All public records of every office, department or agency of the city shall be open to inspection as provided in Article 6252-17a, Revised Civil Statutes of Texas, as amended, known as the Open Records Act.
The council shall by resolution designate a public newspaper of general circulation in the city as official organ thereof, and to continue as such until another is designated, and shall cause to be published therein all ordinances, notices and other matter required by this charter, by the ordinances of the city, or by the Constitution and/or laws of the State of Texas to be published.
No person related, within the second degree by affinity or within the third degree by consanguinity, to the mayor or any member of the city council or city manager shall be employed or appointed to any office, position or clerkship of the city. This prohibition shall not apply, however, to any person who shall have been employed by the city at least two (2) years prior to and at the time of the election or appointment of the officer related in the prohibited degree.
No member of the "...city council, mayor, or employee..." of the city shall have a financial interest, direct or indirect, in any contract with the city, nor shall be financially interested, directly or indirectly, in the sale to the city of any land, or rights or interest in any land, materials, supplies or service. The above provision shall not apply where the interest is represented by ownership of stock in a corporation involved provided such stock ownership amounts to less than one (1) percent of the corporation stock or as falls within the scope of Article 2529c of the Revised Civil Statutes of Texas as now or hereafter amended. Any willful violation of this section shall constitute malfeasance in office, and any officer or employee of the city in violation thereof shall forfeit his office or position. Any violation of this section with the knowledge, express or implied, of the persons or corporation contracting with the city shall render the contract voidable by the city manager or the city council.
The property, real and personal, belonging to the city shall not be liable to be sold or appropriated under any writ or execution or cost bill. The funds belonging to the city, in the hands of any person, firm or corporation, shall not be liable to garnishment, attachment or sequestration; nor shall the city be liable to garnishment on account of any debt it may own or funds or property it may have on hand or owing to any person. Neither the city nor any of its officers or agents shall be required to answer any such writ of garnishment on any account whatever. The city shall not be obligated to recognize any assignment of wages or fund by its employees, agents or contractors.
The council shall have the authority to compromise and settle any and all claims and lawsuits of every kind and character in favor of or against the city.
Before the city shall be liable to damage, claim or suit for personal injury, death or damage to property, the person who is injured or whose property has been damaged or someone in his behalf shall give the city manager or the city secretary notice in writing, duly sworn, within thirty (30) days after the date of the alleged damage or injury stating specifically in such notice when, where and how the injury or damage was sustained, setting forth, the extent of the injury or damage as accurately as possible, and giving the names and addresses of all witnesses known to the claimant upon whose testimony claimant is relying to establish the injury or damage. Nothing herein contained shall be construed to mean the city waives any rights, privileges, defenses or immunities in actions which are provided under the common law, the Constitution and laws of the State of Texas.
(a) 
Activities Prohibited:
(1) 
No person shall be appointed to or removed from, or in any way favored or discriminated against, with respect to any city position or appointive city administrative office because of race, sex, political or religious opinions or affiliations.
(2) 
No person who seeks appointment or promotion with respect to any city position or appointive city administrative office shall directly or indirectly give, render, or pay any money, service or other valuable thing to any person for or in connection with his test, appointment, proposed appointment, promotion or proposed promotion.
(3) 
No city officer, employee or candidate for city office shall orally, by letter or otherwise solicit or assist in soliciting any assessment, subscription or contribution for any candidate or for any political party or political purpose whatever from any person holding any compensated city position.
(b) 
Penalties:
Any person who either by himself or with others willfully violates any provisions of the foregoing Sections 13.08(a) shall be ineligible for appointment or election to a position in the city for a period of four (4) years, and if he is an officer or employee of the city at the time of such violation, he shall immediately forfeit the office or position he holds.
The present fire limits, as they have from time to time been extended by various ordinances, are now retained and confirmed, subject to future change in the fire limits as may from time to time be made by ordinance. The city council may by ordinance restrict the type of construction and activity allowed within the fire limits.
If any section or part of a section of this charter is held to be invalid or unconstitutional by a court of competent jurisdiction, such holding shall not invalidate or impair the validity, force or effect of any other section or part of a section of this charter.
The charter commission in preparing this charter concludes that it is impracticable to segregate each subject so as to permit a vote of "yes" or "no" on the same, for the reason that the charter is so constructed that in order to enable it to work and function, it is necessary that it should be adopted in its entirety. For these reasons, the Charter Commission directs that the said charter be voted upon as a whole and that it shall be submitted to the voters of the City of Hillsboro at the regular election to be held on April 4, 1981. Not less than thirty (30) days prior to such election, the city council shall cause the city secretary to mail a copy of this charter to each registered voter of the City of Hillsboro, and after the returns have been canvassed, the same shall be declared adopted and the city secretary shall file an official copy of the charter with the records of the city. The secretary shall furnish the mayor a copy of said charter, which copy of the charter so adopted, authenticated and certified by his signature and the seal of the city, shall be forwarded by the mayor to the Secretary of the State of Texas and shall show the approval of such charter by majority vote of the registered voters voting at such election.
Amendments to this charter may be framed and submitted to the voters of the city in the manner provided by Chapter 13 of Title 28 of the Revised Civil Statutes of Texas, 1925, as now or hereafter amended.
In order to preserve unity, the council shall have the power, by ordinance, to renumber and rearrange all articles, Sections and paragraphs of this charter or any amendments thereto, and upon the passage of any such ordinance, a copy thereof certified by the mayor, shall be forwarded to the Secretary of State for filing.
The mayor and city secretary, along with any other person authorized by the laws of the State of Texas, are hereby authorized to administer oaths in all affairs of the city.
This charter shall be deemed a public act, may be read in evidence without pleading or proof, and judicial notice shall be taken thereof in all courts and places.