The owner of a short-term rental business has filed an ethics complaint against City Council Member Pio Renteria, alleging that he violated city conflict-of-interest rules by pushing for an ordinance approved last month that will eventually phase out short-term rental units in Austin that are not owner-occupied, otherwise known as Type 2 STRs. Thomas J. […]
City of Austin Ethics Review Commission
The Ethics Review Commission is charged with review of, among other issues, ethics complaints leveled against City of Austin boards and commission members. They meet quarterly.
Posted inCity Hall
Ethics panel dismisses complaints against Historic Landmark Commission
For the second time in recent months, the Ethics Review Commission waded into the affairs of the Historic Landmark Commission in response to a complaint from an activist. But unlike the previous instance, the commission quickly dismissed the complaints, ruling that it did not have the jurisdiction to judge the merits of the allegations, which […]
Posted inCity Hall
Ethics Commission recommends controversial lobbying ordinance
To the delight of city ethics reformers and over the strong objections of developers and real estate professionals, the Ethics Review Commission voted unanimously Tuesday to recommend to City Council a resolution aimed at overhauling city lobbying rules. The recommended language was the result of months of back-and-forth among Council Member Leslie Pool, the measure’s […]
Posted inThe Code
Lobby registration arguments continue
An attorney working on revisions to the city’s lobby registration ordinance has accused opponents of the change of refusing to negotiate in order to prevent the process from moving forward. Fred Lewis, the major architect of the proposed changes, told the City Council Audit and Finance Committee on Wednesday that opponents to the revisions – […]
Posted inCity Hall
Ethics Commission reprimands Historic Landmark commissioner
Two weeks after sanctioning City Council Member Don Zimmerman for campaign finance violations, the Ethics Review Commission reprimanded Arif Panju, after finding that he had violated city conflict of interest rules by participating in a discussion over a proposed historic preservation district that would include his own home. The reprimand followed nearly three hours of […]
Posted inThe Code
Opposition to lobbying resolution organizes
Some of Austin’s most influential members of the development, engineering, architectural and contractor communities have banded together to address mounting concerns over proposed revisions to the city’s Lobbying Registration Ordinance. The list of organizations concerned about the language in the currently proposed ordinance is impressive. A letter sent out this week to City Council was […]
Posted inAustin, City Council
Ethics Commission reprimands Zimmerman
The Ethics Review Commission voted unanimously to sanction City Council Member Don Zimmerman for two violations of city campaign finance code Tuesday night. They also voted unanimously to issue a written reprimand to Zimmerman, though they did not recommend prosecuting the matter further. A reprimand is the second-most severe written sanction given by the commission. […]
Posted inThe Code
Building professionals distraught over proposed city lobbying changes
Area engineers and others in the building industry showed up to a Monday meeting of the Ethics Review Commission to voice concerns over a proposal that would likely require many of them to register as lobbyists because of their regular interactions with city officials. A final draft of the changes is still a ways off, […]
Posted inAustin, City Council
Zimmerman will face ethics charges
Members of the Ethics Review Commission didn’t seem to know what to make of the four complaints lodged against Austin City Council Member Don Zimmerman. The charges, leveled by Mark Walters, a law clerk, forced the panel to explore the murky line between the public and private life of an elected official, a line that […]
Posted inThe Code
Committee gets preview of lobby registration fight
Two things became clear Wednesday when the Audit and Finance Committee heard a brief presentation and two speakers on proposed revisions to the lobby registration ordinance: First, the proposed changes will be controversial. Second, City Council Members Ellen Troxclair and Don Zimmerman are prepared to fight – along with members of the engineering, architectural and […]
Posted inCity Hall
Commission opts to proceed with complaint against Historic Landmark commissioner
Few members of the Ethics Review Commission indicated at a Monday hearing whether they believed that ArijArif Panju, a member of the Historic Landmark Commission, violated city conflict-of-interest rules over votes he took on a policy affecting his neighborhood. The commission nevertheless voted 10-1 to proceed to a final hearing on the matter on Sept. […]
Posted inThe Code
Ethics Commission begins to examine proposed lobbying changes
The Ethics Review Commission is under pressure to deal quickly with proposed changes to city lobbying rules. On Monday, City Council Member Leslie Pool, the chief backer of a resolution directing the city manager to draft a substantial revision to the city lobbying ordinance, urged the commission to set up a public hearing on the […]