[CALL TO ORDER, CALL OF ROLL ]
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THE MEETING TO ORDER OF THE CHARTER REVIEW COMMITTEE AT 4 P.M. ON NOVEMBER 5TH AND PRESENT. WITH US, WE HAVE ROBERT OWENS, SECRETARY MARK DOUGLAS, JEN GRUNWALD, GENE HARRIS, VICE CHAIR, AND MYSELF, LINDA AIRD. AND WE HAVE CITY MANAGER CHARLES WEST AS OUR CITY STAFF LIAISON. SO WE CAN BEGIN WITH CITIZEN COMMENTS AND WE DON'T HAVE ANY. SO HOW ABOUT IF WE TAKE COMMENT FROM OUR MR. WEST? OKAY, I APPRECIATE THE JOB YOU ALL ARE DOING. THANK YOU. I DON'T SEE HOW Y'ALL STAY AWAKE READING ALL OF THIS STUFF. YOU SEE? IT'S NOT RIGHT. AND YET WE FIND IT SO FASCINATING. EVERY NOW AND THEN, I FIND SOMETHING IN THERE. I NEVER
[II.1. Approval of Minutes of October 15, 2025 Charter Review Committee Meeting. ]
THOUGHT OF THAT. OKAY, THE NEXT ITEM ON OUR AGENDA IS THE APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FROM THE OCTOBER 15TH CHARTER REVIEW COMMITTEE MEETING. I BELIEVE EVERYBODY'S HAD A CHANCE TO TAKE A LOOK AT THEM. DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY CHANGES? COMMENTS? AMENDMENTS? DAN. DAN.DAN. DAN. IT. YES. DAN. DAN. THANK YOU. SIR. I DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING UNTOWARD. I'M GOOD.
OKAY. DOES ANYBODY WANT TO MAKE A MOTION? I MOVE TO ACCEPT. SECOND. WE HAVE A SECOND. OKAY, SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. OKAY. ARE YOU GOING TO VOTE? YES. I'M. I'LL VOTE IN FAVOR. YES. OKAY,
[II.2. Discuss National Civic league Model City Charter's terms beginning with Section 6.01 and applicability to City of Lago Vista.]
SO AT OUR LAST MEETING, WE STOPPED LOOKING AT THE END OF OUR MEETING. WE WERE ON THE THE NATIONAL CIVIC LEAGUE MODEL CITY CHARTER, THE NINTH EDITION, AND WE STOPPED AT SECTION 6.01.SO TODAY WE WERE GOING TO START THERE, FINISH THE NATIONAL CIVIC LEAGUE CHARTER. AND THEN WE HOPE THAT THERE WILL BE TIME THAT WE CAN GET TO THE PREAMBLE. AND THE FIRST TWO ARTICLES OF OUR. CITY CHARTER. DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY COMMENTS TO MAKE ON ARTICLE SIX ELECTIONS OF THE NATIONAL CITY CHARTER? ROBERT. YEAH. D WE HAD THE OPEN QUESTION ABOUT RANKED CHOICE VOTING. AND I WILL SAY LAST NIGHT WHEN I WAS LOOKING AT THE RETURNS, I SAW A COUPLE CITIES THAT RANKED CHOICE VOTING MUSTANG RIDGE AND SUNSET SOMETHING. AND I'M LIKE, OH, IT'S LEGAL. AND I WOULDN'T LOOK. THEY'RE BOTH GENERAL LAW CITIES, SO, WELL, MY RECOLLECTION IS IT'S NOT LEGAL FOR HOME RULE WAS THE ORIGINAL RULING BY BRAD. SO WE STILL WAIT TO HEAR. AND I DID SEND A FOLLOW UP EMAIL TO TO COUNCILOR PRINCE TO ASK HIM TO CHECK WITH BRAD, BECAUSE AFTER YOU ASK THAT AT THE MEETING, THE NEXT COUNCIL MEETING, COUNCILOR PRINCE DID ASK THE CITY ATTORNEY ABOUT THAT. AND THE CITY ATTORNEY SAID, OH, YEAH, YOU GUYS ASKED ME ABOUT THAT BEFORE, WHICH WE HAD. AND HE SAID, NOW I'VE GOT TO REVIEW IT AGAIN BECAUSE I DON'T REMEMBER EXACTLY WHAT I SAID. AND SO HE. WE JUST REMINDED HIM THAT, YOU KNOW, TO, TO PUT IT ON HIS TO DO LIST SO HE'LL CHECK ON IT. SO IT'S ALWAYS FUN TO LOOK AT THINGS MORE THAN ONCE. SURE. SO ANYWAY, IT MIGHT BE WORTH REVISITING, BUT MY RECOLLECTION IS WHEN WE ASKED BEFORE IT WASN'T LEGAL EITHER FOR HOME RULE CITIES OR FOR THREE YEAR TERMS, I DON'T.
I RECALL THAT TOO, EVEN THOUGH THE NATIONAL MODEL CHARTER SEEMS TO SUGGEST IT'S PROBABLY A GOOD WAY TO DO IT, AND YOU HAVE INSTANT RUNOFF AND ALL THAT GOOD STUFF. IT MAY NOT BE FEASIBLE FOR US. MY MEMORY WAS IT HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE TERMS. EITHER YOU COULD. WE KNEW THAT THE TERMS WOULD REQUIRE A MAJORITY, WHICH THEN WOULD MIGHT NECESSITATE RUNOFFS, BUT I DIDN'T REMEMBER IF I'M CONFLATING THE TWO OR IF THAT WAS ALSO A QUALIFIER FOR US. SO OKAY, SO THAT WE WILL GET AN ANSWER ON THAT PROBABLY AT THE NEXT MEETING. AND I CAN'T SAY THAT WE HAD THREE YEAR TERMS. EVERYBODY WAS AT LARGE. AND IT WAS IF YOU HAD MORE THAN ONE
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CANDIDATE, YOU YOU WOULD AUTOMATICALLY GO TO A RUNOFF ELECTION. IF NOBODY GOT 50% OF THE VOTE. RIGHT. SO IT WAS A RANKED CHOICE. YOU HAD TO ACQUIRE A MAJORITY. YES. YOU HAD TO ACQUIRE A MAJORITY. THE SECTION 6.02 FOR COUNCIL DISTRICTS, I THOUGHT WAS REALLY WELL WRITTEN. IF WE EVER WERE GOING TO DO QUOTA DISTRICT, IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO REFER BACK TO THIS. BUT RIGHT NOW WE'RE NOT. SO. ON THE INITIATIVE. SECTION 6.04 INITIATIVE, REFERENDUM AND RECALL. WE DID DO A LOT OF DISCUSSION ON THOSE ITEMS A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO.DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY COMMENTS THAT THEY WANT TO MAKE ON WHAT THIS CHARTER HAS TO SAY ABOUT THEM? I'M LOST HERE. IT'S ON LINE LIKE 801. YEAH. PAGE 44 ALL THE WAY UP TO 801. GOT IT, GOT IT. THE. THE LINE. 821 THEY, THEY DO NOT ALLOW A RECALL PETITION FOR ANY OFFICIAL WITHIN SIX MONTHS OF THEM TAKING OFFICE IS. FORGIVE ME. DO WE HAVE SOMETHING SIMILAR IN OUR CHARTER TIME LIMIT OR CAN THEY BE RECALLED IMMEDIATELY? OKAY, I DON'T REMEMBER IF THEY CAN BE RECALLED. MY RECOLLECTION WAS WE DID. BUT LET ME LOOK REAL QUICK. IT'S.
RECALL IS SECTION 6.08. AND I DON'T SEE THAT IT LOOKS LIKE SIX DOT 11. THE RECALL PETITION MAY BE FILED AGAINST ANY OFFICER OF THE CITY WITHIN SIX MONTHS OF OUR ELECTION. WITHIN SIX MONTHS, NO RECALL PETITION MAY BE FILED. YOU'RE RIGHT. OR WITHIN THREE MONTHS PRECEDING THE EXPIRATION OF THEIR TERM. SO IT'S COVERED IN THE 611. OKAY. YES. A COUPLE THINGS THERE. GOOD. I THINK OVERALL THE THIS GOES INTO A LOT MORE DETAIL. YEAH. SO I WAS JUST GOING TO SAY AND. THAT MAY BE GOOD BUT I AGAIN LESS IS MORE SOMETIMES KEEPING IT SIMPLE RATHER THAN PARAGRAPH AFTER PARAGRAPH OF SOMETHING THAT IS VERY LITTLE TRIGGERED. RIGHT.
AND I THINK THE WAY THEY WROTE THIS MAKES IT VERY CLEAR, BECAUSE THEY WANT THIS TO BE SOMETHING THAT IS SELF-EXECUTING. AND SO I THINK THAT THEY WROTE IT, OR I MEAN THAT THE COMMISSION THAT THE PEOPLE WHO HANDLE IT, HANDLE IT WITHOUT INVOLVEMENT FROM CITY MANAGEMENT. AND I THINK THAT THE WAY THEY WROTE THIS REALLY HELPS THAT PROCESS. IT CLARIFIES THAT PROCESS. BUT AGAIN, IT'S NOT THE KIND OF THING THAT WE REALLY NEED TO GO INTO GREATER DETAIL ON, SINCE NOT A VERY COMMON PRACTICE. IT'S YEAH, IT'S PRETTY SIMILAR.
