Bcca Appeal Group, Inc. v. City of Houston, Texas

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF TEXAS
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No. 13-0768
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BCCA APPEAL GROUP, INC., PETITIONER,
v.
CITY OF HOUSTON, TEXAS, RESPONDENT
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ON PETITION FOR REVIEW FROM THE
COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FIRST DISTRICT OF TEXAS
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JUSTICE BOYD, dissenting in part.
The City of Houston adopted an ordinance to address the problem of air pollution in the
Houston area. Among other things, the Ordinance:
(1) prohibits certain facilities that emit airborne contaminants from violating
certain “state air pollution control laws,” which the Ordinance expressly
incorporates “as they currently are and as they may be changed from time to
time” (the Incorporation Provisions);
(2) prohibits the facilities from operating within city limits unless they have
registered with the City and paid a registration fee (the Registration Provisions);
and
(3) makes it a criminal offense to violate these prohibitions unless the state has
authorized the conduct or activity (the Prosecution Provisions).
HOUSTON, TEX., CODE OF ORDINANCES ch. 21, art. VI, §§ 21-162, 21-164, 21-166 (2008). The
Court holds that the Incorporation Provisions are valid and enforceable but the Registration
Provisions and Prosecution Provisions are not. For the reasons the Court explains, I agree that the
Incorporation Provisions are enforceable and the Registration Provisions are not, and I join those
parts of the Court’s opinion and judgment.
My disagreement with the Court’s holding that the Prosecution Provisions are
unenforceable is somewhat subtle but substantively significant. The Court renders judgment for
BCCA Appeal Group declaring that the Prosecution Provisions are completely preempted and
unenforceable in their entirety because they permit the City to act in ways that are inconsistent
with state law. But as the Court notes, “a general law and a city ordinance will not be held
repugnant to each other if any other reasonable construction leaving both in effect can be reached.
In other words, both will be enforced if that be possible under any reasonable construction.” Ante
at ___ (quoting City of Beaumont v. Fall, 291 S.W. 202, 206 (Tex. 1927)). And even if the
ordinance cannot reasonably be construed to avoid an inconsistency, it is unenforceable “only to
the extent that it is inconsistent with the statute.” Ante at ___ (citing Dall. Merch.’s &
Concessionaire’s Ass’n v. City of Dallas, 852 S.W.2d 489, 491 (Tex. 1993)). In my view, the
Prosecution Provisions can reasonably be construed as only permitting prosecutions that are
consistent with state law. And to the extent they cannot be so construed, our precedents require us
to invalidate them only to that extent. Because the Court renders a general declaration that the
Prosecution Provisions are completely preempted and unenforceable, I respectfully dissent from
that portion of the Court’s opinion.
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I.
Preemption Standards
As a home-rule city, the City of Houston possesses “the full power of self government.”
Dall. Merch.’s & Concessionaire’s Ass’n, 852 S.W.2d at 490. It derives that power directly from
the Texas Constitution, not from the Legislature. Id. Home-rule cities “look to the Legislature not
for grants of power, but only for limitations on their power.” Id. at 490–91. And any legislative
attempt to limit a home-rule city’s power fails unless it expresses that intent “with unmistakable
clarity.” Id. at 491.
Home-rule cities have constitutional authority to enact ordinances. Id. at 490–91; see TEX.
CONST. art. XI, § 5. Unlike state statutes, which are unenforceable when federal laws indicate that
Congress “intended the federal law or regulation to exclusively occupy the field,” BIC Pen Corp.
v. Carter, 346 S.W.3d 533, 537 (Tex. 2011), city ordinances are not subject to state-law “field
preemption.” “The entry of the state into a field of legislation . . . does not automatically preempt
that field from city regulation; local regulation, ancillary to and in harmony with the general scope
and purpose of the state enactment, is acceptable.” City of Brookside Vill. v. Comeau, 633 S.W.2d
790, 796 (Tex. 1982). Thus, that the Legislature has passed statutes and state agencies have enacted
rules addressing air pollution does not automatically prohibit the City from adopting ordinances
that do the same, even if the Legislature intended to “occupy that field” of law.
