Irving council adopts revised ethics code, requires disclosure of paid advocacy; enactment set for July 1

The Irving City Council on Wednesday adopted a revised municipal ethics code that expands disclosure for paid advocacy, removes some previous exemptions for Planning and Zoning participants and sets an enactment date of July 1, the council said during a special meeting.

The change responds to concerns about transparency raised during the recent election cycle and in public comment. "I learned about this today and wanted to come down and speak because I think it is time to take a good hard look at ethics policy," said former Councilman David Palmer, who told the council he was troubled by a PAC filing that did not include a treasurer's full name and by apparent electioneering by members of the Planning and Zoning Commission.

Council discussion focused on three recurring points: (1) expanding registration and disclosure when people are compensated to advocate before city bodies, (2) eliminating an exception that had let some Planning and Zoning participants avoid lobbyist registration, and (3) developing an electronic, prepopulated form to make registration and disclosure easier for repeat advocates. Several councilmembers also suggested using nonreappointment as a sanction for appointed officials who publicly campaign while serving on "sovereign" commissions.

The adopted language explicitly calls for registration when an individual is paid to advocate before city decision-making bodies; the council's draft also discussed an aggregate-activity threshold (raised during the meeting as an example) and removal of the prior P&Z exception. Councilmembers said the city will keep lobbyist registration records for five years, consistent with existing practice.

Councilmembers discussed giving residents the option to identify only their city of residence rather than providing full street addresses on the public speaking record; they asked staff to evaluate whether the city needs to continue requiring speakers' full addresses in the published record. Councilmembers also asked staff to study implementing an electronic filing and display system so registration information appears when a speaker approaches the podium.

During the meeting the council formally moved to "approve the new ethics code" and adopt the clean version with an enactment date of July 1. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously.

Council members noted that enforcement of criminal violations would remain with state authorities where applicable. Several speakers referred to filings or complaints that would go to the Texas Ethics Commission and said potential criminal penalties would fall under the Texas Election Code or the Texas Penal Code when applicable. The council also reminded members that the city charter calls for a periodic review of the ethics code every five years.

The new code takes effect July 1; councilmembers said they expect a short education period for the public and for frequent advocates before the rules become operational. No fiscal or staffing implementation plan was finalized at the meeting.