I'M JUST LOOKING AT OURS AND IT TALKS ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WITHIN 15 BUSINESS DAYS, IT'S IT'S NOT NEARLY AS DETAILED, BUT. I THINK OURS COVERS THE BASICS. YEAH. IT'S THE FRAMEWORK GETTING INTO ALL THE MINUTIA IN A CHARTER. IF WE DON'T HAVE ANY OTHER COMMENTS ON THAT LET'S
[II.3. Discuss Articles I and II of the Lago Vista City Charter. ]
LOOK AT ARTICLE SEVEN. IT'D BE A GOOD THING TO PUT IN THE RULES AND PROCEDURES, ALL THE DETAILS. MAYBE THAT'S A GOOD POINT, JEANNE. IF THEY WANT IF IF THE CITY WANTED ALL THE DETAILS IN THERE TO PUT IT IN RULES OF PROCEDURE, BECAUSE THEY DO REALLY GO INTO IT IN DETAIL. SO IT WOULD BE EASY TO ADOPT. IT'S EASIER TO CHANGE IT AS NEEDED THAT WAY. EASIER THAN PUTTING IT IN THE CHARTER. YEAH. THE ROLE OF PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT IN LOCAL GOVERNANCE. AT THE LAST MEETING, WE WE MADE A PUBLIC. A PUBLIC AFFAIRS OR PUBLIC COMMUNICATION PERSON[00:10:03]
DESIGNATED. HOW IS THAT GOING, MARK? WELL, IT'S IT'S GOING I HAVEN'T DONE A WHOLE LOT WITH IT. I'VE HAD A LOT OF THINGS GOING ON PERSONALLY, BUT I SHOULD HAVE ACTUALLY PUBLISHED THAT. WE WERE GETTING TOGETHER TONIGHT. BUT I WILL FOR THE NEXT MEETING. YOU KNOW, I'LL REACH OUT TO PEOPLE FOR THAT. OKAY. WELL, I'M ASKING BECAUSE I, I DON'T, RIGHT. I'M NOT ONE OF YOUR I'M NOT ONE OF THE AUDIENCE. SO I HAVE NO WAY OF JUDGING, SO. OKAY. YEAH. IT JUST IT JUST SLIPPED. OKAY, OKAY. WELL, WE'RE ON THAT BEFORE WE GET OFF OF THAT, BECAUSE THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT I WAS THINKING ABOUT TODAY. YOU KNOW, PUT OUT SOMETHING WE MIGHT WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE WORDING, BUT SOME SORT OF A POLL IF YOU WILL. WOULD YOU BE IN FAVOR OF TERM LIMITS? START PUTTING SOME OF THAT STUFF OUT THERE THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT.SEE WHAT THE PEOPLE THINK. SURE, YOU CAN DO THAT, YOU KNOW, BUT WE'RE JUST GOING TO MAKE SURE THAT IT'S NOT WORDED IN SUCH A WAY THAT IT DOESN'T TAKE THEM DOWN ONE WAY OR THE OTHER. JUST WOULD YOU BE IN FAVOR OF RIGHT. IF YES, WOULD YOU BE IN FAVOR OF THREE YEARS OR TOTAL OF, YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW, BUT NUMBER OF TERMS VERSUS YEARS, RIGHT, RIGHT. YOU COULD EVEN DIRECT THEM TO THE DISCUSSION BOARD SO THEY COULD AND THEN WE COULD POST ON THE DISCUSSION BOARD ALL OF THE OPTIONS. AND THEN MAYBE THEY COULD READ THE DISCUSSION BOARD AND THEN KIND OF COMMENT ON ONLINE. YEAH. SO THAT YOU WOULDN'T BE PUT IN A POSITION OF, OF LEADING OR MISLEADING OR, YOU KNOW, ANYTHING. BY THE WAY YOU WROTE THE QUESTIONS, RIGHT? SOME OF THESE QUESTIONS, YOU KNOW, THAT WE'RE CONSIDERING, WE'RE VOTING ON, WE'RE GOING TO PUT IN THE CHARTER. IT'S, YOU KNOW, GET GET THEM OUT THERE SOONER AS OPPOSED TO JUST BOOM, HERE THEY ARE ON THE BALLOT ON THE BALLOT. SO WHAT ARE SOME GOOD SOME GOOD TOPICS? WELL, AS WE GO ALONG WE'LL JUST START CREATING A LIST. YEAH. SO TURBULENT IS A TERM. LIMITS IS NUMBER ONE I DON'T THINK WE CAN REALLY GET INTO LIKE THIS IN DETAIL, BECAUSE WE HAVE TO KIND OF STICK WITH THE AGENDA HERE. OH YEAH OKAY. BUT WE CAN WE CAN CERTAINLY EMAIL YOU OR POST THINGS ON THE DISCUSSION BOARD TO GIVE YOU IDEAS. YEAH. THAT'LL WORK. I JUST KIND OF SLIGHTLY VEERED OFF AGENDA BECAUSE IT WAS ON THIS ARTICLE. BUT I DON'T WANT TO. WE DON'T HAVE TO I DON'T WANT TO GET TOO YEAH, WE WANT TO KEEP MOVING, BUT WE AREN'T SUBJECT TO THE OPEN MEETING. SO WE CAN ACTUALLY DO AN OCCASIONAL RABBIT TRAIL WHEN NEEDED, IF I MAY ADD ONE THOUGHT. YES. IF YOU LOOK AT THE PDF, THE PRESENTATION, THE PRESENTED THE COUNCIL WITH THE 22 OR 21 RECOMMENDATIONS IN IT, THERE'S YOUR TOPICS RIGHT THERE. THAT'S A GREAT IDEA. IT'S A GREAT SUGGESTION. AND ALL THOSE PDFS WERE PROVIDED AND YOU PUT THEM EVEN ON THE BOARD. YOU'RE ON THE BOARD AS WELL FOR REFERENCE. YES. YEAH. OKAY. ONLINE AND THE NUMBER IS CUT OFF. BUT ON PAGE 51, THE LINE ENDING IN 29 WHICH SAYS CITIES, CITIES THROUGHOUT THE WORLD, I THOUGHT THERE WAS A LITTLE BIT. WELL I I'LL YEAH. THIS RULE OF PUBLIC ROLE OF PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, THEY START TALKING ABOUT EQUITY AND DIFFERENT THINGS, WHICH ARE SOME BUZZWORDS FOR PRINCIPLES OF JUSTICE, EQUITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION. I JUST DON'T THINK WE NEED TO GO THERE. I DON'T EITHER WE CAN DO ALL THOSE THINGS WITHOUT BECOMING. YEAH, DEI OR WHATEVER, I MEAN. YOU FOLLOW THE CONSTITUTION, YOU TREAT PEOPLE EQUALLY, YOU LISTEN TO EVERYBODY AND YOU KEEP GOING. YOU DON'T NEED TO DO ALL THIS STUFF. YES. AND I THINK TO START USING THOSE WORDS, I THINK IS GOING TO BE DATED IN A COUPLE OF YEARS FROM NOW. PEOPLE ARE GOING TO GO, OH YEAH, THAT WAS, YOU KNOW, WHEN THAT WAS WRITTEN. RIGHT. SO I AGREE TO LEAVE THOSE BUZZWORDS OUT. BUT I JUST GOT A I HAD TO LAUGH WHEN THEY WENT CITIES THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. I WAS LIKE, OKAY, AREN'T THEY GETTING A LITTLE. WELL, NO, IT'S PROBABLY TRUE WHEN THIS WHEN THIS WAS WRITTEN, BECAUSE IT WAS. ABSOLUTELY TRAVELING THAT PATH. YEAH. YEAH. I TEND TO AGREE THAT'S THAT'S HOW YOU
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WIND UP WITH CHARTERS THAT HAVE THINGS LIKE MICRO. MICROFICHE. YEAH, YEAH. AND THIS WAS WRITTEN IN 2021. SO. THE CONCEPTS ARE GOOD. BUT WE COULD STAY AWAY FROM THE BUZZWORDS I GUESS. WHAT DID YOU WHAT DID YOU ALL THINK OF THE COMMUNITY. THE COMMUNITY ADVISORY BOARDS.AND THAT'S ON PAGE 52 UNDER SECTION 7.03. AND WHICH LINE? WELL, THEY'RE THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT WHEN THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT PRINCIPLES OF PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT. THEN THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT COMMUNITY ADVISORY ADVISORY BOARDS AND COMMUNITY ADVISORY POLICIES AND RECRUITING PEOPLE THROUGH WRITTEN INVITATIONS AND MEDIA SOCIAL MEDIA REQUESTS. AND I JUST REALLY KIND OF WONDERED WHAT YOUR THOUGHTS WERE ON THAT. AND THEY MAY BE ALREADY HAVE BEEN EXPRESSED. GENE, WHEN YOU TALKED ABOUT THE DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION, BUT THAT WAS MY NOTE THAT I HAD PUT HERE. I WAS WONDERING WHAT EVERYBODY THOUGHT ABOUT THAT, THOSE WORDS.
