Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Data Privacy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Public speakers present draft data‑privacy ordinance to council; item pulled for further review
Summary
Two speakers asked council to adopt a local ordinance to protect residents' data privacy; they gave council a draft and the item was deferred after a staff member was absent. A third public speaker raised unrelated allegations about city contracts and housing that he said law enforcement was reviewing.
During public comment at the Amarillo City Council meeting, two residents presented a proposed local data-privacy ordinance and asked council to consider it; staff told the speakers the item (8E on the agenda) would be discussed at a future meeting because the council contact for that item was absent.
Misty Collier, who identified herself as a Potter County taxpayer, told council: "I would just ask that you please pass 10d. It is an ordinance to save our data privacy rights." Cassie Green, who identified herself as an Amarillo resident, told council she and a team had constructed a written ordinance "to protect our inherent human rights and privacy for the citizens of Amarillo concerning technology" and handed copies to the mayor and staff. Green said the draft would "safeguard...conversational settings and the new technologies that we're fast embracing."
Mayor Collins and staff acknowledged receipt of the document, said the item had been noticed as 8E and explained it had been pulled from the agenda because the staff member (identified in the discussion as Rich/Gagnon) was ill; the mayor said council and staff would read the ordinance and engage with the author before the next meeting.
Separately, a third speaker, Mike Fisher, offered public comment raising allegations about city contracts and property ownership ties between private-law-firm-controlled entities and a city official. Fisher described a multi-topic concern and suggested law enforcement was investigating; he said he knew "somebody's working on this in law enforcement." The mayor thanked him and said the council would not leave the remarks hanging but took no formal action at the meeting.
Outcome and follow-up Council did not take action on the draft ordinance at the meeting. Mayor Collins said staff would read the submitted draft, coordinate with their regular contact and expect to engage the author and staff before the next meeting; Council directed staff to follow up and to brief council if the author did not receive staff input within two weeks.
