Lago Vista Council directs city attorney to draft streamlined ethics and social‑media guidance after residents and councilors cite weaponization concerns

Residents and several council members pressed for a rewrite of the city’s ethics policy, arguing the current ordinance contains overbroad or unclear provisions that can be weaponized and that procedural protections are inconsistent. Multiple speakers recounted recent local complaint processes and recommended relying on state mechanisms for serious matters. City attorney Brad (speaker 2) reviewed problems with overly broad language — for example, provisions that restrict members of council from consulting the city attorney or that could require the attorney to file complaints when he becomes aware of potential violations — and said some provisions as written could lead to unintended consequences and increased legal costs.

Brad advised the council that smaller cities often rely primarily on state law for conflict‑of‑interest and nepotism matters and that local ethics ordinances can be useful but should be narrowly tailored and enforceable. He offered to prepare sample ethics‑policy templates and comparables sized to Lago Vista (cities under 25,000 or 50,000 residents), and to recommend reasonable complaint timelines and mechanisms (for example, 30–90 day filing windows rather than the current two years in the policy). Several councilors also raised the possibility of creating an independent, appointed ethics committee to handle preliminary hearings rather than having the council act as the quasi‑judicial body in every case.

On the social media policy, councilors and commenters debated First Amendment limits and recent federal case law, including differing interpretations of decisions that address whether the blocking or removal of users on official pages constitutes a governmental action. Some councilors and members of the public urged scrapping or narrowing the policy as it applies to elected officials’ personal pages and instead providing training and clear guidance for staff accounts and for decorum expectations. Others favored keeping a tailored social‑media guidance document to aid newly elected officials and staff and to minimize confusion.

Council asked Brad to prepare a set of sample policies and options — including (a) a narrow local ethics ordinance consistent with state law, (b) an example ethics committee construct used by comparable cities, (c) streamlined complaint timelines, and (d) a staff‑oriented social‑media guide distinguishing employee accounts from personal official‑actor accounts — and to return with recommendations by month’s end.