But city ordinances are subject to “conflict preemption.” The Texas Constitution expressly
prohibits “any [ordinance] provision inconsistent with the Constitution of the State, or of the
general laws enacted by the Legislature of this State.” TEX. CONST. art. XI, § 5. If an ordinance
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“attempts to regulate a subject matter [that] a state statute preempts,” the ordinance is
unenforceable, but only “to the extent it conflicts with the state statute.” In re Sanchez, 81 S.W.3d
794, 796 (Tex. 2002). On the subject of air-pollution laws, the Legislature has expressly provided
that cities can “enact and enforce an ordinance for the control and abatement of air pollution,” so
long as the ordinance is “not inconsistent” with state statutes or agency rules. TEX. HEALTH &
SAFETY CODE § 382.113(a)(2).
We must decide whether and the extent to which the Prosecution Provisions are
“inconsistent” with state laws or rules that address the “control and abatement of air pollution.” Id.
We begin with the presumption that the Ordinance is valid, and may only find it inconsistent with
a state law or rule if the respective provisions are not susceptible to “any other reasonable
construction.” City of Beaumont, 291 S.W. at 206. We cannot find an inconsistency if any “fact or
condition” exists that “would authorize the municipality’s passage of the ordinance.” City of
Brookside Vill., 633 S.W.2d at 792–93. Even if the Ordinance regulates a subject matter that state
law preempts, we can invalidate the Ordinance only to the extent that it is inconsistent with the
state law. Sanchez, 81 S.W.3d at 796.
II.
Enforceability of the Prosecution Provisions
The Court holds that the Prosecution Provisions are inconsistent with the “statutory
requirements for criminal enforcement” under the Texas Clean Air Act and the Texas Water Code
(the state-law requirements). Ante at ___. Comparing the statutes to the Prosecution Provisions, I
do not agree that the laws are inconsistent because the Prosecution Provisions can be reasonably
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construed to permit the City to pursue criminal prosecutions only when doing so is consistent with
the state-law requirements. And in any event, to the extent we could not reasonably construe the
Prosecution Provisions to be consistent with the state-law requirements, they are unenforceable
only to that extent and otherwise remain enforceable.
A. The State-Law Requirements
The state statutes authorize both state and local authorities to enforce the state’s air-
pollution laws through administrative penalties, civil suits, and criminal prosecutions. A city in
which an air-pollution violation has occurred or is occurring may file a civil suit against the violator
seeking injunctive relief, civil penalties, or both. TEX. WATER CODE § 7.351(a). The city’s
governing body must first adopt a resolution authorizing the suit, and the suit must include the
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) as a “necessary and indispensable party.”
Id. §§ 7.352–.353.
If a city has not filed or is not diligently prosecuting a civil suit, the TCEQ may assess
administrative penalties against the violator. Id. § 7.051(a)(2). If the TCEQ assesses an
administrative penalty, the violator’s payment of the penalty precludes any other civil or criminal
penalty for the same violation. Id. § 7.068. The TCEQ may also ask the attorney general to file a
civil suit seeking injunctive relief, civil penalties, or both, and the TCEQ must refer the matter to
the attorney general if the violator received two or more administrative penalties for air-pollution
violations at the same site within the preceding two years. Id. § 7.105(a), (b)(6).
Regarding criminal enforcement, state law provides that any peace officer, including those
working for state agencies, may refer a violation to an appropriate prosecuting attorney for criminal
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prosecution. Id. § 7.203(d); see also id. § 7.193. However, before referring a violation to a local
prosecutor, the peace officer must give written notice of the alleged violation to the TCEQ. Id.
§ 7.203(b). No later than forty-five days after receiving the notice, the TCEQ must determine
whether a violation exists, and if so, “whether administrative or civil remedies would adequately
and appropriately address the alleged environmental violation.” Id. § 7.203(c).