WELL, THERE WAS A SITUATION ON THE CITY COUNCIL SOME MONTHS BACK WHERE IT SEEMED LIKE. A RESOLUTION WAS INTRODUCED THAT SEEMED TO BE STRAYING INTO IDENTITY POLITICS. AND AS SOON AS YOU START SEPARATING OUT THESE INDIVIDUAL LITTLE GROUPS, IN MY MIND THAT'S THAT IS DIVISIVE. IT'S NOT INCLUSIVE. IT STARTS SETTING PEOPLE WELL. I WANT MY SLICE OF THE PIE, AND THAT INCLUDES SOME OF YOURS. AND I JUST I JUST SEE THAT AS A PATH. WE DON'T. IT'S NOT GOOD.
YEAH I AGREE, ANY OTHER COMMENTS? WHEN I READ IT, FRANKLY, I WAS READING IT IN TERMS OF THE CONTEXT OF WE ALREADY HAVE ADVISORY BOARDS AND THEN WE CAN TAKE THEM AWAY AND WE CAN DO WHATEVER WE WANT FROM AN ADVISORY POINT OF VIEW. AND THAT'S KIND OF WHAT I WAS READING INTO THIS. AND MAYBE THAT WAS WRONG. BUT GIVEN THE FACT THAT WE HAVE BOARDS AND I THINK THE RECRUITING BOARD IS GENERALLY, YOU KNOW, WE PUT IT ON OUR WEBSITE, WE DO PUT IT ON SOCIAL MEDIA. THERE'S A POST UP I SAW COME ACROSS THE FEED FOR LIKE FOURTH TIME. RIGHT. IT SAYS THE BOARD APPLICATIONS ARE CLOSING I BELIEVE THE SIXTH. SO GET YOUR APPLICATIONS IN. SO I THINK WE HAVE A LOT OF OUTREACH TO THE PUBLIC IN GENERAL. IF IF YOU READ IN HERE AND I DIDN'T SEE IT, THAT THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT GOING BEYOND THAT WITH TARGETED OUTREACH TO SPECIFIC PEOPLE, I THINK THAT'S PROBABLY A BRIDGE TOO FAR. YEAH. THAT'S WHEN THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT LIKE MATERIALS COULD BE HANDWRITTEN, PERSONAL WRITTEN INVITATIONS. YOU KNOW, I THOUGHT THAT WAS EXCESSIVE. I THINK WITH OUR SOCIAL MEDIA, WITH OUR CITY WEBSITE. AND LET'S FACE IT, OUR COUNSELORS KNOW THE PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY, AND I'M SURE THAT THEY RECRUIT LIKE MINDED PEOPLE TO BE ON BOARDS. I KNOW THEY DO. YEAH, BUT. YOU KNOW, I DON'T THINK YOU SHOULD START, YOU KNOW, DEVOLVING TO THE POINT OF, WELL, WE NEED THIS TYPE OF PERSON ON THE BOARD AND WE DON'T NEED YES REACH. RIGHT. THAT'S WHERE I THINK YOU COULD POSSIBLY. YEAH. OKAY. AND IF WE HAVE NO MORE QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ON THAT ARTICLE, LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT ARTICLE EIGHT GENERAL PROVISIONS. THIS IS THE ONE I. TOUCHED ON EARLIER WHEN IT WAS REFERENCED IN ONE OF THE EARLIER ARTICLES, 2 OR 3. BUT I DO THINK THAT WE SHOULD GIVE.
CODIFYING A BOARD OF ETHICS, SO TO SPEAK, IN THE CHARTER. SO THOUGHT DISCUSSION, DEBATE.
YEAH. I THINK IT HAS MERIT. AND GENE, AFTER OUR LAST DISCUSSION, WHEN YOU LOOKED UP MEADOW LAKES AND SAID, WELL, THEY NEVER HAD A BOARD OF ETHICS, THEN I RECALLED, I WAS LOOKING AT ETHICS POLICIES. SO THEY THEY I MEAN, I KNOW THAT THEY HAD ETHICS POLICY THAT I LIKED, BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN THEY ALSO HAD A BOARD. I MEAN, WE HAVE AN ETHICS POLICY HERE IN LAGO, BUT WE DON'T HAVE AN ETHICS BOARD. BUT YEAH, I THIS IS SOMETHING THAT I'VE REALLY BEEN WANTING TO SEE IMPLEMENTED IN THE CITY FOR, FOR YEARS. SO I HAVEN'T HAD A CHANCE SINCE OUR LAST
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MEETING TO DO ANY FURTHER DIGGING ON IT OR, OR EVEN FINDING MY NOTES. WHEN I HAD DONE THE DIGGING BEFORE. THAT WAS LIKE, I THINK, IN 2020. I DON'T THINK THIS ONE WAS FAR ENOUGH. FRANKLY, IT'S KIND OF LIMITED TO ADJUDICATING CONFLICTS OF INTEREST. AND WHAT WAS THE OTHER THING? FINANCIAL DISCLOSURES. YEAH, I THINK THAT IT SHOULD ALSO BE CHARGED WITH ETHICS VIOLATIONS. CURRENTLY THAT'S INVESTIGATED BY THE CITY COUNCIL THEMSELVES. SO BASICALLY THEY'RE INVESTIGATING THEMSELVES. RIGHT. AND YOU KNOW, THE OPTICS AROUND THAT CLOSED DOOR AND YOU HAVE SOMEONE'S ACCUSED OF SOMETHING THEY CAN ELECT TO BRING IT OUT IN THE OPEN. BUT IF THEY DON'T ELECT TO BRING IT OUT IN THE OPEN, IT ALL HAPPENS IN EXECUTIVE SESSION. AND I THINK IF YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE AN ETHICS BOARD WITH MEAT, IT NEEDS TO GO BEYOND CONFLICTS OF INTEREST AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE. BUT ACTUALLY LOOK AT ETHICS, BEHAVIORAL ISSUES AS WELL. AND WHAT I WAS REALLY TRYING TO ADDRESS AT THE TIME, LIKE IN 2020 AND 2021, IS. THAT IT IS AN ETHICAL OBLIGATION ON THE PART OF CITY STAFF, CITY BOARDS, COMMISSION MEMBERS, CITY COUNCIL, THAT IT WAS EVERYBODY'S ETHICAL OBLIGATION THAT IF THEY WERE AWARE OF SOMETHING THAT WAS AMISS, BEING MISREPRESENTED TO THE CITY, THAT THEY HAD AN OBLIGATION TO BRING THAT UP. AND THAT, OF COURSE, CAME UP TO ME BECAUSE THERE WAS A SITUATION WHERE WE HAD SOME HIGH LEVEL STAFF DEPARTMENT PEOPLE AT THE TIME WHO KNEW OF THINGS THAT WERE BEING MISREPRESENTED AND KEPT, KEPT SAYING IT WAS NOT WITHIN THEIR PURVIEW. WELL, YOU KNOW, I FELT LIKE IT SHOULD BE IN YOUR PURVIEW. SO THAT'S REALLY WHAT KIND OF GOT ME STARTED IN THINKING WE REALLY NEED TO HAVE SOMETHING THAT REALLY COMPELS STAFF BOARDS AND COMMISSION MEMBERS, EVERYBODY TO IF THERE IS, IF THEY'RE AWARE OF SOMETHING THAT IS AN OUTRIGHT MISREPRESENTATION, THAT THEY MUST BRING IT FORWARD, THAT THAT'S THEIR ETHICAL OBLIGATION. I TAKE IT ONE STEP FURTHER IN THE PUBLIC SAFETY TO. YEAH, TRUE. BECAUSE WE'VE HAD ALLEGATIONS OF MISCONDUCT. YEAH. AND THERE SHOULD BE AN INDEPENDENT BODY THAT ADJUDICATES THAT AND EITHER CLEARS THE OFFICER OR DEALS WITH IT. YEAH. YOU KNOW, SO THAT'S KIND OF MY OPINION. I THINK THERE SHOULD BE A CITIZEN'S BOARD THAT HANDLES THAT BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW. DO WE HAVE AN INTERNAL AFFAIRS. IF THERE IS A COMPLAINT IN THE PD WHERE DOES IT GO? PRESUMABLY IT GOES TO CHIEF AND CHARLES. BUT BEYOND THAT THERE IS NO TRANSPARENCY. TO USE ANOTHER BUZZWORD, I DON'T THINK THAT WE CAN REALLY DEVELOP A THE, THE WHOLE ALL THE PARAMETERS FOR THE BOARD OF ETHICS IN THE CHARTER. I THINK THAT WE WOULD JUST NEED TO MAKE A RECOMMENDATION THAT THE COUNCIL TAKE, TAKE THAT ON AND LOOK INTO IT. AND GENE, JUST TO COMMENT AS FAR AS LIKE LAW ENFORCEMENT HAVING THAT IN MY BACKGROUND. CITIZENS BOARDS CAN GET. TOO FAR IN THE WEEDS. I'M NOT QUITE SURE HOW I WANT TO SAY IT, BUT THEY DON'T. THERE'S NOT ALWAYS AN UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT LAW ENFORCEMENT HAS TO TO DO. AND SO I'M NOT SAYING I'M OPPOSED TO IT, BUT MAN, THEY THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE TO BE EXTREMELY WELL VERSED AND WELL TRAINED IF THEY'RE GOING TO BE, YOU KNOW, OVERSEEING LAW ENFORCEMENT AS OPPOSED TO MAYBE LIKE IF THERE'S AN INCIDENT WITHIN LAGO VISTA PD, MAYBE THE COUNTY INVESTIGATES IT, THE COUNTY. SO OR THE RANGERS OR SOMEBODY. YEAH, I THINK THAT'S WHERE IT IS NOW. IF YOU HAVE A SERIOUS ALLEGATION, YOU WANT TO MAKE THE CASE OF THE RANGERS. YEAH. AND I DON'T I HAVE NO IDEA IF THEY HAVE A I'M SURE THERE'S SOME SORT OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS PROCESS IN PLACE BY THE COMMAND STAFF, BUT IF IT'S A SERIOUS ALLEGATION, THEN THE TEXAS RANGERS. YEAH, IT GOES OUTSIDE. DO IT BECAUSE YOU WANT AN OUTSIDE PERSON DOING THAT INVESTIGATION, NOT INTERNAL. YEAH. BUT YOU GET YOU HAVE A CITIZEN'S BOARD DOING THAT. THEY DON'T THEY'RE NOT NECESSARILY GOING TO BE THE BEST AT THAT. YEAH. COULD YOU GET A BUNCH OF CITIZENS THAT KNOW EXACTLY. THAT HAPPENED TO BE THE SAME WEEK WHEN SOMETHING HAPPENS IN ONE OF THOSE MEMBERS GOT A SPEEDING TICKET, AND NOW THEY'RE GOING TO TRY TO STICK SOMEBODY TO THE WALL AND THROW KNIVES AT THEM. SO IT'S LIKE, I MEAN, THERE'S A POTENTIAL THAT COULD BE WEAPONIZED. BUT ALSO KEEP IN MIND THAT AT THE END OF[00:25:03]
