Council Member Lee Leffingwell announces lobbying reform

Proposed Ordinance Would Prevent Unfair Advantages for Vendors, Create Standardized Procedures

Austin City Council Member Lee Leffingwell will sponsor a proposed ordinance at the Austin City Council meeting Thursday, Dec. 6, 2007, that would standardize the process by which vendors lobby the city for contracts, and clarify consequences for vendors who fail to abide by the rules.

Under Leffingwell’s proposal:

• Vendors would not be allowed to communicate with City officials and employees, including City Council Members, during a "no-contact period" running from when a contract solicitation is issued until a contract is executed.

• During the no-contract period, a vendor can only contact a single designated City employee with any information about a bid for a City contract.

• Should the vendor violate these rules, the vendor would be disqualified from bidding on the contract.

• Should the vendor violate these rules more than once in a three-year period, the vendor would be disqualified from bidding on any city contract for up to three years.

"We want to continue to make our city government as open as possible, in the spirit of last year’s proposed ‘open government’ amendment to the city charter," Leffingwell said. "With this reform policy, we can do a better job of leveling the playing field for vendors who do business with the City, and keeping the whole process out in the open."

Contact:
Nancy Williams, Office of Council Member Lee Leffingwell, 512-974-2260