Denton City Council repeals ordinance after allegation it violated free speech

2015-12-17T14:40:29-06:00

By Jenna Duncan Denton Record-Chronicle Originally published Dec. 15, 2015 The Denton City Council voted unanimously to repeal a nearly 10-year-old ordinance stating that council members who spoke about closed session items outside of the session could face criminal charges. While the agenda said the council would consider amending the ordinance to remove any criminal penalties, council member Kevin Roden moved to take the ordinance off the books altogether. He pressed City Attorney Anita Burgess to explain there are strict laws in place at the state level to ensure ethical behavior of elected officials, and harsher punishments for those who don’t [...]