THE DAY, THAT THEY'RE JUST AN INDEPENDENT THIRD PARTY OPTICS THAT ULTIMATELY MAKES A RECOMMENDATION. AND IF IT'S A STUPID RECOMMENDATION TO COUNCIL, AND COUNCIL COULD SAY IT'S A STUPID RECOMMENDATION OR THROW THEM OUT AND, AND THE BOARD WOULD LEARN FROM THAT, BUT THEY WOULD HAVE TO AT LEAST HEAR THE RECOMMENDATION AND THEN AFFIRMATIVELY VOTE YES OR NO, AS OPPOSED TO JUST HAVING SOMETHING GOING ON BEHIND CLOSED DOORS. AND YOU GET A READOUT FROM EXECUTIVE SESSION WHEN THE RESPONSE IS NO ACTION, RIGHT? YEAH. TO YOUR POINT, LINDA, YOU WERE SAYING ABOUT HAVE IT MORE AS A, I THINK A RULES OR RULES AND PROCEDURES OR LED COUNCIL SET UP THE BOARD. I WOULD AGREE WITH THAT TO A POINT, BUT I THINK THERE SHOULD SHOULD BE SOME GUIDEPOSTS THAT THEY SHOULD BE INDEPENDENT CITIZENS. YOU KNOW, MAYBE, MAYBE THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT PEOPLE ARE PUTTING THE BOARD OF ETHICS IN THE CHARTER. YOU KNOW, WE WOULD WE WOULD HAVE SOME GUIDELINES AS TO HOW THAT THAT COMMITTEE SHOULD BE SEMI CONSTRUCTED. IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE REALLY DETAILED. BUT, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE OTHERWISE THE, YOU KNOW, THE COUNCIL COULD HAVE YOU KNOW WELL MY COUSIN FRANK YOU KNOW HE'S, HE'S A GOOD CHAP, YOU KNOW, PUT HIM ON THE BOARD. YOU KNOW JUST HAVE TO CONVINCE THE OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS OF MAJORITY TO JUST LIKE WE ARE, YOU KNOW, TO TO AGREE TO. YEAH. THIS IS REALLY A GOOD POINT THAT. YES. I DIDN'T MEAN TO TO NOT ADDRESS IT TO TO SOME EXTENT, BUT JUST THAT WE SHOULDN'T TRY TO DEVELOP IT AND FLESH THE WHOLE THING OUT. BUT YES, I AGREE WITH YOU THAT WE SHOULD PUT IT IN THERE AND AND EMPHASIZE ITS INDEPENDENCE THAT BUT THEN IT WOULD BE A RECOMMENDATION THAT COULD BE SOMETHING THAT YOU COULD BRING UP SOCIAL MEDIA. I THINK PARAGRAPH B KIND OF DOES THAT. I WOULD JUST EXPAND THE CHARGE. AND I GUESS THAT'S LINE 1223. TOP OF PAGE 56 WHERE IT SAYS ENFORCE CONFLICT AND AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE ORDINANCES AND JUST EXPAND THE SCOPE TO INCLUDE ETHICAL BEHAVIORS AS WELL. I'M NOT SURE I LIKE THE LANGUAGE ABOUT ISSUE BINDING ADVISORY OPINIONS BECAUSE WHAT'S THE BINDING ADVISORY OPINION? YEAH, I WOULD I WOULD PHRASE IT, PHRASE IT MORE AS A RECOMMENDATION. AS A AS OR OR ISSUE A ADVISORY OPINION AS OPPOSED TO BINDING. BUT I THINK WE COULD WORDSMITH BE PUT IT BACK ON ON COUNCIL TO, TO ACTUALLY FLESH OUT VIA ORDINANCE THE DETAILS AND BUT IN THE CHARTER EXPAND THE SCOPE TO INCLUDE ETHIC BEHAVIORS AS WELL. YEAH. WELL ISN'T THAT ETHICAL BEHAVIOR OR CONFLICT OF INTEREST OR FINANCIAL. NO, NO, IT COULD BE. BUT I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. BUT VIOLATION OF THE CHARTER MAY NOT HAVE A CONFLICT OF INTEREST ATTACHED TO IT. IT MAY NOT HAVE A FINANCIAL BENEFIT TO THE ACTOR, BUT IT'S A VIOLATION OF THE CHARTER THAT SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED BY AN ETHICS BOARD. PULL SOME OF THAT WORDING OUT OF OUR EXISTING CHARTER BECAUSE IT TALKS ABOUT THAT. SO WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT SUBPOENA POWER FOR THAT BOARD THAT'S ON? IS IT 1228 OR. YEAH, 12. YEAH. 1228 I CAN'T SEE THE WHOLE PAGE. YEAH, YEAH. SO BUT. WELL, THAT'S ANOTHER ONE THAT MIGHT, WE MIGHT WANT TO GIVE SOME THOUGHT TO AND ACTUALLY DRAFT IT. I WAS GOING TO SUGGEST THAT THIS COULD BE AN ACTION ITEM FOR THE NEXT MEETING AND AGENDA ITEM THAT WE DO SOME INDEPENDENT RESEARCH ON THIS AND COME BACK WITH SOME IDEAS HOW WE THINK THIS SHOULD BE INCORPORATED INTO THE CHARTER. SO WE'LL MAKE THAT AN AGENDA ITEM FOR THE NEXT MEETING. THIS THE SUBPOENA ISSUE, ROBERT, IS WHEN I HAD BROUGHT IT UP BEFORE, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I WAS TOLD, WELL, WE CAN'T DO THAT IS BECAUSE WE CAN'T HAVE THIS BECAUSE, WELL, ONLY ATTORNEYS WOULD KNOW HOW TO CONDUCT AN ETHICS INVESTIGATION, AND WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH VOLUNTEER ATTORNEYS IN TOWN THAT WOULD BE ABLE TO DO THAT. AND I THINK THAT WAS. POSSIBLY ONE OF I THINK MARK MAY BE RIGHT. I MEAN, IT WOULD PROBABLY BE HARD FOR AN ETHICS BOARD TO SUBPOENA JOE CITIZEN. YEAH. TO COME IN AND TESTIFY. BUT WE COULD PROBABLY SAY SOMETHING TO THE EFFECT OF COMPEL CITY EMPLOYEES, BECAUSE CLEARLY THE CHARTER GOVERNS CITY IS. AND SO IF YOU IF YOU WANT TO HEAR FROM A CITY[00:30:02]
EMPLOYEE, MAYBE SUBPOENA IS NOT THE RIGHT WORD, BUT COMPEL TESTIMONY FROM OR COMPEL WITNESS FROM CITY EMPLOYEES WOULD LIMIT THE SCOPE TO THOSE THAT THE CHARTER GOVERNS. THEN THERE MIGHT BE A WAY AROUND THAT. OKAY. YEAH. AND IF AND IN THAT SAME PARAGRAPH B IN LINE TWO, WHAT IS IT? 1229 IT TALKS ABOUT CITY COUNCIL SHALL APPROPRIATE SUFFICIENT FUNDS.SO IF TO DO A BOARD I WOULD AGREE WITH THAT. IF YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE A BOARD OF ETHICS, IT'S GOING TO HAVE A FINANCIAL IMPACT ON THE BUDGET. SO. I THINK EVEN IF WE EVEN IF THE SCOPE OF THE BOARD OF ETHICS IS NOT AS BROAD AS, AS REQUIRING OUTSIDE ASSISTANCE, LIKE IN THE FORM OF TEXAS RANGERS OR ANYTHING, IF WE JUST KIND OF IF WE JUST KIND OF KEEP THE SCOPE TO CITY STAFF AND BOARDS AND COMMISSION MEMBERS, THAT WOULD BE NOT WOULD THAT AVOID SOME OF THE EXPENSE THAT YOU'RE CONSIDERING? I DON'T KNOW, CITY STAFF? MAYBE NOT, BECAUSE NOW YOU'RE LOOKING AT MAYBE OVERTIME. OH, I SEE OKAY. WELL LET'S, LET'S, LET'S LOOK INTO LET'S GIVE THIS A LOT OF THOUGHT TO THAT FOR THE NEXT MEETING. WHICH WILL BE ON THE 19TH. IF WE DON'T HAVE ANY OTHER COMMENTS ON THAT ARTICLE, THE NEXT ARTICLE NINE IS THE CHARTER AMENDMENT. AND. ANYBODY HAVE ANYTHING THAT THEY WANTED TO SAY ABOUT THAT? WHEN I LOOK THROUGH IT, IT SEEMED IT SEEMED LIKE THERE WAS ANYTHING SPECIAL ABOUT IT. WELL, I LIKE THAT THEY LISTED FOUR METHODS FOR PROPOSING CHARTER AMENDMENTS. I MEAN, THIS GOES INTO MUCH GREATER DETAIL THAN WE REALLY ARE GOING INTO IN OUR CHARTER. BUT I THOUGHT IT WAS SAID IT PRESENTED THE FOUR METHODS BUT NOT PERTINENT TO US. YEAH, I BELIEVE OURS WAS JUST A ONE PARAGRAPH. YEAH. WELL, YEAH. ONE SENTENCE. YEAH. WELL, KEEPS IT SIMPLE. AND THEN MRS. CHARTER MUST BE FORMULATED AND SUBMITTED TO THE VOTERS IN THE MANNER PRESCRIBED BY LAW. YEAH.
