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Willow Park council adopts case-by-case nondisclosure agreement policy after debate
Summary
The council voted to adopt confidentiality/non-disclosure agreements to be used on a case-by-case basis for officials, staff or contractors given verbal or written proprietary information; members debated scope, especially whether verbal designation should trigger nondisclosure.
The city attorney explained two confidentiality documents: one tied to the Public Information Act's special-access provisions and a broader nondisclosure agreement intended for officials, city employees, contractors or negotiators who might be exposed to proprietary, confidential or privileged information.
Councilmembers debated whether the agreements should cover information designated verbally as confidential, or be limited to written designations. One council member warned that a verbal designation could be invoked later without evidence and recommended limiting the agreement to written materials; the city attorney said the form can be tailored and that it offers an added layer of protection for trade secrets, litigation materials and similar information.
A motion to accept the confidentiality and nondisclosure agreements for use on a case-by-case basis passed; the meeting transcript indicates two opposed votes. Councilmembers emphasized using the agreements sparingly and on a narrow basis rather than as a blanket requirement.
Ending: Council approved the case-by-case approach and asked staff and the attorney to craft a process for when the agreements will be requested and how the scope will be documented.
