Lago Vista council debates ethics board and vacancy rules; leans to rely on state processes

Lago Vista councilors spent a significant portion of their June 17 workshop weighing whether to retain a local ethics board and how to handle removal, forfeiture and filling of vacancies in the charter.

Members of the Charter Review Committee urged a local ethics board to handle complaints about non‑state ethics and to reduce internal squabbling. “We think there could be an independent body that's not elected… to enforce better behavior on council,” a CRC representative said to the council.

Others pushed back, warning a local board could be politicized. “If there's an ethics complaint, send the ethics to the state,” Councilor Benfield said, arguing that state review and recall mechanisms are less likely to be used for local political reasons.

On removal and forfeiture, the group directed staff to shorten procedures in the charter and to tie forfeiture to state findings in serious cases. Council discussed language specifying that a municipal officer who ceases to meet federal or state qualifications shall forfeit office, and asked the city attorney to propose tightened, less‑broad removal language that preserves constitutional safeguards.

Councilors also debated how to fill vacancies. Prince argued the council should minimize appointments and, where feasible, place vacancies on the next available uniform election date; legal counsel cautioned that if terms change to three years, the Texas Constitution may require special elections within specific timelines. The group asked the city attorney to draft charter language that preserves appointment authority for short terms when needed but makes elections the default path whenever feasible.

Next steps: City Attorney will prepare revised charter draft language that narrows removal procedures, clarifies forfeiture tied to state findings, and sets a practical rule for appointment versus election to fill vacancies. The council will revisit the draft at its next workshop.