If the TCEQ determines that a violation exists and that administrative or civil penalties
would adequately and appropriately address the violation, and then notifies the peace officer of
those determinations within forty-five days, no prosecutor can pursue criminal charges against the
violator. Id. § 7.203(c)–(d). But if the TCEQ timely notifies the peace officer of the TCEQ’s
determination that administrative or civil penalties are inadequate or inappropriate, or if the TCEQ
fails to provide notice of the required determination within the forty-five-day period, “the
prosecuting attorney may proceed with the criminal prosecution of the alleged violation.” Id.
§ 7.203(d).
The Court reads these state-law requirements to “mandate[] administrative and civil
remedies [over criminal prosecutions] whenever possible,” ante at ___, and to give the TCEQ sole
discretion to decide “if other remedies are appropriate,” ante at ___. In general, at least for the
purposes of this preemption analysis, I have no issue with the Court’s reading of these state-law
requirements.
B. The Prosecution Provisions
The Prosecution Provisions make it “unlawful for any person to operate or cause to be
operated any facility that does not comply with the requirements” of the state’s air pollution laws.
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HOUSTON, TEX., CODE OF ORDINANCES ch. 21, art VI, § 21-164(c). Any such conduct is a criminal
violation that “shall be punishable” by a fine, and each day the violating conduct continues “shall
constitute a separate offense.” Id. § 21-164(e)–(f). However, it is an affirmative defense to
prosecution that the conduct complies with a state statute, rule, or order that approves or authorizes
the conduct. Id. § 21-164(d). The Ordinance requires the City’s “health officer” to “conduct an
effective program for the abatement of air pollution within the city,” and that program must require
“[c]ooperat[ion] with . . . state . . . officers, offices, departments, and agencies in the filing and
prosecution of legal actions for civil and criminal enforcement of air pollution and air quality
standards laws, rules[,] and regulations.” Id. § 21-146(3). My disagreement with the Court’s
decision in this case centers on its construction of these Provisions, particularly on the issue of
whether they can reasonably be construed to be consistent with the state-law requirements.
C. Reasonable Construction
The Court identifies numerous ways in which it believes the Prosecution Provisions are
inconsistent with the state-law requirements. It makes no effort, however, to determine whether
“any other reasonable construction” of the Prosecution Provisions would eliminate the alleged
inconsistencies with the state-law requirements and thus “leav[e] both in effect,” as our own
precedent requires. City of Beaumont, 291 S.W. at 206. Properly construed, the Prosecution
Provisions do not “require,” “allow,” or “authorize” many of the actions of which the Court
complains. And even if the Provisions could be construed to require or authorize those actions,
they can reasonably be construed to not permit or authorize the actions when doing so would be
inconsistent with the state-law requirements. The Court ignores our own precedent that requires
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us to enforce both the state-law requirements and the Prosecution Provisions “if that be possible
under any reasonable construction.” Id.
1. Mandatory criminal enforcement
The Court asserts that the Prosecution Provisions “treat[] any violation . . . as a criminal
matter,” ante at ___, suggesting that they automatically require criminal prosecution for every
violation. The Court does not say, and it is not clear to me, which of the Prosecution Provisions
the Court believes imposes this effect. The only possible language I can identify is the Provision
that says “[i]t shall be unlawful” to operate a facility that does not comply with the state-law
requirements. HOUSTON, TEX., CODE OF ORDINANCES ch. 21, art VI, § 21-164(c) (2008). This is
not substantively different, however, from the state statute that says “[a] person commits an
offense” if the person violates the state’s air-pollution laws. TEX. WATER CODE §§ 7.177–.183.
Both the Prosecution Provisions and the state statute declare that certain conduct is illegal, but
neither requires criminal prosecution of every violation.
