Author Archives: J. Grady Randle
Top 14 Ways to Drive Your City Attorney Crazy (or Make Him Take a Vacation)
A wise mayor once told me that you train people how to treat you. He also told me that an accountant’s job is to reduce cost, a lawyer’s job is to reduce risk, but an owner’s (manager’s) job is to grow the business by taking risk and wisely spending money. I thought about those… Read More »
Net Neutrality and Economic Development: Why Cities are Getting into the Wi-Fi Business
One of the Christmas presents I received is a Ring doorbell. It is a nifty little device that comprises a doorbell, camera and speaker. In an older house like mine, the doorbell does not always work, so to have a Ring doorbell that is Wi-Fi connected letting us know someone is at the door… Read More »
Why Are States Fighting with Their Cities?
This past week, I just finished fighting off a surprise attack in the form of a lawsuit that included an emergency hearing on an application for a temporary restraining order, possible appeal to the court of appeals with an emergency motion to stay the TRO if it was granted. It wasn’t granted. I thought… Read More »
Southeast Texas Astros? What Happens When Texas Hampers Local Control?
Who wants to write a legal blog while basking in the glow of the Houston Astros winning the World Series in Game 7 or when the biggest-ever parade in the City of Houston’s history is happening? Go ‘Stros! This win has made Houston Strong, stronger. But as I watched most of the government leaders… Read More »
Trail of Tiers: the New Texas Annexation Rules
From 1836 to 1850, the U. S. Government’s policy was to force the various American Indian Civilized Tribes to relocate, on foot, to lands west of the Mississippi River. Most ended up in Indian Territory now known as Oklahoma. The journey was so arduous that over 10,000 Indians died on the way. The trek… Read More »
Vesting: When a Property Development Plan is Grandfathered … or Not
VESTING (Not an article of clothing) (Not assuming office) (Not what Warren Buffet does) Does the NFL change rules in the middle of a football game? The NCAA? Is it fair for a city to change the rules in the middle of developing a parcel of land? With the recent tower fires in London… Read More »
So You Want To Help The Old Lady?
Issues in municipal government seem to come in waves. Recently the wave issues have been, at the crest, wanting to help citizens using public tax dollars and, in the trough, accepting gifts on the city’s behalf from grateful citizens. What is a public official to do to not violate the law or ethics? The… Read More »
To Probate Or Not To Probate, That Is The Question
A question I am often asked is, “When do you have to probate?” The basic answer is, you probate a Will when you need to transfer property title. As I have blogged before, trust “peddlers” are out pushing the sale of their trusts with the pitch that, with this approach you can avoid probate…. Read More »
City of Meadows Place Wins Lawsuit over Sexual Offender Residency Restriction Ordinance
General Law City Prevails to Maintain Criminal Ordinance HOUSTON, May 19, 2017 – The City of Meadows Place, Texas, the first city in Fort Bend County to enact a Sexual Offender Residency Restriction Ordinance (SORRO), recently prevailed in a lawsuit brought on behalf of a homeowner illegally maintaining a residence within a restricted area… Read More »
City Real Estate Sales 101
How do you sell city-owned real estate? Is it hard? Can it take a long time? The answer to all these questions is yes, as I told the Mayor. The first question you have to ask is: what type of property is it? The second question is: what type of city is selling its… Read More »