Sec. 51.439. LIMITATION OF AUTHORITY TO INCUR DEBT AND ISSUE BONDS. (a) For the benefit of purchasers or holders of bonds to be issued or sold, the board of a district operating under the provisions of Article XVI, Section 59, of the Texas Constitution, may limit the authority of the district to incur debt or issue bonds.

(b) The board shall limit the authority by adopting a resolution which states that during a period of not more than 15 years the district will not issue bonds in an amount of more than 25 percent of the assessed value of taxable real property in the district according to the last assessment for district purposes or in an amount of more than a fixed sum or for certain named purposes.

(c) The board shall publish notice of the adoption of the resolution once a week for two consecutive weeks in a newspaper with general circulation in the district. The notice shall state that the resolution will take effect unless a petition against the proposed limitation signed by 20 percent of the electors of the district is presented within 20 days after the first publication of the notice.

(d) If a petition is filed against the limitation, the resolution will not take effect until it is approved at an election held in the district.

(e) The ballots for the election shall be printed to provide for voting for or against: "The limitation during the term of ______ years of the maximum debt of the district to ______." (The blank spaces shall be filled with the purpose of the election.)

(f) If the limitation is approved at an election or if no petition is filed against the resolution, the district may not issue bonds under any statute or constitutional provision in excess of the limitation during the designated term of years except to complete and make repairs to improvements whose cost will be within the debt limitation.

Acts 1971, 62nd Leg., p. 344, ch. 58, Sec. 1, eff. Aug. 30, 1971.