The state statute permits criminal prosecution only when the TCEQ determines that
administrative or civil penalties are inadequate or inappropriate, or the TCEQ fails to make a
determination within forty-five days. Id. § 7.203(c)–(d). In light of the Ordinance’s requirement
that the City’s air-pollution abatement program “shall include” the “dut[y]” to cooperate with the
TCEQ and state officials in the “filing and prosecution” of criminal charges, HOUSTON, TEX., CODE
OF ORDINANCES ch. 21, art VI, § 21-146(3) (2008), the Prosecution Provisions can reasonably be
construed to only permit prosecutions that are consistent with the state-law requirements. Nothing
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in the Prosecution Provisions mandates criminal prosecution for every violation—much less
requires or authorizes criminal prosecution when state law forbids it.
2. Criminal prosecution as the “only” remedy
The Court asserts that the Ordinance “provides only for criminal prosecution without
TCEQ involvement,” and concludes it is therefore inconsistent with the state law’s preference for
other remedies such as civil suits and administrative penalties. Ante at ___. Again, the Court fails
to specify the language it believes supports this construction of the Prosecution Provisions, and I
can find none. To the contrary, the Prosecution Provisions expressly recognize methods for
addressing violations other than criminal prosecution. See HOUSTON, TEX., CODE OF ORDINANCES
ch. 21, art VI, § 21-146(3) (requiring cooperation with state and other agencies in the filing and
prosecution of legal actions for “civil” enforcement); id. § 21-146(5) (requiring city program to
encourage “voluntary cooperation . . . in the preservation and regulation of purity of the outdoor
atmosphere”); id. § 21-165 (providing the Ordinance is “cumulative of all other applicable laws
and regulations”). Nothing in the text of the Prosecution Provisions provides that criminal
prosecution is the “only” remedy for a violation, and in light of the Ordinance’s requirements and
provisions recognizing non-criminal remedies, the Provisions can reasonably be construed to
authorize remedies other than criminal prosecutions.
3. Bypassing the TCEQ’s discretionary role
The Court asserts that the Prosecution Provisions bypass the TCEQ’s statutory discretion
to determine the appropriate remedy for a violation. Specifically, the Court asserts that the
Provisions “authoriz[e] criminal prosecution without requiring notice to the TCEQ, without
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requiring that the TCEQ have forty-five days to determine whether a violation has occurred, and
without regard to the TCEQ’s discretion to determine whether administrative or civil penalties
would adequately and appropriately address the situation.” Ante at ___. Again, the Court fails to
identify any language that authorizes the City to pursue a criminal prosecution in violation of state
law under any of these circumstances. Because the Prosecution Provisions do not expressly and
specifically prohibit such prosecutions, the Court construes the Provisions to allow them. Ante at
___.
But just as the Prosecution Provisions do not expressly and specifically prohibit such
prosecutions, they do not expressly and specifically require or permit them either. In light of the
Provisions’ silence on the issue, it is equally as reasonable to construe the Provisions to permit
prosecutions only after the TCEQ has received the statutory notice and either failed to respond
within forty-five days or timely concluded that administrative or civil penalties would not be
adequate or appropriate. And in light of the Ordinance’s requirement that the City’s enforcement
program include the duty of cooperating with state agencies in criminal prosecutions, that would
be the more reasonable construction.
4. TCEQ’s exclusive authority to determine the remedy
The Court asserts that the Prosecution Provisions are inconsistent with the state-law
requirements because state law expresses a “clear intent to have the TCEQ determine the
appropriate remedy in every case.” Ante at ___. This is one point on which I disagree with the
Court’s construction of the state-law requirements. Although state laws grant the TCEQ great
discretion in dealing with air-pollution violations, they do not give the TCEQ the exclusive
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authority to “determine the appropriate remedy in every case.” Ante at ___. State law expressly
authorizes cities to “enact and enforce an ordinance for the control and abatement of air pollution,”
so long as the ordinance is “not inconsistent” with state statutes or agency rules. TEX. HEALTH &
SAFETY CODE § 382.113(a)(2). And as the Court itself notes, state law expressly permits a city to
choose to file a civil suit against a violator seeking injunctive relief, civil penalties, or both, TEX.
