City Attorney

Purpose

The City Attorney is the Chief Legal Advisor of the Mayor, City Council and all City Departments.  The City Attorney is the attorney for the City of Huntsville, as an entity.  Legal matters for private citizens of Huntsville may not be handled by the City Attorney.
 

Responsibilities

  • On call to the City for legal services at any time
  • Prepare for and attend at the City Council meetings and other meetings as requested
  • Prepare and review ordinances and approve or file written legal objections to any ordinance adopted by City Council, and  prepare or review resolutions and contracts or other legal documents
  • Prepare requests for legal opinions from the Attorney General of the State of Texas
  • Provide legal advice to the City of Huntsville's offices and departments and to City officials to assure compliance with state and federal law
  • Supervise or handle all legal proceedings including all civil litigation for the City at the trial and appellate levels

Documents


City Attorney FAQs
1. What notice is required by the Texas Open Meetings Act? - The Texas Open Meetings Act requires written notice of the date, hour, place, and subject of all meetings. The agendas for all meetings must be posted at least 72 hours before the meeting.


2. How do I get copies of City records? - For most City documents, submit a Public Information Request to the City Secretary's Office. Requests for documents from the Municipal Court (936-291-5905) or the Police Department (936-291-5480) should be forwarded directly to those departments.

3. How do I file a claim with the City? - By serving notice with the City Secretary whose office is located at City Hall, 1212 Avenue M, Huntsville, Texas, 77340. For more information, please see Article XIV, Section 14-06 of the City Charter.

4. How do I contact the City Prosecutor to discuss my case? - The municipal court clerks schedule times to see the Prosecutor. The City Attorney does not provide legal advice to the general public.

5. Does the City Attorney's office advise private citizens on legal matters? - No. The City Attorney and staff cannot provide legal advice to private citizens on personal legal matters.