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City attorney from Borges Law Firm outlines replacement ethics ordinance
Summary
Borges Law Firm attorney Gary Smith presented a draft replacement of La Marque’s ethics code, detailing complaint procedures, gift limits, conflict‑of‑interest rules and sanctions. Council members asked about retaliation protections and scope during first reading.
Gary Smith, a representative of the Borges Law Firm, presented a proposed replacement ethics ordinance to the La Marque City Council on Aug. 10, describing a package of definitions, procedural steps for complaints and a scale of sanctions. Smith said the draft emphasizes transparency while protecting private information and explained limitations such as a one‑year restriction on former officials representing clients before the city.
Smith described gift limits included in the draft, saying, “A gift over $50 is prohibited from a person…several gifts with a total value over $200 in a single fiscal year is prohibited.” He also reviewed the complaint review process: sworn complaints on firsthand knowledge, a clerk review period to request missing information, mayoral appointment of a two‑person review panel and, if actionable, a public hearing before the council to determine violations and sanctions.
Council members and public speakers pressed for clarifications about retaliation and suspension authority. Smith said retaliation would be captured under prohibitions on abuse of position, and that suspension length would be within council discretion. At the first reading the ordinance was moved and seconded and the council voted to take the item forward; one council member recorded opposition during the vote. The ordinance will return for further consideration at subsequent readings and staff will provide redline language and implementation details requested by the council.
