Category Archives: Local Governmental Entities
Economic Development or Honey I bought a HEB
Do you think public-private partnerships as an economic development tool is a new 21st century concept? Corporate welfare a creation of the 20th century? Have you ever been to Pittsville, Texas? An economic engine of the late 19th century was the railroad companies. Failure to donate land to bring the railroad to your town… Read More »
Signs of the Times: How Pokémon Poses Municipal Regulation Questions
Pokémon GO has descended upon the masses, and this newest iteration of Nintendo’s classic video game from the 1990s brings the monster catching hysteria to the real world—or at least to the screen of your GPS enabled smartphone. Having been out for only a little over a week, Pokémon GO has players everywhere seeking… Read More »
Balancing Freedoms: Texas Open Carry Gun Law and Public Meetings
While the First and Second Amendments provide our constitutional rights to free speech and to bear arms, there is legal leeway for a Texas municipality to bar the open carry of handguns in a public meeting of city council. As of January 1, 2016, Texas gun laws provide concealed handgun license owners to openly… Read More »
Citizens Should Engage Public Officials with Ideas to Better Their City
I recently went on a trip to San Francisco to visit a friend of nearly 20 years. While on a hike to the Golden Gate Bridge, she remarked that one of the abandoned buildings we came across on the hike should be turned into restroom facilities. The building needed a little TLC, but otherwise… Read More »
My Mayor Has Super Powers?
Texas law sets out various powers of mayors and city council. However, what super powers does a mayor have in an emergency or disaster? There are three types of city governments allowed under the Texas Constitution: (1) Special law cities created by the Republic of Texas; (2) general law cities operating under the general… Read More »
Change in Texas Criminal Code Calls for Careful Review of Traffic Stop Video Release
A significant change to the law governing public information in Texas came into effect on September 1, 2015, and governmental bodies ought to know about it. Generally, public information is governed by Chapter 552 of the Texas Government Code, commonly referred to as the “Public Information Act”; however, the change at issue is not… Read More »