Howdy!  This is The Executive Summary, and my name is Thomas Gwosdz.  I’ve represented local governments for over twenty years, including five as a staff attorney at the Texas Association of School Boards, and thirteen as the City Attorney of Victoria. I’ve taught...

Four Steps to Leverage the Power of Disagreement I’ve said before that decisions made together, by people who vocally disagree, are always better than decisions made alone. But how do you leverage The Power of Disagreement to turn arguments into agreement?  It takes...

The Power of Disagreement I was in a public meeting the other night where members disagreed across the dais. Loudly. But that doesn’t bother me, because I believe: Decisions made together, by people who vocally disagree, are always better than decisions made alone. I...

Timecard Fraud Joe was running late for work, so he texted Mary, and she punched his timecard for him. Both employees were fired. They each filed for unemployment benefits, claiming that their termination wasn’t justified. Do you think they got it? Former employees...

The Case of the Incompatible Officer The Attorney General once issued an opinion to Tom Selleck (this one, not that one), confirming that a sitting city council member is prohibited from simultaneously serving on the city’s police reserve force. But we knew this,...

Local Purchasing Authority Happy Labor Day weekend! September 1 – the effective date of most new state legislation – is almost here. One of the many (many) new laws, S.B. 1173 raises the minimum threshold for competitive bidding from $50,000 to $100,000. It’s a good...

New Posting Requirements The Legislature made several changes to the Open Meetings Act this year. We’ve previously discussed the new posting deadline: three business days before your meeting. The same bill, HB 1522, also changes the way cities will adopt their...

Consent Agendas  The consent agenda is a way to save time in your meetings by combining several items into a single vote.  There’s usually no discussion on any of these items.  They might be routine business, might have been previously discussed in the budget process,...

"Consider, Discuss, and Take Action on..."  Have you ever heard officials ask, “Do we need to take action on this item?”  I want our meeting agendas to be clear.  If officials don’t know whether they’re supposed to be taking action, the agenda has created confusion,...

Previous Determination   You don’t always need to request an Attorney General “ORL” opinion to withhold documents in response to a Public Information Act request.  Sure, in most cases you do.  But the AG’s office can issue a “Previous Determination” that allows...