On Sept. 18, the San Antonio City Council voted to amend the City Council code of conduct to discourage council members from signing nondisclosure agreements, or NDAs, in their official capacity.

Long story short

According to city documents, the amended language in the code of conduct requires the city attorney to provide yearly guidance to City Council on the legal risks associated with NDAs.

The change to the code of conduct:

• Strongly discourages council members from signing NDAs
• Requires council members to inform the city attorney if they are asked to sign NDAs in their professional capacities
• Establishes a threshold that economic deals must be at least $50 million to potentially require an NDA
• Ensures council members can request updates on NDA-covered activities

"The [administrative directive] governs the city, city staff, and the update to the code of conduct ensures that we, all on the dais, understand our responsibilities,” Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones said. “More importantly, the public now has a very clear understanding of when NDAs are entered into and why they are."

The background

According to city documents, City Council first adopted a code of conduct Feb. 1, 2024.

The new code of conduct codified:

• A process for addressing complaints
• Enforcement measures
• A process for reporting and a range of discipline measures that support transparency in local government