AND THEN THERE'S A SECTION ON CHARTER REVIEW EVERY FOUR YEARS. SO IF WE EVER DO WANT TO CHANGE THAT WE KNOW THAT IT'S ALL WELL, WELL LAID OUT IN THIS NATIONAL CHARTER. OTHER METHODS, BUT DOESN'T REALLY APPLY TO US. AND ANY COMMENT ON ARTICLE NINE. ARTICLE TEN. IF NOT OUR APPENDIX ONE DOES NOT APPLY TO US. APPENDIX TWO I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU THINK IF YOU THINK THAT APPLIES TO US OR NOT. DOES ANYBODY HAVE COMMENTS ON THAT? WELL, THAT'S WHERE THEY BASICALLY ADDRESS THE OUTCOME OF THE MEETING, SUCH AS THE GOVERNMENT, GOVERNMENT, ALLIANCE FOR RACIAL EQUALITY OR EQUITABLE. YEAH. YEAH. AND. I JUST MADE SOME JUST WROTE SOME STUFF IN THE MY MARGINS AND. WHEN. EQUITY IS GETTING TOSSED ABOUT, IT SEEMS TO ME THAT IT BECOMES IT GETS INTO UNCONSTITUTIONAL GROUNDS BECAUSE YOU'RE ESSENTIALLY DISCRIMINATING TO PROVIDE TO BRING ONE GROUP UP AND PUT ANOTHER AT THE EXPENSE OF ANOTHER GROUP. AND THAT'S TOTALLY AGAINST OUR CONSTITUTION. AND WHO DECIDES WHAT IS FAIR? IN CONTRAST, EQUITY IS ABOUT FAIRNESS. WELL, WHO SAYS WHAT IS FAIR? YEAH, THAT'S A VERY SUBJECTIVE. I JUST I JUST IT JUST DOESN'T WORK. EVEN EVEN ADDRESS THAT SOMEWHERE IN HERE ABOUT WHEN YOU START TRYING TO DO THAT. YEAH. ON PAGE 55 IT, IT SAID
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IT'S DIFFICULT TO ADDRESS ISSUES OF RACE AND EQUITY PAST AND PRESENT, WITHOUT ENGAGING LARGE DIVERSE GROUPS OF NUMBERS OF PEOPLE. AND IT IS DIFFICULT TO ENGAGE LARGE, DIVERSE NUMBERS OF PEOPLE WITHOUT ADDRESSING ISSUES OF RACE AND EQUITY. SO IT'S A IT'S KIND OF IS MAKING THE CASE WHY WE DON'T WANT TO DO THIS RIGHT IN THERE. YEAH. YEAH. AND I JUST THE OTHER THING I HIGHLIGHTED IN THERE GLOSSARY ON PAGE 73, THEY TALK ABOUT DISCRIMINATION. WELL EQUITY IS ALL ABOUT DISCRIMINATION AT THE BOTTOM LINE. IT JUST IS. YEAH I MEAN THIS LANGUAGE DOESN'T REALLY DO ANYTHING TO FURTHER THE CONCEPTS WE TALKED ABOUT I DON'T THINK. NO IT'S JUST IT'S. WELL WHAT DID YOU ALL THINK OF THIS CHARTER IN RELATION TO THE OTHER CHARTERS THAT WE LOOKED AT? THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS ABOUT IT. I DON'T LIKE EVERYTHING ABOUT THEIR DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION, ALL THAT STUFF. THAT'S JUST. I DON'T WANT THAT IN MY CITY CHARTER. I KNOW, I AGREE. THERE'S I MEAN IT'S LIKE THE OTHERS IT'S GOT PROS AND CONS. WELL I THINK WE'VE IDENTIFIED A FEW. WAYS THINGS ARE PHRASED AND STRUCTURED WITH ARE GOOD, BUT OVERALL I, I WOULDN'T USE THIS AS A STARTING POINT FOR OUR I WOULDN'T EITHER. YOU ALL WOULD BE INCLINED. AGREE DISAGREE. I MEAN YOU'RE SAYING WHAT I'M THINKING, SO I DON'T REALLY I'M JUST CHECKING A DIFFERENT OPINION TO ADD TO BE HONEST. YEAH. I'M NOT I'M NOT SURE WHERE THIS EQUITY IS SUPPOSED TO, YOU KNOW, START AND STOP. AND WHETHER IT'S EMPLOYMENT. WELL, IT'S ALREADY EEO POLICIES. YEAH. BECAUSE IF WE'RE VOTING I DON'T I THINK THEY'RE VOTING LAW IN PLACE AS WELL. YOU KNOW, REPRESENT REPRESENTATION ON COUNCIL VIA SAFE DISTRICTS AND STUFF LIKE THAT. I DON'T KNOW THAT YOU CAN CREATE A DISTRICT IN LARGO, YOU KNOW, BASED ON THE DEMOGRAPHICS THAT WOULD ACTUALLY DO ANYTHING.SO IF NOT NOW, MAYBE 20 YEARS WOULD BE DIFFERENT. BUT YEAH, I DON'T I DON'T KNOW WHAT OUR, YOU KNOW, OUR, OUR PERCENTAGE OF MINORITIES IS, BUT I BET IT'S WAY LESS THAN 5%. I MEAN, IT SEEMS LIKE IT'S WORDED SO IN A WAY THAT DOESN'T DO ANYTHING, THAT IT COULD JUST BE USED BY SOMEONE AGAIN TO DO THE OPPOSITE. THE POINT TO THIS, TO FURTHER THEIR GOALS AND USE THIS KIND OF VAGUE PHRASING TO DO THE OPPOSITE OF WHAT IT'S INTENDED TO DO, I SEE THAT COMING OUT. YEAH, YEAH, THERE'S A LOT OF FEEL GOOD STUFF, AND IT WAS INTENDED TO BE A MODEL, NOT WORD FOR WORD, BUT I DON'T EVEN LIKE THEIR MODEL PARTICULARLY. WELL, YOU DID LIKE I MEAN OVERALL THEIR MERIT SYSTEM. I'M JUST SAYING AS I SAY, WHICH IS KIND OF INTERESTING THAT THEY HAD THE MERIT SYSTEM SO WELL DEFINED. YEAH. AND YOU GRABBED IT AND LATCHED ON TO THAT. AS I SAY, THERE'S PROS AND CONS LIKE ALL OF THEM. YEAH, THE OTHER STUFF.
BUT OVERALL I, I DON'T REALLY MERIT IS A YOU CAN MEASURE MERIT EQUITY. NOT SO MUCH. I HOPE THAT EVERYBODY HAS NOTICED THAT I PASSED OUT BEFORE WE STARTED THE CONSOLIDATED NOTES FROM THE SAMPLE CHARTER REVIEWS THAT ROBERT PUT TOGETHER. AND SO I MADE A HARD COPY FOR EVERYBODY. IT IS ON IT IS ONLINE ON THE DISCUSSION BOARD FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO ACTUALLY REFER TO IT. I WAS JUST TRYING TO THINK OF A WAY. OKAY. AS WE GO THROUGH NOW TURN OUR ATTENTION TO OUR CHARTER, RIGHT. ALL THESE BITS AND PIECES THAT WE'RE GRABBING ALONG THE WAY.
