Have you been impacted by eminent domain? Do you think Texas landowners deserve a more fair process? Several eminent domain meetings will be held across the Lone Star State to discuss those issues, along with ideas to safeguard Texans’ private property rights.
“All land and property owners are invited to attend a meeting to hear from experts and learn about efforts to better protect their property rights,” Texas Farm Bureau (TFB) President Russell Boening said. “Come learn about how you can get involved and have your voice heard.”
Property owners who attend will learn about upcoming legislative efforts to achieve fairness in the laws that govern the use of eminent domain in Texas. An overview of current laws will be discussed along with possible improvements.
The meetings are held jointly by the Texas Farm Bureau, Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers, Texas Wildlife Association, Texas Forestry Association, South Texans’ Property Rights Association, Texas Poultry Association, Texas Sheep and Goat Raisers Association, Independent Cattlemen’s Association, Texas Grain Sorghum Association, Plains Cotton Growers, Inc. and Texas Land & Mineral Owners Association.
The eminent domain meetings currently scheduled are listed below:
Jourdanton
Thursday, Oct. 27
6 p.m.-7 p.m.
Cowboy Fellowship of Atascosa County
561 FM 3350
Jourdanton, Texas 78026
Hempstead
Tuesday, Nov. 1
6 p.m.-7 p.m.
Blackwood Educational Center
27144 Rock Island Road
Hempstead, Texas 77445
Corsicana
Wednesday, Nov. 2
6 p.m.-7 p.m.
Navarro County Exposition Center
1921 N. 45th Street
Corsicana, Texas 75110
Lufkin
Monday, Nov. 14
5:30 p.m.-7 p.m.
Pitser Garrison Civic Center – Lufkin Room
601 N. 2nd Street
Lufkin, Texas 75901
Bastrop
Tuesday, Nov. 15
6 p.m.-7 p.m.
Bastrop Convention and Exhibit Center
1408 Chestnut Street
Bastrop, Texas 78602
Beaumont
Thursday, Nov. 17
6 p.m.-7 p.m.
The Holiday Inn & Suites Beaumont Plaza, Austin Room
3950 I-10 South (at Walden Road)
Beaumont, Texas 77705
A Lubbock meeting will be scheduled for December, as well as a webinar.
“The Lone Star State is growing, which means new development has put a target on Texas private property,” Boening said. “Landowners are left searching for a fair offer in eminent domain cases, and we want to bring about reform to eminent domain in Texas.”
Under the current law, landowners must pay attorney fees out of pocket, never allowing them to truly be made whole. Lowball early offers from some property takers—pipeline companies, electric utilities and others—often discourage landowners from appealing because of those legal fees.
Legislation to mitigate those lowball offers could help make a taking of private property a little more fair.
Contact TFB Associate Legislative Director Marissa Patton at mpatton@txfb.org or 512-472-8288 with questions regarding eminent domain takings.
I have a question more than a comment. Will there be any meetings in North Texas?
The only North Texas meeting scheduled is Corsicana. There will be a webinar later in December also.
Each time we’ve had a pipeline come through our property they always threaten taking the property by eminent domain. (We found out one pipeline was going through our property by the company leaving a message about taking our property by condemnation using eminent domain and that was before they even tried to negotiate..) Each time they promise to restore but it’s never the same. A property owner should not be forced to have a pipeline go through their place if they don’t want it. And once they put one in, several others follow so you lose more property each time. It’s yours as far as the tax office is concerned, but you can’t do whatever you want on your own property anymore and, if you choose to sell, it lowers property values. We paid lawyer fees and were finally informed by our lawyer that, if we went to court, we’d probably lose because many of the judges’ elections were aided by pipeline money.
What about meetings around Cuero, Victoria , Hallettsvillw and other south Texas areas?