The terms used in this article have the meanings ascribed to them in Chapter 251, Texas Election Code, as amended, or as defined in this section.
(1) CITY-FUNDED OFFICEHOLDER ACCOUNT means, for the purposes of this chapter, an individual attributable Mayor/Council account that is funded from the city budget and intended for use by a city council member to cover the expenses of holding office.
(2) CONTRIBUTION means:
(A) a direct or indirect transfer of money, goods, services, or any other thing of value and includes an agreement made or other obligation incurred, whether legally enforceable or not, to make a transfer. The term includes a loan or extension of credit, other than those expressly excluded by this subdivision, and a guarantee of a loan or extension of credit, including a loan described by this subdivision; or
(B) an expenditure made to advocate or influence the election of a candidate and that is made in cooperation, consultation, or in concert with the candidate's campaign. The following is considered a contribution within the meaning of this subparagraph:
(i) the expenditure is made at the request or suggestion of the candidate's campaign;
(ii) the individual or political committee suggests the expenditure and the candidate's campaign assents to the suggestion;
(iii) the individual or political committee making the expenditure communicates with the candidate's campaign before making the expenditure;
(iv) the candidate's campaign has solicited funds for or directed funds to the individual or political committee making the expenditure, but only if the expenditure or direction occurred in the 12 months before the election that the expenditure seeks to influence; or
(v) the individual or political committee making the expenditure uses information from the candidate's campaign to design, prepare, or pay for the expenditure unless that same information is available to the general public.
(C) The term does not include:
(i) a loan made in the due course of business by a corporation that is legally engaged in the business of lending money and that has conducted the business continuously for more than one year before the loan is made; or
(a) An individual shall not make a contribution of more than:
(1) $1,000 per city election in support of, or opposition to, a single candidate for election to Place Numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, or 14 on the city council; or
(2) $5,000 per city election in support of, or opposition to, a single candidate for election to Place Number 15 on the city council.
(b) Each individual is entitled to contribute the full amount of the limitation established in Subsection (a), regardless of marital status.
(c) A political committee shall not:
(1) make a contribution of more than $1,000 per contributing member per city election to a single candidate for election to Place Numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, or 14 on the city council;
(2) make a contribution of more than $5,000 per contributing member per city election to a single candidate for election to Place Number 15 on the city council; or
(3) make a total contribution per city election of more than $2,500 to a candidate for a single- member district nor more than $10,000 to a candidate for mayor.
(d) For the purpose of this article an initial election and a runoff election are separate elections. (Ord. Nos. 15434; 16105; 16718; 18403; 21035)
(a) A general purpose political committee that makes a contribution to support or oppose a candidate for election to the city council or a city measure shall file with the city secretary:
(1) a copy of the latest campaign treasurer designation, a verified statement of the number of contributing members of the committee, and a copy of the monthly reports filed with the Texas Ethics Commission:
(A) for the three months immediately preceding the date of the contribution; and
(B) for the two months immediately following the date of the contribution; or
(2) if the committee does not file monthly reports with the Texas Ethics Commission, then reports on the dates and covering the reporting periods required by state law for candidates or measures, whichever apply.
(b) A general purpose political committee shall make its initial filing with the city secretary no later than five business days following the date of its first contribution to support or oppose a candidate for city council or a city measure, the initial filing to include the required campaign treasurer designation, the verified statement of the number of contributing members of the committee, and copies of reports filed with the Texas Ethics Commission for the preceding three months, if the committee files monthly with the Texas Ethics Commission. Subsequent monthly reports filed by general purpose political committees must be filed with the city secretary by the deadline and covering the reporting periods designated in Chapter 254, Texas Election Code, for monthly reports filed with the Texas Ethics Commission.
(c) Specific purpose political committees must file campaign reports with the city secretary in accordance with Chapter 254, Texas Election Code. (Ord. Nos. 15434; 16105; 16718; 21035; 22925; 27146)
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