DeSoto council adopts 2025 state‑legislative priorities, removes proposed change to license‑plate confidentiality

The DeSoto City Council voted April 1 to adopt a resolution that sets the city’s priorities for the 2025 Texas legislative session, while removing a proposed position on House Bill 1893, which would make license‑plate numbers non‑confidential under public‑information law.

Why it matters: The resolution provides a formal set of criteria for the city to use when responding to bills and for asking TML or other advocacy groups to send letters on DeSoto’s behalf. Removing HB1893 from the list means the council declined to take a formal position on that specific bill at this time after discussion on privacy and administrative burden.

Staff presented a draft resolution that reflected priorities discussed at the council’s winter retreat. The draft covers several themes: preserving local authority, opposing bills that restrict minimum lot sizes in single‑family zones or that impose accessory dwelling unit rules without local limits, opposing legislation that would limit diversity/equity initiatives as they relate to purchasing, and supporting public education. The resolution included a staff‑attached list of bills of interest with suggested positions.

Council members discussed several items in the draft. Council Member Crystal Chisholm asked whether the city planned to use a lobbyist in Austin; City Manager Laud Gaffrey said DeSoto receives advocacy help from Lineberger Associates and regional organizations such as the North Texas Commission and the North Central Texas Council of Governments, and the city has sometimes worked with other vendors. "I think it's always good to have a lobbyist in Austin," the city manager said.

House Bill 1893 (license‑plate confidentiality) Council considered whether to list House Bill 1893 — a proposal that would remove confidentiality protections for license‑plate numbers in public‑information responses — among items the city would oppose or support. City staff and the police chief discussed the practical effect the bill would have on redaction workload for body‑worn camera and dashcam recordings and on investigator time. As Police Chief Costa explained, the department now spends time redacting plate numbers from recordings before release; removing the confidentiality rule would reduce that redaction burden. "We have to go through and redact out all the license plate numbers ... which is very time consuming," Chief Costa said.

Council members expressed differing views. Council Member Diana Marks said she would support removing confidentiality; Council Member Crystal Chisholm said she opposed removing it; other members indicated no opinion or were undecided. After discussion, Council Member Chisholm moved and Council Member Andre Byrd seconded a motion to approve the resolution with the removal of House Bill 1893 from the draft list. The motion passed unanimously.

Votes and motions - Motion to adopt the 2025 Texas legislative priorities resolution as presented, striking House Bill 1893: moved by Crystal Chisholm; seconded by Andre Byrd; passed unanimously.

Next steps and use of the resolution City staff said the resolution will serve as the city’s guidance for sending letters or formal positions to the Texas Municipal League, county partners or state representatives when legislative matters arise. Staff said they will respond to requests from TML or other groups to sign letters that match the adopted criteria.