Seabrook City Council voted unanimously to create a three-member subcommittee of council members to develop rules, expectations and tenure guidelines for any future hotel-occupancy-tax (HOT) advisory committee.

The council motion, introduced under agenda item 6.3, directed the subcommittee to draft written procedures addressing meeting access, conflict-of-interest disclosure and public-records exposure for committee members who will recommend how to spend HOT revenue. Council members said the measure responds to recent public concerns about how HOT recommendations were handled and to a stream of recent open-records requests.

Why it matters: HOT revenue is restricted by state law to tourism-related uses and funds programs paid by visitors through lodging taxes. Council members said increased public scrutiny and questions about meeting access have created a need to clarify how a citizen advisory panel should operate and how its work will be documented.

Details of the action and discussion: Mayor Pro Tem Hammond and Council Member Jared Tullen spoke during the discussion about transparency and TOMA (Texas Open Meetings Act) obligations. Tullen and other council members said the subcommittee should set standards so committee members understand that their communications and records may be subject to public-records requests. Council member Sanford seconded the motion. Council members Tullen, Sanford and Mayor Pro Tem Hammond volunteered to serve on the subcommittee.

The council discussed limits and authorities for HOT spending during the debate, including that Seabrook’s HOT is a 7% lodging tax (referred to in the discussion as “heads and beds” revenue) and that the city must follow state statutory restrictions when allocating funds. Council members said the subcommittee should clarify whether and how HOT can be used for bays-and-waterways projects such as pier reconstruction and whether a 10% limitation applies in specific circumstances.

Next steps: Council instructed staff to support the subcommittee’s work and to return proposed guidelines to council after the subcommittee’s review. The subcommittee’s membership will be Jared Tullen, Angela Sanford and Mayor Pro Tem Hammond.

Ending note: Council emphasized the item was not a finding of misconduct against any prior committee members but a policy exercise to prevent future confusion and to make expectations explicit.