WATER CODE § 7.351(a), and expressly prohibits the TCEQ from assessing administrative
penalties as long as the city is diligently pursuing that suit. Id. § 7.051(a)(2). Although the city
must name the TCEQ as a “necessary and indispensable party,” id. § 7.353, the TCEQ’s authority
to choose the proper relief in the suit is no greater than that of the city who filed the suit. And in
any event, these provisions prevent the TCEQ from determining “an administrative or civil
remedy—or even no penalty at all—to be the appropriate remedy,” ante at ___, when a city has
chosen to file a civil suit.
5. “Statewide uniformity of enforcement”
The Court asserts that the Prosecution Provisions undermine a legislative intent “favoring
statewide consistency in enforcement, which relies on TCEQ discretion to select an appropriate
enforcement mechanism for each violation.” Ante at ___. It is unclear where the Court finds this
“legislative goal of statewide uniformity,” ante at ___, as the Court fails to cite to the Health and
Safety Code, the Water Code, or any statutory provision to support its conclusion that the
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Legislature favored “statewide uniformity of enforcement” in the manner the Court suggests. Ante
at ___.1
Accepting BCCA Appeal Group’s arguments that the Prosecution Provisions are
preempted by a “comprehensive structure,” ante at ___, and a “comprehensive enforcement
regime,” ante at ___, the Court concludes that “the Legislature has enacted a comprehensive and
flexible regulatory regime for investigation . . . and consistent enforcement of the state’s air-
pollution laws,” ante at ___, that state agencies have “statewide authority and discretion” to
implement the statutes and their rules, ante at ___, and that “plants are extensively regulated” by
the state agencies under the statutes and rules, ante at ___. Even if all of that were true, it would
at best provide a basis for concluding that the Prosecution Provisions are preempted because the
Legislature has expressed an intent to “occupy the field” of air-pollution enforcement. But city
ordinances are not subject to such “field preemption” based on state laws. “The entry of the state
into a field of legislation . . . does not automatically preempt that field from city regulation; local
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The Court quotes City of Weslaco v. Melton, 308 S.W.2d 18, 19–20 (Tex. 1957), to support its assertion
that the Ordinance “thwarts the Legislature’s intent that ‘uniformity shall prevail throughout the state.’” Ante at ___.
However, City of Weslaco provides no support for the Court’s assertion. In City of Weslaco, the Court determined that
the Legislature intended to establish uniform standards for labeling grades of milk because “the statute itself
demonstrate[d] the intention on the part of the Legislature to provide for and establish grades of milk and specifications
therefor as well as the labeling of the same to the end that uniformity shall prevail throughout the State,” and “[t]hat
intent [was] also revealed by reference to the emergency clause of the Act.” 308 S.W.2d at 19. Based on that language,
the Court concluded that the statute “pre-empted the field, . . . so far as the grading and labeling of milk is concerned.”
Id. But the Court nevertheless upheld the ordinance because “nothing in the statute . . . create[d] a conflict” with the
ordinance, id. at 19–20, and the ordinance did “not run counter to the State statutes,” id. at 22. City of Weslaco confirms
that field-preemption does not permit a state statute to render a city ordinance unenforceable; instead, even if the
statute expresses an intent to preempt the field, a city ordinance is enforceable except to the extent it conflicts with the
statute.
City of Weslaco establishes that, at a minimum, the Court must provide a statutory basis for finding a
“legislative goal of statewide authority.” See 308 S.W.2d at 19. And even if the Court is able to do so, such legislative
intent does not render the Prosecution Provisions unenforceable. See id. at 19–20, 22. The Prosecution Provisions are
unenforceable only if they are inconsistent with state law. See In re Sanchez, 81 S.W.3d at 796.
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regulation, ancillary to and in harmony with the general scope and purpose of the state enactment,
is acceptable.” City of Brookside Vill., 633 S.W.2d at 796; see also City of Richardson v.
