Texans are an essential part of the Texas government. The wants and needs of the citizens should be part of every action their elected officials take.Part of the process for Texans being involved in their government includes having information about what is happening...
Creative Representation For Governmental Entities
Government Ethics And Compliance
Making a government meeting open
There is a lot that goes into the everyday business of running a Texas governing body. Whether you are supporting your city or other municipality, it can seem like there is an endless list of obligations and rules for completing those tasks.When it comes time to...
What is the Open Meetings Act?
The people in your city have many different levels of interest. There may be a group that wants to be at every meeting, and there will be others that do not vote and are not interested in government business at all.Whether your residents are interested or not, the...
Hiring interns: Paid versus unpaid
As spring semesters are ending, it is time to consider whether you are going to add interns to your summer and fall support staff. Internships (whether paid or unpaid) can be a mutually beneficial arrangement for both you and for student interns.Internships are an...
Taking a deep dive into Texas code on conflicts of interest
Public service, whether it's fulfilled by someone elected or on the payroll of a Texas municipality, carries certain ethical obligations. The reason why is easy to understand. It can be tempting to abuse political power for financial gain at the cost of the common...
Navigating issues within the ‘meet-and-confer’ labor model
There are different ways Texas municipalities and cities can manage labor relations with local public employees. In this regard, size matters. The larger the community, the greater the possibility that police and firefighting employees have representation by unions...
Be Careful Not To Violate The Texas Public Information Act
In 1973, the legislature passed the Texas Public Information Act after state officials were involved in a stock fraud scandal. The Act promotes transparency by requiring all governmental bodies to release information to the public upon request.A variety of bodies are...
Going on a rampage is not always a bad thing
Readers unfamiliar with our firm might be a bit surprised by our claim that we practice "rampage law." It's an understandable reaction; the definition of rampage being, according to Webster's, an outbreak of violent, raging behavior. That is not what we practice....