Changes to the city of Irving's Ethics Code — which would include how some people register for public comment — are set to take effect July 1 following a special called council meeting Thursday afternoon.
The changes will require individuals who are compensated or employed to testify to register as lobbyists, even if they are not traditional lobbyists.
Council members Brad LaMorgese, Mark Cronenwett, and Al Zapanta called the special meeting to address the changes.
LaMorgese mentioned these changes would be useful for City Council and Planning and Zoning Commission meetings.
"I would like to know if someone were paid to testify against the zoning," LaMorgese said. "And maybe they weren't. I'm not accusing anybody of anything, but I think the city council should know that."
He said he suggested the July 1 start date to give the council time to allow people to learn more about the changes.
The city's Ethics Code can be reviewed at least once every five years thanks to a voter-approved proposition in the 2023 Charter Election.
The proposed changes come months after both the Irving Planning and Zoning Commission and the City Council heard hours of public comment from residents regarding a proposed zoning change for a high intensity mixed-use development. The zoning change was requested by Las Vegas Sands, which initially included a destination resort with a casino gaming element — pending its statewide legalization.
Although the destination resort faced strong pushback from residents, a few people spoke in favor of the plans.
One speaker at the planning and zoning meeting gave a business address belonging to the political consulting firm Murphy Nasica & Associates, Jimmy Bell, Families for Irving PAC political advisor, previously told KERA.
There were also allegations that some speakers were paid to speak in support of the destination resort.
Both LaMorgese and Cronenwett are backed by the Families for Irving PAC. The PAC does not have an official stance on casino gaming, but its candidates have been vocal opponents.
The changes to Irving's Ethics Code would allow for more transparency and better inform both the council and the planning and zoning commission in its decision making, Cronenwett said.
He added that the changes do not mean the lobbyists are "bad" in any way because they can be informative.
"But it does matter, too, whether somebody's coming in because they're being paid for it, because it's their job, or whether they're just a concerned citizen and they're concerned about the community that they live in," he said.
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