Council directs staff to prepare Board of Ethics ordinance and schedule workshop

Liberty Hill City Council instructed the city attorney and staff to prepare ordinance language implementing a Board of Ethics mandated in the city’s home-rule charter and to schedule a workshop to focus on membership, qualifications and training.

Mary Ann Banks, the city attorney, told council the charter restricts the Board of Ethics’ responsibilities to conflicts of interest and financial disclosures under state law, and that other ethics‑related provisions in the city’s existing ordinance would need to be separated if the council wishes to preserve them elsewhere. “The charter only provides for them to have the responsibilities over conflicts of interest and financial disclosures,” Banks said.

Councilmembers discussed board size, residency requirements and whether the council should solicit input from charter commissioners and the public. Several members favored keeping the Board’s scope aligned with the charter language and then working in a separate ordinance to address broader ethics rules if desired. A majority of councilmembers asked staff to research best practices for board composition, training options and the likely annual cost for training and staff support.

Staff commitments and next steps: Council asked the city attorney to draft an ordinance implementing the charter language, return examples of board sizes and qualifications used by other cities, and propose training options with budget estimates. Council also asked for a workshop or special meeting to review the draft ordinance and to consider whether to invite charter commission members or other stakeholders for input.

No formal appointment or vote took place at the meeting; the council provided direction to prepare ordinance language and a workshop plan.