Not My First Rodeo

Source: h/t DALL-E.

Project Rodeo. Project Nova. Project Journey. Project Connect. Do you know what any of these are? Even in general terms? I don't. Is that a problem? The Richardson City Council has discussed each of these...subjects, I guess I'll call them, in executive session during council meetings this year. That's all I know about them, the code names used the way code names are used in the military — to keep the enemy from knowing what's going on. In this case, the "enemy" is the public.

---

I'm familiar with the council's practice of using general geographic descriptions for topics discussed in executive session. You know, like this agenda item from January 13, 2025:

That intersection ("N. Greenville Ave./Apollo Rd. Area") happens to have a vacant lot on which used to be located a city water tower. One might infer that the City might be in process of selling the land to a private commercial interest. Right or not, if you're a neighbor of that land, this agenda item would alert you to pay attention, to ask questions, to find out more. And thus, the agenda item meets the Texas Open Meetings Act requirement of being "sufficient to alert the public, in general terms, of the subjects that will be considered at the meeting."

But how about this agenda item from March 24, 2025:

The only way that agenda item is "sufficient to alert the public, in general terms, of the subjects that will be considered at the meeting" is if there were some way to know what Project Nova is, or Project Journey, or Project Connect. Searching those terms on the City's website turns up no useful hits.

Have things changed with the turnover from Mayor Bob Dubey to Mayor Amir Omar? Not if the agenda from the June 2, 2025 meeting is any indication.

If this seemingly recent habit of using code names for economic development incentives has become standard practice, someone might have to ask for a Texas Attorney General's opinion on whether it meets the requirements of the Texas Open Meetings Act (TOMA). Because I, for one, have no clue what the subject being discussed in that agenda item is. And that's not what the TOMA is all about.

---

"Code names mean nothing,
and don't alert the public.
How is this legal?"
—h/t ChatGPT