SO I'M TRYING TO PULL THOSE NOTES TOGETHER, STRUCTURED ACCORDING TO OUR CHARTER, AS OPPOSED TO THE RANDOM NOTES THAT WE TAKE. AND I THINK I THINK YOU'VE MADE THIS LOOK. I MEAN, YOU'VE MADE THIS VERY YOU DID A REALLY WELL ORGANIZED WHEN I WAS GOING THROUGH IT, I SAW THAT I SAID SOMETHING ABOUT MARY. I'M GOING, OKAY, WELL, ROBERT REMEMBERED, BUT I IT'S LIKE TO FIND IT IN HERE. I WOULDN'T KNOW WHERE TO GO. LOOK, I KIND OF REMEMBERED SAYING IT, BUT I DON'T REMEMBER WHAT THE CHARTER IN THE NCO COLUMN. YEAH. 4.01. SO, SO IT'S IT'S A REALLY VALUABLE TOOL. SO THERE IT IS, 4.02. SO SPECIAL THANKS TO ROBERT FOR DOING THIS. BUT AND DOING IT IN SUCH A USEFUL MANNER. SO SO BEFORE WE GO ON TO OUR CITY CHARTER, I JUST
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WANTED TO MAKE SURE EVERYBODY HAD IT AND EVERYBODY GAVE THEIR PROPS TO ROBERT FOR THIS. THANK YOU, THANK YOU. YEAH. OKAY. SO OKAY, SO NOW IT'S TIME FOR US TO ACTUALLY BEGIN LOOKING AT THE CHARTER AFTER HAVING LOOKED AT THESE OTHER CHARTERS. SEEING WHAT WE LIKED AND DIDN'T LIKE.IT'S TIME FOR US TO BEGIN. AND TODAY WE JUST REALLY ARE PLANNING ON DOING THE PREAMBLE AND THE FIRST TWO ARTICLES. WE'RE USING THE NUMBERED RED LINE. SO WE'RE USING THE NUMBERED RED LINE WHICH. IS THE ONE THAT WE PRESENTED TO COUNCIL. RIGHT? YES. NUMBERED RED LINE. THAT'S WHAT I'VE BEEN REFERENCING SO WELL THE ONE I'M USING IS RED LINE BUT IT'S NOT RED ON MY COPY. IT'S THE RED LINED ONE. YES, THE RED LINED ONE IS ACTUALLY GRAY. GRAY LINE.
YEAH. RED LINE. SO THAT'S WHAT WE'RE GOING TO BE WORKING WITH. ONE OF THE, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT IN THE PREAMBLE THAT IN THE NATIONAL CITY CHARTER THAT I LIKE AND THEIR AND THEIR PREAMBLE THAT I WAS WONDERING IF WHAT OTHER PEOPLE THOUGHT ABOUT IS IT SPECIFICALLY PROVIDES FOR HONEST AND ACCOUNTABLE COUNCIL MANAGER GOVERNMENT. IT USES THOSE WORDS AND I THOUGHT THAT WOULD BE. SOMETHING THAT WE MIGHT WANT TO CONSIDER ADDING. BECAUSE IT TALKS. IT TALKS ABOUT WHERE IN THE PREAMBLE THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE THAT WE'RE DOING THIS TO RESULT IN AN OVERALL BETTER ENVIRONMENT FOR THE HEALTH, SAFETY AND WELFARE OF THE RESIDENTS OF THE CITY. AND WE COULD ADD AND PROVIDE FOR HONEST AND ACCOUNTABLE COUNCIL, COUNCIL MANAGER GOVERNMENT. BUT I PICKED THAT UP FROM THE NCL AND I PICKED THAT UP FROM NCL PAGE SIX. YEAH. AND SO LINE 250. YEAH. SO I'M JUST WONDERING WHAT YOU ALL THINK IF THAT WOULD FIT IN TO HOW YOU THINK OUR CHARTER SHOULD. THE PREAMBLE IS VERY, VERY SHORT.
IT WOULD JUST BE ADDING A COUPLE EXTRA PHRASES. IF YOU READ THE MODEL, IT REALLY HAS THREE OBJECTIVES THE SOURCE OF AUTHORITY, THE ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN AND THE INTENT. SO I THINK WE'VE GOT THE SOURCE OF AUTHORITY, WHICH IS THE STATE OF TEXAS. RIGHT. ACTION TO BE TAKEN AS WE'RE CREATING A CHARTER, THE INTENT, WILL YOU BE SAYING, IS ADD PROVIDE FOR AN HONEST AND ACCOUNTABLE COUNCIL MANAGER GOVERNMENT. WHERE WOULD YOU SEEK TO PUT IN SOMETHING LIKE THE PURPOSE OF THIS CHARTER IS TO ESTABLISH AND MAINTAIN AN EFFECTIVE SYSTEM OF HOME RULE GOVERNMENT, PROVIDING FOR HONEST AND ACCOUNTABLE COUNCIL MANAGER GOVERNMENT. WILL WE HAVE TO WORDSMITH THAT, RESULTING IN AN OVERALL BETTER ENVIRONMENT FOR THE HEALTH, SAFETY AND WELFARE OF THE RESIDENTS? I WOULD JUST ADD THOSE PHRASES INTO THAT SENTENCE. WELL, THE CURRENT ONE SAYS THAT THE PURPOSE OF THIS CHARTER IS TO ESTABLISH AND MAINTAIN AN EFFECTIVE SYSTEM OF HOME RULE GOVERNMENT. WELL, YOU JUST READ OURS CURRENTLY. I READ IT AND I ADDED IN THIS PHRASE, SO I READ THE PURPOSE OF THIS CHARTER IS TO ESTABLISH AND MAINTAIN AN EFFECTIVE SYSTEM OF HOME RULE GOVERNMENT, PROVIDING FOR HONEST AND ACCOUNTABLE COUNCIL MANAGER GOVERNMENT, RESULTING IN AN OVERALL BETTER. I JUST ADDED THAT PHRASE IN THERE SOMEHOW. I MEAN, WE HAVE TO WORK. IF WE WERE INTERESTED IN ADDING THAT CONCEPT TO THE PREAMBLE, THEN WE'D HAVE TO WORDSMITH IT A LITTLE BIT. I ALMOST LIKE I DON'T KNOW, YOU COULD EVEN PUT IT, RESULTING IN AN HONEST AND ACCOUNTABLE GOVERNMENT AND JUST TAKING OUT THE OVERALL BETTER ENVIRONMENT. I THINK YOU COULD DO THAT TOO, BECAUSE I THINK HONEST AND ACCOUNTABLE ON ITS OWN IS PRETTY STRONG. IF YOU WANTED TO ADD THAT IN AND SWITCH IT. OKAY. SO YOU'RE SAYING COULD GO IN EITHER PLACE? YEAH, I THINK IT COULD. THAT IS THE POINT OF IT. TO WRITE AN HONEST AND ACCOUNTABLE. RIGHT. WE HAVE THAT. THAT'S ENOUGH IN MY MIND. RIGHT. THAT'S. WELL WE COULD JUST INSERT IT THEN. YEAH. THE PURPOSE OF RESULTING IN AN HONEST AND ACCOUNTABLE COUNCIL MANAGER GOVERNMENT. AND AN OVERALL BETTER ENVIRONMENT FOR THE HEALTH, SAFETY AND WELFARE OF ITS RESIDENTS. I THINK DECLARING HEALTH, SAFETY AND
