Sec. 43.143. DISANNEXATION BY PETITION AND ELECTION IN GENERAL-LAW MUNICIPALITY. (a) When at least 50 qualified voters of an area located in a general-law municipality sign and present a petition to the mayor of the municipality that describes the area by metes and bounds and requests that the area be declared no longer part of the municipality, the mayor shall order an election on the question in the municipality. The election shall be held on the first uniform election date prescribed by Chapter 41, Election Code, that occurs after the date on which the petition is filed and that affords enough time to hold the election in the manner required by law.

(b) When a majority of the votes received in the election favor discontinuing the area as part of the municipality, the mayor shall declare that the area is no longer a part of the municipality and shall enter an order to that effect in the minutes or records of the governing body of the municipality. The area ceases to be a part of the municipality on the date of the order. However, the area may not be discontinued as part of the municipality if the discontinuation would result in the municipality having less area than one square mile or one mile in diameter around the center of the original municipal boundaries.

(c) If the area withdraws from a municipality as provided by this section and if, at the time of the withdrawal, the municipality owes any debts, by bond or otherwise, the area is not released from its pro rata share of that indebtedness. The governing body shall continue to levy a property tax each year on the property in the area at the same rate that is levied on other property in the municipality until the taxes collected from the area equal its pro rata share of the indebtedness. Those taxes may be charged only with the cost of levying and collecting the taxes, and the taxes shall be applied exclusively to the payment of the pro rata share of the indebtedness. This subsection does not prevent the inhabitants of the area from paying in full at any time their pro rata share of the indebtedness.

Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 149, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1987.