300 West Walker  
City of League City, TX  
League City TX 77573  
Meeting Minutes  
City Council  
Tuesday, May 9, 2023  
5:00 PM  
Council Chambers  
200 West Walker Street  
The City Council of the City of League City, Texas, met in a work session in Council  
Chambers at 200 West Walker Street on the above date at 5:00 p.m.  
Mayor:  
Nick Long  
City Council Members:  
Andy Mann  
Tommy Cones  
Tom Crews  
John Bowen  
Justin Hicks  
Chad Tressler  
Sean Saunders  
City Manager:  
John Baumgartner  
Rick Davis  
Assistant City Manager  
Assistant City Manger-CFO  
City Attorney:  
Angie Steelman  
Nghiem Doan  
Diana M. Stapp  
Gary Ratliff  
City Secretary:  
Chief of Police:  
Executive Director of Capital Projects  
Director of Engineering:  
Director of Finance:  
Ron Bavarian  
Christopher Sims  
Kimberly Corell  
James Brumm  
Chien Wei  
Director of Human Resources/Civil Service:  
Director of Parks & Cultural Services:  
Director of Public Works:  
Jody Hooks  
1.  
CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL OF MEMBERS  
Mayor Long called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m. and called the roll. All members of  
Council were present. Mayor Pro Tem Mann arrived at 5:30 p.m. Council Member Hicks  
arrived at 5:31 p.m.  
8 -  
Mayor Nick Long, Mr. Andy Mann, Mr. Tommy Cones, Mr. Tom Crews, Mr. John  
Bowen, Mr. Justin Hicks, Mr. Chad Tressler and Mr. Sean Saunders  
Present  
2.  
3.  
PUBLIC COMMENTS  
ROBERT'S RULES OF ORDER AND ETHICS TRAINING  
Part I: Robert’s Rules of Order  
City Code Sec. 2-32  
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Adopts Robert’s Rules of Order, 11th Edition  
Designates the City Attorney as parliamentarian  
Provides that the Mayor shall decide all questions of parliamentary procedure, subject  
to appeal to the rest of the Council  
Quorum needed  
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Charter Art. II, Sec. 11 sets the quorum at 5, unless vacancies leave fewer than 5  
members of Council remaining  
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Quorum must be established and maintained during the entire meeting  
A member participating by videoconference does not count toward the quorum  
Taking Action  
City Council conducts business by adopting:  
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Ordinances  
Resolutions  
Minute orders  
A motion and a second are required to propose an action  
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Motions should be made in the affirmative  
Motions should clearly state the action proposed to be taken  
Types of Motions  
Main motion  
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Adopts ordinance/resolution/minute order  
Only one main motion allowed at a time  
Subsidiary motions  
Procedural motions that modify the main motion  
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Must be voted on before moving to main motion or another subsidiary motion  
Common subsidiary motions  
Motion to amend  
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Amends the pending main motion (which becomes an amended motion if the MTA  
passes)  
Motion to postpone  
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To/for a time certain (no later than next regular meeting)  
Indefinitely: effectively kills the main motion without a vote on the merits thereof  
Suspend the rules: allows an action ordinarily not allowed by Robert’s Rules or rules of  
procedure  
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Not debatable  
Move the previous question (“call the question”)  
Ends debate and forces immediate vote on the pending question  
Not debatable  
Requires 2/3 vote  
Motion to reconsider  
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Brings back for further consideration a motion already voted on  
Only made by someone on the prevailing side, made at the same session as the vote to  
be reconsidered  
Voting  
A motion only passes upon receiving Yes votes from a majority of the members of Council  
A 4/5 supermajority of Council present needed to:  
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Adopt an ordinance upon one reading (Art. II, 22)  
Publish just the caption of an ordinance that imposes a penalty, fine or forfeiture (Art.  
II, 23)  
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Appoint the presiding judge of the court (Art. V, 4)  
Make emergency appropriations (Art. VII, 8)  
Part II: Code of Ethics  
Conflicts of Interest  
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Governed by state law (LGC Ch. 171), and  
Code of Ethics (Code of Ordinances, Ch. 2, Article II)  
Two-prong test for conflict of interest  
Substantial interest  
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In a business entity  
10% ownership or $15,000 fair market value; or  
Received >10% of person’s income from entity  
In real property (ownership of $2,500+)  
Council action would have a special economic effect on the business entity or real  
property  
Other conflict situations:  
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Substantial interest in Entity A;  
Entity A did $10k+ worth of business with Entity B in the prior 12 months; and  
Council action would have a special economic effect on Entity B  
Other conflict situations:  
Member of Council received more than $1,500 in campaign contributions from  
person/entity;  
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In the two-year contribution cycle for that Member’s election date; and  
Council action would have a special economic effect on that person/entity  
If a conflict exists under state law or the Code of Ethics:  
Conflicted member of Council must file an affidavit with the City Secretary stating the  
nature of the interest  
Conflicted member of Council must leave the room during discussion of and vote on the  
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matter  
Voluntary recusal sometimes appropriate  
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Even if actual conflict does not exist, to avoid the mere appearance of impropriety  
Other Ethical Constraints  
State law prohibits accepting any item worth $50 or more, or money in any amount  
Under the Code of Ethics:  
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A city official must file a written disclosure of any gift of food, lodging, transportation,  
or entertainment that reasonably appears to exceed $500 in value  
A member of Council may not represent another person’s (except spouse or minor  
children) or entity’s interests before Council or any City board  
City officials cannot disclose confidential info  
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Under the Code of Ethics:  
No former member of Council may disclose confidential information obtained during  
his/her term of service  
No former member of Council may have a financial interest in a contract with the City  
worth >$1,000 within 13 months of the end of his/her term  
If a former city official becomes unemployed by an entity within two years of the  
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execution of a contract between the City and said entity, and the former official was  
involved in negotiating the contract, the contract is voidable and the entity may be banned  
for 3 years  
Part III: Open Government Requirements  
Texas Open Meetings Act  
Requirements of the Act:  
Meetings are public and notice must be posted in advance for public  
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A “meeting” consists of a quorum of the body, which is 5  
Cannot meet in numbers less than a quorum to circumvent the Act  
Cannot discuss City business in a setting where a quorum is present  
Cannot discuss City business via email amongst a quorum  
Can only discuss items on the agenda that was posted in advance  
The Act provides criminal sanctions for violations  
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Fine between $100 and $500  
Confinement in jail for 30-180 days  
Public officials must complete Open Meetings training within 90 days of taking office  
Texas Public Information Act  
Requirements of the Act:  
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Records held by the City, the Council, or individual members of Council are presumed  
to be public  
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Such records are subject to state retention guidelines  
Any person can make a public information request seeking access to public information  
City handles responses to PIRs  
Gather records for release  
Seek AG opinion if an exception might apply  
The Act provides criminal sanctions for destruction, alteration, or concealment of public  
records  
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Fine between $25 and $4,000  
Confinement in jail for 3-90 days  
Public officials must complete Public Information Act training within 90 days of taking  
office  
4.  
ADJOURNMENT  
At 5:32 p.m. Mayor Long said, there being no further business this meeting is adjourned.  
_______________________  
NICK LONG  
MAYOR  
________________________  
DIANA M. STAPP  
CITY SECRETARY  
(SEAL)  
MINUTES APPROVED: May 23, 2023