56f38a\"><\/div>\n<p>Austin has long been known as a weird place. Its hometown motto is \u201cKeep Austin Weird,\u201d after all. But over the last decade or so, city hall has increasingly catered to a fringe few on the far left, so much so that it\u2019s experimented with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.austintexas.gov\/publicsafety#:~:text=The%20Reimagining%20Public%20Safety%20Initiative,and%20efficiently%20for%20all%20Austinites.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201creimagining\u201d public safety<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/local\/austin\/2022\/06\/17\/austin-quantify-systemic-racism-faces-delays\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">toyed with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-california-push-to-ban-prisoner-labor-and-pay-reparations\/\" title=\"California is taking a bold step towards justice by pushing to ban prisoner labor and provide reparations. This move recognizes the exploitation and oppression that incarcerated individuals have faced for far too long. Let's support this important initiative and work towards a more equitable future for all.\">giving black residents reparations<\/a><\/a>, and even <a href=\"https:\/\/www.austintexas.gov\/page\/faqs-equity\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">created its own guaranteed income program<\/a>. Needless to say, these radical ideas have prompted many apolitical Austinites to wonder what\u2019s being done in their name and why. Worse, they\u2019ve also served as a stark reminder that the average person\u2019s interests aren\u2019t well represented.<\/p>\n<p>As a result, communities have begun to either break away or at least consider it.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Road to Capture<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Lost Creek\u2019s disannexation election was the culmination of a long train of abuses, the first of which began when the city of Austin <a href=\"https:\/\/services.austintexas.gov\/edims\/document.cfm?id=243549\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">forcibly annexed<\/a> the area in 2015 without the consent of its residents. What enabled this undemocratic land grab was a hotly contested practice known as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.texaspolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Involuntary-Annexation-copy.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">involuntary annexation<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Historically, Texas cities were allowed to annex surrounding areas without anyone\u2019s permission. This practice, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.texaspolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/2017-03-EndingForcedAnnexation-CLG-one-pager.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">often driven by a desire for tax revenue<\/a>, led to scenarios in which entire neighborhoods found themselves subject to city ordinances, taxes, and regulations without any input or voting rights. Such annexations imposed a form of taxation without representation, undermining the foundational principles of democratic governance and self-determination.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-85eb32eb1ac142a672d7a76b7d7bebcc fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-10\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-85eb32eb1ac142a672d7a76b7d7bebcc\"><\/div>\n<p>In 2017, the Texas Legislature finally responded to the mounting public outcry and partially ended the practice with the passage of <a href=\"https:\/\/capitol.texas.gov\/BillLookup\/History.aspx?LegSess=851&#038;Bill=SB6\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Senate Bill 6<\/a>, which <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/defeated-hungarian-opposition-complains-about-vote-by-mail-without-voter-id\/\" title=\"Defeated Hungarian Opposition Complains About Vote-by-Mail Without Voter ID\">granted voting rights<\/a> to residents in more populous areas. The move toward a more democratic system and the eventual elimination of involuntary annexation was later fully realized in 2019 when <a href=\"https:\/\/capitol.texas.gov\/BillLookup\/History.aspx?LegSess=86R&#038;Bill=HB347\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">House Bill 347<\/a> was passed.<\/p>\n<p>But something unfortunate happened as SB 6 and HB 347 were moving through the legislative process, on their way to the governor\u2019s desk to become law. Cities understood that their time was short, and they began to accelerate their annexation plans dramatically. This meant that neighborhoods like Lost Creek were up a creek, so to speak. Until the 2023 legislative session, that is.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Let My People Go<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>By 2023, the Texas Legislature passed <a href=\"https:\/\/capitol.texas.gov\/tlodocs\/88R\/billtext\/html\/HB03053F.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">House Bill 3053<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/capitol.texas.gov\/tlodocs\/88R\/analysis\/html\/SB02038H.htm#:~:text=2038%20establishes%20that%20an%20annexation,be%20included%20in%20the%20municipality's\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Senate Bill 2038<\/a>. The new laws seek to right old wrongs and give people a chance to participate in the democratic process.<\/p>\n<p>Although limited, HB 3053 allows some neighborhoods in Texas\u2019 biggest cities to vote on whether to disannex if they meet certain conditions, such as being annexed between March 3, 2015, and Dec. 1, 2017. This is the law that allowed Lost Creek to seek its freedom.<\/p>\n<p>For its part, SB 2038 targets a municipality\u2019s extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) and allows residents in those parts to use a petition and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mike-kelly-same-people-criticizing-trump-peddled-russia-collusion-hoax\/\" title=\"Mike Kelly: Same People Criticizing Trump Peddled Russia Collusion Hoax\">election process<\/a> to break away from a city\u2019s orbit.<\/p>\n<p>Both laws not only champion the principle of self-determination but also rectify long-standing grievances involving the old, defunct practice of involuntary annexation. These are signature wins for the liberty movement, and they set the stage for so much more in the future.<\/p>\n<p>James Quintero, policy director of the Texas Public Policy Foundation\u2019s Taxpayer Protection Project, believes these measures will serve as the building blocks for future legislation that reinvigorates good government at the local level (or people will leave!) and empowers individuals to be the masters of their destiny.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEvery Texan has a right to self-determination and consensual governance. And when those rights are trampled, they ought to have the tools to terminate the relationship,\u201d said Quintero.<\/p>\n<p>To that end, Quintero suggests that the 2025 legislature consider expanding the framework established by HB 3053 to allow all Texans forcibly annexed within a particular period to hold an election in their area.<\/p>\n<p>Quintero notes, \u201cTexans need further legislation to fully protect their right to self-determination, including universal disannexation rights, streamlined procedures to qualify for disannexation, and the abolishing of ETJs which allow cities to exert control without providing adequate services or representation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Texas\u2019 recent annexation reforms are a significant step forward in the effort to protect the principle of representation.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-3e5a23b3ca25e355ed0b71ee1fb2e987 fdrlst__b89e9-after-post-content\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-3e5a23b3ca25e355ed0b71ee1fb2e987\"><\/div>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">    \t\t\t\t\t   \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A local election in an Austin suburb gained global attention as the affluent Lost Creek neighborhood voted overwhelmingly (91%) to secede from the city. This unexpected move sparks interest in its impact on Texas and beyond<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":563,"featured_media":2256362,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Screen-Shot-2024-05-30-at-1.50.13-PM-1024x566.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2256361","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Screen-Shot-2024-05-30-at-1.50.13-PM-1024x566.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2256361","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/563"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2256361"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2256361\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2256362"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2256361"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2256361"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2256361"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}