Texas 8th Court of Appeals, Appellate Procedure, Constitutional, Municipal Law, Tax
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June 13, 2026
The Eighth Court of Appeals affirmed that El Paso’s monthly Environmental Franchise Fee—charged to all residential solid-waste customers and raised without cost studies to fund police and fire equipment—was an impermissible tax, not a legitimate regulatory fee, and that governmental immunity did not bar a refund because nonpayment was criminal.
Texas 13th Court of Appeals, Appellate Procedure, Civil Procedure, Municipal Law
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June 8, 2026
The Thirteenth Court of Appeals held that a city cannot bar a contractor from presenting jurisdictional evidence by framing its plea to the jurisdiction as a pleadings-only challenge, and that amounts owed under a termination-for-convenience clause are “due and owed” within the Texas Local Government Code’s immunity waiver.
Constitutional, Municipal Law, Real Estate
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June 7, 2026
The Second Court of Appeals upheld Fort Worth's zoning restrictions confining short-term rentals to designated areas, rejecting constitutional challenges from property owners operating STRs in residential districts.
Civil Procedure, Constitutional, Municipal Law, Standing
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June 7, 2026
The Texas Supreme Court dismissed a nine-year challenge by cities to legislatively reduced telecom right-of-way rates, holding the cities sued the wrong defendant by naming only 'the State of Texas' rather than the telecom companies or a specific state agency.