Responsible Dog Owners of Tex., 794 S.W.2d 17, 19 (Tex. 1990) (“[T]he mere fact that the
legislature has enacted a law addressing a subject does not mean that the subject matter is
completely preempted. When there is no conflict between a state law and a city ordinance, the
ordinance is not void.”). “Ancillary to and in harmony with” a statute simply means “not
inconsistent with” such statute. Compare Ancillary, BLACK’S LAW DICTIONARY (10th ed. 2009)
(“Supplementary; subordinate.”), and Harmony, id. (“Agreement or accord; conformity.”), with
Inconsistent, id. (“Lacking agreement among parts; not compatible with another fact or claim.”).
The focus of our preemption analysis is thus not on whether the Legislature had a goal of
“statewide uniformity of enforcement,” but on whether the Prosecution Provisions are inconsistent
with, as opposed to ancillary to and in harmony with, state law. To the extent that the Prosecution
Provisions are inconsistent with (and thus, not ancillary to or harmonious with) state law, they are
unenforceable. See City of Brookside Vill., 633 S.W.2d at 796. But if the Prosecution Provisions
are ancillary to and in harmony with state law, they are enforceable—even if the Legislature
purportedly desires “statewide uniformity” under “a comprehensive enforcement regime.” See id.
6. “Reliance” on the City’s compliance
Finally, the Court asserts that we cannot reasonably construe the Prosecution Provisions to
permit only those prosecutions that are consistent with the state-law requirements because we
“cannot rely on the City to decline to exercise its more stringent enforcement authority under the
Ordinance.” Ante at ___. The Court asserts that any “construction that relies upon a city to opt out
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of the enforcement authority granted it under the ordinance . . . is hardly reasonable.” Ante at ___.
These assertions demonstrate that the Court misunderstands our task in determining whether, and
the extent to which, the Prosecution Provisions are inconsistent with the state-law requirements.
By reasonably construing the Provisions to authorize prosecutions only in compliance with state
law, we would confirm that the Ordinance does not grant the City any “more stringent enforcement
authority.” Ante at ___. We need not naively hope and rely on the City to do less than the
Prosecution Provisions allow, because under a reasonable construction, the Prosecutions
Provisions allow the City to do only that which is consistent with the state-law requirements.
Ultimately, the Court’s conclusion that the Prosecution Provisions are inconsistent with
state law and are therefore unenforceable disregards our preemption precedent. We must begin
with the presumption that the ordinance is valid, City of Brookside Vill., 633 S.W.2d at 792, and
we must construe it to be consistent with state laws if any “reasonable construction leaving both
in effect can be reached,” Dall. Merch.’s & Concessionaire’s Ass’n, 852 S.W.2d at 491. I do not
(as the Court asserts) “suggest[] that [the Court’s] construction of the Ordinance is unreasonable.”
Ante at ___. Under our preemption precedent, the question is not whether a construction that leads
to an inconsistency is unreasonable, but whether a construction that avoids an inconsistency is
reasonable. For the reasons explained, I conclude that it is reasonable to construe the Prosecution
Provisions as only permitting criminal prosecutions that are consistent with the state-law
requirements.
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D. The “Extent” of Inconsistency
Even if there were some sense in which we could not reasonably construe the Prosecution
Provisions to permit only those prosecutions that are consistent with the state-law requirements,
the Prosecution Provisions would not be completely unenforceable. As the Court itself
acknowledges, even if the Ordinance cannot reasonably be construed to avoid an inconsistency, it
is unenforceable “only to the extent that it is inconsistent with the Act or the Water Code.” Ante at
___ (citing Dall. Merch.’s & Concessionaire’s Ass’n, 852 S.W.2d at 490–91).
The Court concludes that the Ordinance is “inconsistent with the statutory requirements for
criminal enforcement action[s],” ante at ___, and thus “render[s] judgment for BCCA Appeal
Group,” declaring that the Ordinance’s criminal enforcement provisions are unenforceable, ante
at ___. Under the Court’s holding, the City no longer has an ordinance that makes a violation a
criminal offense and cannot prosecute violators under the city ordinance under any circumstances.