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WELFARE IS KIND OF THE PRIMARY PURPOSE OF HAVING A CITY IS PROBABLY PART OF THE INTENT THAT NEEDS TO BE. WELL, I'M NOT SAYING I'M NOT SAYING TO TAKE IT OUT. I'M JUST SAYING TO ADD THIS EXTRA IN. GENE. SO THE PART YOU'RE KIND OF HONED IN ON AN HONEST AND ACCOUNTABLE COUNCIL MANAGER GOVERNMENT. RIGHT? RIGHT. SO IF YOU JUST SAID THE PURPOSE OF THIS CHARTER IS TO ESTABLISH AND MAINTAIN. WHERE'D IT GO? AND HONEST AND ACCOUNTABLE COUNCIL MANAGEMENT GOVERNMENT. RESULTING IN, YOU KNOW, SO YOU JUST TAKE OUT AN EFFECTIVE SYSTEM OF HOME RULE GOVERNMENT. YEAH. AND JUST PLUG IN THE THAT WORDING THAT YOU JUST WOULD GO RIGHT IN THERE IF YOU REALLY WANTED TO HAVE IT IN, IN. WOULD YOU WANT TO HAVE IT IN THERE? I DON'T THINK IT HURTS. MARK. WHAT WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT? THE HONEST AND EFFECTIVE IS IN FAVOR OF THAT. YEAH. YEAH, IT'S EFFECTIVE IS KIND OF GENERAL WHERE AS OPPOSED TO AN HONEST AND ACCOUNTABLE OKAY. SO I YEAH I'M NOT OPPOSED TO THAT OKAY. THAT WORKS FOR ME. THE WHEELS ARE TURNING. I'M JUST TRYING TO I KNOW I'M TRYING TO KEEP TRACK OF ALL THIS AND CROSS-REFERENCE SO I CAN I CAN TAKE A STAB AT. WHAT YOU JUST SAID, I THINK THE PURPOSE OF IT. YEAH, THE PURPOSE OF THIS CHARTER IS TO ESTABLISH AND MAINTAIN. AN HONEST AND ACCOUNTABLE COUNCIL MANAGER GOVERNMENT, RESULTING IN AN OVERALL BETTER ENVIRONMENT FOR THE HEALTH, SAFETY AND WELFARE OF THE RESIDENTS OF THE CITY. OKAY, I THINK I GOT THE PURPOSE OF THIS CHARTER IS TO ESTABLISH AND MAINTAIN AN HONEST AND ACCOUNTABLE COUNCIL MANAGER GOVERNMENT, RESULTING IN AN OVERALL BETTER ENVIRONMENT FOR THE HEALTH, SAFETY AND WELFARE OF THE RESIDENTS OF THE CITY. YEAH. GOT IT. OKAY, CHARLES, DO YOU WANT TO PUT ANY ANY $0.02 IN ON THIS? NO, I'LL. THAT SOUNDS GOOD. OKAY. IT'S NOT COMPLETELY BORING HERE. NO, I'VE SAT IN ON MANY OF THESE COMMITTEES IN OTHER CITIES AND Y'ALL ARE NOT HA A WHOLE LOT BETTER. LET ME JUST GO THROUGH THE CHARTER. THAT SOUNDS GOOD.CHANGE IT. THAT WAS IT. DID YOU STRIKE OUT THE HOME RULE THE SECOND? BECAUSE THE VERY FIRST SENTENCE IT SAYS WE'RE HOME RULE. WE DON'T IT SAYS WE'RE HOME RULE. AND AND HOPEFULLY WE'RE NOT SETTING UP AN INEFFECTIVE SYSTEM. RIGHT. BUT YEAH, I JUST AN EFFECTIVE SYSTEM IS KIND OF TABLE STAKES AS TO WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO HERE. RIGHT. ACCOUNTABLE BUT DOESN'T REALLY. OKAY. PREAMBLE OKAY. UNDER SECTION A DEFINITIONS I WANT TO CALL THIS OUT. I PUT IT ON THE GRID. THERE WERE SEVERAL CONVERSATIONS ABOUT. IN THE ROCK PART AND THE NCL CHARTER ABOUT. PUBLISHING AND MAKING THINGS AWARE. SO ONE OF THE THINGS I WAS SUGGESTING IS MAYBE WE GRAB THAT LANGUAGE AND THEN WE JUST ADD IT AS A DEFINITION IN OUR DEFINITION SECTION, WHERE IT SAYS PUT IN A NUMBER BETWEEN 13 AND 14, PUT IN THE DEFINITION OF PUBLISH MEANS CITY WEBSITE, YADA, YADA, YADA. ALL THAT LANGUAGE WE ALREADY IDENTIFIED. AND THEN THROUGHOUT THE REST OF THE CHARTER, ALL WE HAVE TO DO IS REFERENCE CAPITAL WORD, PUBLISH WHENEVER THAT'S RELEVANT, AND THEN IT'S SELF DEFINED IN EVERY OTHER PLACE IN THE CHARTER REFERENCES THE WORD PUBLISH. WE'VE ALREADY CLARIFIED RIGHT UP FRONT WHAT THAT MEANS. OKAY. THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT YOU WOULD BE TAKING OUT TEN, DOES IT? OFFICIAL. DO YOU REMEMBER WHEN WE ADDED TEN IN SO THAT YOU'RE NOT SUGGESTING WE TAKE TEN OUT? NO, I'M NOT SUGGESTING WE TAKE OUT TEN. OKAY. THAT'S THAT WAS SOMETHING WE WERE PASSIONATE ABOUT. WE WERE WE WERE. YEAH. SO NOTICE AND PUBLISH ARE TWO DIFFERENT THINGS OKAY. YEAH. AND WHEN IT COMES TO LIKE A ROUTINE. MEETING ANNOUNCEMENTS AND
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THINGS LIKE THAT THAT WEREN'T PUBLISHED OR MINUTES THAT WE WANT PUBLISHED. YEAH. THEN WE USE THE LANGUAGE DEFINED PUBLISH ONE TIME AND THEN USE THAT WORD THROUGHOUT THE REST OF THE. OKAY, GOOD. BECAUSE GOOD. AND MARK AND JEN, YOU KNOW, PLEASE NOTE THAT THE STUFF THAT IS THAT WE'VE ADDED IN OUR FIRST TIME AROUND, YOU KNOW, WE'RE WE'RE PROBABLY MORE IN FAVOR OF IT THAN, YOU KNOW, YOU MAY BE SO SO FEEL FREE TO GIVE THAT EXTRA SCRUTINY TO SEE IF WHAT WE ADDED IN IS SOMETHING THAT YOU WOULD AGREE WITH. YEAH, BECAUSE WE'RE PROBABLY NOT GOING TO BRING IT UP AND SAY, WELL, WE DON'T WANT THIS ANYMORE, YOU KNOW. BUT BUT YOU MIGHT. SO. OKAY. WELL, SINCE YOU SAID THAT LINDA. I LIKE PUBLISH. BUT I WAS LOOKING AT OFFICIAL NOTICE ACTUALLY I LIKE THAT THAT'S IN THERE. I WOULD PROBABLY SAY TO MAKE A LITTLE BIT MORE SPECIFIC AND JUST THE LEGALLY MANDATED, BECAUSE I THINK THAT'S KIND OF TRYING TO GIVE A DEFINITION, BUT MAYBE DOESN'T ACTUALLY GET THERE. WHAT WOULD YOU SUGGEST? BECAUSE NONE OF THIS IS SET IN STONE, BECAUSE THIS IS A BRAND NEW LOOK AT THIS STUFF. REALLY.THIS IS JUST SOME HISTORY, RIGHT? I DON'T KNOW, I'D HAVE TO LOOK AT WHAT IS THE TYPICAL OFFICIAL NOTICE LIKE MAYBE AS DEFINED IN TEXAS, BLAH BLAH BLAH OR. IS BLAH BLAH BLAH, WHATEVER METHOD WE'RE GOING TO DO EXCEPT AS OTHERWISE DICTATED BY LAW OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
SO IT ACTUALLY SAYS LIKE A MEANS, LIKE SOME ORDINANCES SAY WE MUST GIVE OFFICIAL NOTICE.
SO THAT WOULD MAKE IT A LEGALLY MANDATED. I WAS GOING TO SAY, I THINK THE CLARITY WOULD COME WHEN YOU READ THE TERM IN THE CHARTER ITSELF. SO WE'RE DEFINING UP FRONT WHAT WE MOVE ON OFFICIAL NOTICE, AND THEN ELSE THE OTHER PLACES IN THE CHARTER, WHEN WE REFER TO OFFICIAL NOTICE, THIS IS WHAT WE MEAN. OKAY. SO THE CONTEXT OF THAT OTHER PLACE MEAN WE COULD MAKE A LITTLE MORE SENSE. OKAY. BUT IF YOU THINK THERE IS A BETTER DEFINITION, I'LL PUT IT IN MY NOTES TO KIND OF BECAUSE I'M NOT AS FAMILIAR WITH THIS CHARTER AS Y'ALL ARE.
