Resident alleges city secretary rejected ethics complaint, raised constitutional concerns

A resident used the public-comment period at the Live Oak City Council meeting on Sept. 29 to accuse the city secretary of improperly rejecting an ethics complaint and of restricting citizens' ability to petition the city.

The speaker said no Texas law requires a citizen to provide their legal first or last name to exercise free speech in a public meeting and cited "Texas government code 551.007" to support that claim. The resident further alleged the city rejected an ethics complaint the same day it was filed, that a later charter change removed the secretary's obligation to assist citizens with ethics complaints, and that the change added a $500 fine for frivolous complaints.

"Instead of serving the citizens of Live Oak, you trample over their constitutional rights," the speaker said during public comment. The transcript records the claim and the statutory reference but does not include a response from the city secretary in the excerpt provided.

The council did not take formal action during the public-comment exchange captured in the transcript.