Yet state law expressly authorizes the City to “enact and enforce an ordinance for the control and
abatement of air pollution,” so long as the ordinance is “not inconsistent” with state statutes or
agency rules. TEX. HEALTH & SAFETY CODE § 382.113(a)(2). If any part of the Prosecution
Provisions is inconsistent with the state-law requirements, it is unenforceable only “to the extent
it conflicts with the state statute.” Sanchez, 81 S.W.3d at 796; see Dall. Merch’s &
Concessionaire’s Ass’n, 852 S.W.2d at 494.
The Court is concerned that the City or its local prosecutors may attempt to apply the
Prosecution Provisions when state law would prohibit doing so. In light of the state laws’ carefully
crafted provisions, I am sympathetic to those concerns. The state statute provides that its “remedies
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. . . are cumulative,” TEX. WATER CODE § 7.004, that it does not “exempt a person from complying
with or being subject to other law,” id. § 7.005, and that an offense that is “also punishable under
another law may be prosecuted under either law,” id. § 7.200. I agree with the Court that any such
“other law” is unenforceable to the extent it is inconsistent with the state-law requirements. Ante
at ___; see TEX. CONST. art. XI, § 5. I therefore agree that the City and its local prosecutors cannot
enforce the Prosecution Provisions in a manner that would exceed the City’s authority and violate
state law. But under our preemption precedent, “we shall not presume” that the City passed a void
ordinance outside the scope of its authority. City of Fort Worth v. Gulf Ref. Co., 83 S.W.2d 610,
617 (Tex. 1935) (rejecting an interpretation that would render the ordinance outside the scope of
the city’s “authority under our statutes and Constitution” and instead presuming the city acted
within its authority by adopting a valid ordinance).
Instead of invalidating the Prosecution Provisions in their entirety, our own precedent
permits us to invalidate an ordinance “only to the extent it conflicts with the state statute.” Sanchez,
81 S.W.3d at 796; see Dall. Merch’s & Concessionaire’s Ass’n, 852 S.W.2d at 494. To the extent
the Provisions permit the City to criminally prosecute a violator after the TCEQ received proper
notice and timely determined that administrative and civil remedies would be inadequate or
inappropriate, the Provisions are consistent with state law. Enforcing an ordinance only to the
extent of consistency does not “rewrite” the ordinance, as the Court contends. Ante at ___. Instead,
it merely limits the effect of the ordinance to legally permissible applications, even if other
applications would be inconsistent with state law and therefore invalid. Tex. Indus. Energy
Consumers v. CenterPoint Energy Hous. Elec., LLC, 324 S.W.3d 95, 103 (Tex. 2010).
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Finally, enforcing an ordinance only to the extent of consistency properly acknowledges
the City’s constitutional powers as a home-rule city and presumes that the City acted within its
authority by enacting a valid ordinance—as our precedents have required for decades. City of Fort
Worth, 83 S.W.2d at 618 (“[W]e shall not presume that in the enactment of this measure the city
commission passed a void measure. On the contrary, the presumption is that the city authorities
intended to adopt a valid ordinance.”); see also In re Sanchez, 81 S.W.3d at 796; City of Brookside
Vill., 633 S.W.2d at 792–93; City of Weslaco, 308 S.W.2d at 21 (“The validity of an ordinance is
presumed . . . .”). Under our preemption precedent, we must uphold the Prosecution Provisions to
the extent they are consistent with state law.
III.
Conclusion
I join the Court’s holding and judgment that the Ordinance’s Incorporation Provisions are
enforceable and Registration Provisions are not. But, for the reasons explained, I cannot join the
Court’s holding and judgment that the Prosecution Provisions are inconsistent with state laws and
therefore completely preempted and unenforceable in their entirety, and I therefore respectfully
dissent in part.
_____________________
Jeffrey S. Boyd
Justice
Opinion delivered: April 29, 2016
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