Sec. 49.226.  SALE OR EXCHANGE OF REAL OR PERSONAL PROPERTY.  (a)  Any personal property valued at more than $300 or any land or interest in land owned by the district which is found by the board to be surplus and is not needed by the district may be sold under order of the board either by public or private sale, or the land, interest in land, or personal property may be exchanged for other land, interest in land, or personal property needed by the district.  Except as provided in Subsection (b), land, interest in land, or personal property must be exchanged for like fair market value, which value may be determined by the district.  In connection with the sale of surplus land, the board, at its discretion, may impose restrictions on the development and use of the land.
(b)  Any property dedicated to or acquired by the district without expending district funds may be abandoned or released to the original grantor, the grantor's heirs, assigns, executors, or successors upon terms and conditions deemed necessary or advantageous to the district and without receiving compensation for such abandonment or release.  District property may also be abandoned, released, exchanged, or transferred to another district, municipality, county, countywide agency, or authority upon terms and conditions deemed necessary or advantageous to the district.  Narrow strips of property resulting from boundary or surveying conflicts or similar causes, or from insubstantial encroachments by abutting property owners, or property of larger configuration that has been subject to encroachments by abutting property owners for more than 25 years may be abandoned, released, exchanged, or transferred to such abutting owners upon terms and conditions deemed necessary or advantageous to the district.  Chapter 272, Local Government Code, does not apply to this section.
(c)  Before a public sale of real property, the district shall give notice of the intent to sell by publishing notice once a week for two consecutive weeks in one or more newspapers with general circulation in the district.
(d)  If the district has outstanding bonds secured by a pledge of tax revenues, the proceeds of the sale of property originally acquired with bond proceeds shall be:
(1)  applied to retire outstanding bonds of the district;  or
(2)  held and treated as surplus bond proceeds and spent only as provided by the rules of the commission relating to surplus bond proceeds.
(e)  If the district does not have any outstanding bonds, the proceeds derived from the sale of real or personal property may be used for any lawful purpose.
Added by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 715, Sec. 2, eff. Sept. 1, 1995.  Amended by Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 1070, Sec. 14, eff. Sept. 1, 1997;  Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 1423, Sec. 14, eff. June 17, 2001;  Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 248, Sec. 16, eff. June 18, 2003.