City Council Conflicts Disclosure

Local Government Code Ch. 176 Conflicts Disclosure Chapter 176 requires that certain officers (including mayors, councilmembers, city managers or administrators, and other city employees who exercise discretion in the planning, recommending, selecting, or contracting of a vendor) file a “conflicts disclosure statement” with a city’s records administrator (usually the city secretary) within seven days of becoming aware of any of the following situations:

• The officer or the officer’s family member has an employment or business relationship with a vendor that results in the officer or officer’s family member receiving taxable income of more than $2,500 in the preceding twelve months.
• The officer or the officer’s family member accepts from a vendor one or more gifts with an aggregate value of $100 in the preceding 12 months from a vendor.
• The officer has a family relationship with a vendor. Chapter 176 also requires a “vendor” (a person who enters or seeks to enter into a contract with a city) to file a “conflict of interest questionnaire.” The conflicts disclosure statement (FORM CIS) and the conflict of interest questionnaire (FORM CIQ) are created by the Texas Ethics Commission and are available online at www.ethics.state.tx.us. Completed forms must be filed on a city’s Internet website. See Tex. Loc. Gov’t Code § 176.009