SO WATCH FOR WHEN OFFICIAL NOTICE POPS UP THROUGHOUT THE REST OF THE CHARTER, AND THEN WE CAN THINK, OKAY, DO WE NEED TO CLARIFY THE DEFINITION OR IS THE DEFINITION IN THIS CONTEXT CLEAR OR NOT? OKAY. IT COMES UP JUST ONCE. IN CHARTER ON I FIND IT. USING SEARCH. YES. I WAS JUST GOING TO ASK HOW CAN YOU DO HOW DO YOU, HOW CAN WE THE ADVANTAGES OF ELECTRONIC IS YES, EVEN EVEN WHEN I'M HOME WITH ON MY COMPUTER I DON'T KNOW THAT I CAN SEARCH. WELL, YOU'RE IN A MACWORLD, BUT IN THE WINDOWS WORLD, CONTROL-F AND VIRTUALLY EVERY PROGRAM WILL BRING IT FINE. YOU THINK IT WOULD TELL ME WHERE? I JUST GOT TO KNOW THE SHORTCUT? YEAH, YOU CAN DO IT. ALSO, CONTROL F WORKS ON MAC. I CAN'T TELL YOU WHAT THEY ARE BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE MY MAC SITTING IN FRONT OF ME, BUT I HAVE CHEAT SHEETS ON EACH SIDE OF MY HOUSE. I MEAN, IT TELLS ME HOW TO DO STUFF. WELL, WHERE DO I GET A CHEAT SHEET ON? YOU MEAN YOU BUY ONE? YEAH, IT'S JUST A LITTLE STICKER THAT YOU CAN PUT ON YOUR COMPUTER. IT LOOKS FACTORY. I DID OKAY, I DIDN'T KNOW THAT THERE WAS SUCH A THING. SO MUCH FUN. REGARDING NUMBER 13, I HAD ADDED IN HERE BEFORE YOU BROUGHT UP, WHICH YOU WERE CHANGING ON 13 I HAD ADDED IN. AND POSTED ON THE CITY WEBSITE. WHERE IS THAT? SO HOW I HAD ADDED THIS IN THE LOOP READING OF TITLE SHALL SUFFICE, PROVIDED THAT A WRITTEN OR PRINTED COPY THEREOF HAS BEEN FURNISHED TO EACH MEMBER OF THE COUNCIL AND POSTED ON THE CITY WEBSITE PRIOR TO SUCH MEETING OR AD SUCH MEETING, WITHOUT OBJECTION. SO ACTUALLY WE DO DO THAT BECAUSE IT'S POSTED ON THE CITY WEBSITE IN THE PACKET, RIGHT? BUT I BECAUSE I THINK IT'S SO IMPORTANT, I THOUGHT WE SHOULD ACTUALLY PUT IT IN THERE. SO IT COMES IN AFTER THAT ARE WRITTEN OR PRINTED COPY THEREOF FURNISHED TO EACH MEMBER OF THE COUNCIL AND POSTED ON THE CITY WEBSITE PRIOR TO SUCH MEETING OR AT SUCH MEETING. THAT'S A. GOOD OKAY. SO ARTICLE ONE, DID ANYBODY HAVE ANY COMMENTS ABOUT ARTICLE ONE? WELL, THERE WERE SEVERAL THINGS THAT WE FOUND THAT STREAMLINE SPECIFICALLY IN
[00:55:11]
AUBRY, LIKE OUR 2.01. I'M SORRY YOU'RE ON ARTICLE ONE. I WAS JUMPING AHEAD. IT'S AUBRY, ARTICLE ONE, BUT IT'S ARTICLE TWO. OKAY, SO FOR ARTICLE ONE, WE DON'T HAVE ANYTHING. DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANYTHING WE CAN THAT WE CAN LOOK AT I THINK I THINK 1.1 GETS A LITTLE WORDY.I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A NOTE HERE THAT I, THAT I LIKE CELINE AT 1.2 AND ONE, AT 1.02.
I DON'T HAVE THAT IN FRONT OF ME. I COULD GO FIND IT, BUT. I GUESS IT'S, YOU KNOW, I THINK I THOUGHT THIS WAS ACTUALLY. SPECIFIED SOMEWHERE ELSE IN THE CHARTER AS FAR AS THE INCORPORATION PART OF IT. AND. YOU KNOW, THE POWERS, PRIVILEGES, RIGHTS, DUTIES AND IMMUNITIES IS HEREIN HEREIN PROVIDED. IF I COME ACROSS IT AGAIN, I'LL I'LL BRING THAT UP.
BUT JUST JUST KEEP THAT IN MIND. DO YOU WANT DO YOU WANT TO TAKE A LOOK AT THAT BEFORE THE NEXT MEETING? MARK AND I THINK ROBERT MIGHT HAVE. YEAH. SO IN THE CHARTER PAGE I HAVE A PAGE NUMBER. SECTION 1.02 IS ON LINE TEN. IT TALKS ABOUT BOUNDARIES AND LIMITS. SO IT KIND OF BREAKS IT OUT. YOU HAVE BOUNDARIES AND LIMITS. YOU'VE GOT INCORPORATION AS ITS OWN PARAGRAPH. THEN YOU GOT BOUNDARIES AND LIMITS. AND THEN IT CONCLUDES THE ANNEXATIONS AND ANNEXATIONS. SO THEY SAY IN THREE ARTICLES, BASICALLY WHAT IT TAKES US FOR TO SAY. IS THE WORDING ANY DIFFERENT IN TERMS OF EACH RESPECTIVE. SECTION? IT IS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT, LIKE INCORPORATION CORPORATION SAYS ALL INHABITANTS OF THE CITY OF CELINA, TEXAS, AS THE BOUNDARIES AND LIMITS OF SAID CITY HAVE HERETOFORE BEEN ESTABLISHED AND NOW EXIST OR MAY HEREINAFTER BE ESTABLISHED THAT CONSTITUTE A MUNICIPAL BODY POLITIC, INCORPORATED UNDER AND KNOWN BY THE NAME CITY OF CELINA. WITH SUCH POWERS, RIGHTS, DUTIES, PRIVILEGES AND IMMUNITIES AS ARE HEREIN PROVIDED. SO IT'S IT'S SIMILAR THAT ONE'S NOT TOO MUCH, NOT TOO MUCH DIFFERENT THAN THE FORMER GOVERNMENT IS. IT'S IS BASICALLY THAT'S WHAT THEY DID. THEY PULLED THE FORM OF GOVERNMENT OUT, AND THEY HAVE A WHOLE CHAPTER ON THE FORM OF GOVERNMENT. THEY PUT THAT PARAGRAPH AT THE TOP OF THE CHAPTER TWO, WHERE IT GOES INTO THE POWERS. SO BASICALLY THEY TOOK OUR 1.02 OUT AND PUT IT IN FRONT OF OF. 2.01. OKAY.
AND THEN THEY HAVE THEIR 1.03 IS ANNEXATIONS AND ANNEXATIONS. THE ONE THING WE WENT BACK AND FORTH ON IS OUR LINE 140 IS TO BE CLEAR THAT THE COUNCIL CAN ONLY DIS ANNEX IF THEY DETERMINE THAT THE TERRITORY IS EITHER NOT NECESSARY OR SUSTAINABLE. THERE WAS SOME QUESTION ABOUT SHOULD THERE BE MORE LATITUDE TO ANNEX. AND THEN THE OTHER THING I THINK THAT HAS HAPPENED IS. SOME STATE LAWS HAVE PROBABLY BEEN PASSED THAT MAKES IT EASIER FOR PEOPLE TO SELF ANNEX. YEAH, BUT WE DIDN'T WANT FAVORITISM AND THINGS LIKE THAT COMING TO BEAR WHERE SOMEONE COULD JUST SAY, LET ME OUT OF THE CITY. NO, YOU NEED YOU CAN GET OUT OF THE CITY, BUT ONLY IF YOUR PROPERTY IS NOT NECESSARY TO THE CITY OR NOT. SUSTAINABLE TO USE IS THE WAY WE LEFT IT BEFORE, RIGHT? I DON'T THINK THEY WENT INTO THAT DETAIL. FOR THIS ANNEXATION IN.
THEY JUST SAID THEY CAN DO IT. AND I THINK THE NECESSARY SUSTAINABLE IS IMPORTANT TO LEAVE IN. YEAH. THEY DON'T THEY DON'T SET THE CRITERIA FOR ANNEXATION AS STRINGENTLY IN THE CELINA CHANNEL CHARTER. AS WE DEBATED AND LANDED ON IN OUR CHARTER. AND SINCE IT COMES TO COUNCIL FOR THEM TO MAKE A DECISION, IT'S GOOD FOR THE COUNCIL TO HAVE THE REQUIREMENT
[01:00:04]
THAT IT BE NECESSARY. BUT THIS IN THEIR RIGHT, THEIR RESOLUTION OR ORDINANCE, WHATEVER THE VEHICLE IS, HAS TO HAVE AN AFFIRMATIVE STATEMENT IN HERE, RIGHT, THAT AFFIRMS IT'S EITHER NOT NECESSARY OR NOT SUSTAINABLE. AND WITH THAT, I WILL WATCH THE VIDEO FOR THE REST OF THE NOTES. WELL, WE WERE ONLY GOING TO DO AFTER TODAY. WE'RE ONLY GOING TO DO ONE MORE. ARTICLE. ARTICLE TWO I THINK WITH YOU LEAVING, ROBERT, THAT WE MAY ADJOURN AND NOT DO THIS BECAUSE IT'S, IT'S A IT'S A SMALL SECTION AND THEN WOULD BE BETTER TO HAVE YOU HERE. WHATEVER YOU FEEL I CAN I CAN CATCH THE NOTES AND WE'LL GO AHEAD AND CHARGE THROUGH AND START WITH ARTICLE THREE NEXT TIME. WHATEVER YOU WANT TO DO. CHAIRPERSON. WHAT DO YOU THINK, JEAN? I JUST THINK WE'VE GOT A COMMITTEE OF FIVE PEOPLE ON ANYTHING INPUT IF WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT ANYTHING, THE INPUT OF ALL FIVE PEOPLE SHOULD BE PRESENT AND ACCOUNTED FOR IN SOME MANNER. YEAH, BECAUSE LOOKING AT THE NOTES IS NOT THE SAME AS SITTING IN ON THE CONVERSATION AND MAKING COMMENTS AS IT GOES ALONG AND MAKING OBSERVATIONS. SO I WOULD IN AGREEMENT THAT. WE YOU BANG THE GAVEL. I WOULD JUST POINT OUT YOU STILL HAVE A QUORUM WITHOUT ME BEING. I, I FEEL NEEDED. THANK YOU. WELL, YOU ARE NEEDED. YOU ARE NEEDED.WE'RE ONLY SKIPPING A VERY, VERY SMALL SECTION OF WHAT WE WERE GOING TO WORK ON. AND I THINK IT'S MORE IMPORTANT TO TO HAVE YOU HERE. SO WE WILL ADJOURN THE MEETING AT 502 DUE TO MR.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.