Texas Open Meetings Act

Irving council members may have improperly picked finalist in closed meeting

FOIFT2014-01-22T15:24:28-06:00

By Avi Selk The Dallas Morning News Originally published Jan. 21, 2014 Irving City Council members may have broken transparency rules when, in closed-door talks, they told staffers to start negotiating with Steve Sarkozy to become the next city manager. The council was scheduled to interview three finalists for the job on Friday. After the interviews, according to people in the room, members told the staff to begin pursuing a contract for Sarkozy, the former city manager of Bellevue, Wash. By doing so, the council essentially chose a lone finalist without public notice, according to a legal expert and two council [...]

Irving council members may have improperly picked finalist in closed meetingFOIFT2014-01-22T15:24:28-06:00

San Benito mayor’s case to be dismissed after probation program, including Open Meetings Act training

FOIFT2014-01-14T23:34:19-06:00

By Fernando Del Valle Valley Morning Star Originally published Dec. 18, 2013 SAN BENITO — A special prosecutor said Wednesday that he will dismiss a misdemeanor charge against San Benito Mayor Joe Hernandez upon his completion of a Cameron County District Attorney’s Office probation program. State District Judge Rolando Olvera heard the status of Hernandez’s case Wednesday in 445th District Court in Brownsville. Special Prosecutor Ruben Peña said he will dismiss Hernandez’s charge of abuse of official capacity because the mayor completed the DA’s pre-trial diversion program. “I’m just glad it’s over,” Hernandez said after the hearing. “It’s like starting fairly [...]

San Benito mayor’s case to be dismissed after probation program, including Open Meetings Act trainingFOIFT2014-01-14T23:34:19-06:00

Texas Supreme Court justice: Open government ‘difficult, serious’ business

FOIFT2013-12-09T19:10:02-06:00

Texas Supreme Court Justice Jeffrey Boyd said Monday his judicial perspective on open government comes from years spent on both sides of the issue and that public access laws can be too easily abused from either end. "The great challenge in this business is figuring out where to draw the line," said Boyd, who has worked in the Texas Attorney General's Office and as chief of staff for Gov. Rick Perry. In both offices, he said, he gained respect for the importance of government transparency. But he also spent years as an attorney in private practice representing clients who didn't want [...]

Texas Supreme Court justice: Open government ‘difficult, serious’ businessFOIFT2013-12-09T19:10:02-06:00

Tarrant water district hires expert to address open government, ethics

FOIFT2013-11-20T16:29:13-06:00

By Gordon Dickson Fort Worth Star-Telegram Originally published Nov. 19, 2013 FORT WORTH — A former Texas Ethics Commission chairman has been hired to help the Tarrant Regional Water District resolve some of its problems with open-government issues. Ross Fischer, an Austin lawyer, will help the agency, which provides long-term water resources for North Texas, deal with an increasing number of open-records requests, as well as other matters related to ethics, water district general manager Jim Oliver said. “We feel it’s time to bring in an expert in open government who can guide us with these open-records requests,” Oliver told water [...]

Tarrant water district hires expert to address open government, ethicsFOIFT2013-11-20T16:29:13-06:00

Weslaco leaders oust public from city commission meeting, citing anonymous threat

FOIFT2014-01-14T02:50:32-06:00

By Elizabeth Findell The Monitor Originally published Nov. 14, 2013 City Manager Leo Olivares said police Chief Michael Kelley had notified him shortly before the City Commission meeting began at 5:30 p.m. that someone had called the department earlier in the afternoon saying there needed to be extra security at the meeting because there might be violence. Followers of Weslaco politics knew it would be a controversial evening. After a hotly contested election, the City Commission called the special meeting before new members from the opposite slate were sworn in, looking to shake up the composition of the Economic Development Corp. [...]

Weslaco leaders oust public from city commission meeting, citing anonymous threatFOIFT2014-01-14T02:50:32-06:00

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