TCAA/MuniCode Listserv

TCAA, in conjunction with MuniCode, is proud to announce the new-and-improved TCAA Listserv! This project was initiated by Past-President Paige Mims in 2020, and overseen to completion by President Alan Bojorquez, to increase ease of use by TCAA members. Special thanks to MuniCode for providing this service free-of-charge to TCAA.

The listserv is designed for ease of use and is available to all current TCAA members. If you were registered with the prior listserv, your email has already been imported from that database and you are ready to go! All you need to do to ask or answer a question is send an email to TCAA-LIST@listserv.municode.com. Please review the “List Norms,” below, prior to posting.

To create your account password, which allows you to log in to manage your notification preferences and search archived questions, go to:
https://listserv.municode.com/scripts/wa.exe?A0=TCAA-LIST

To join as a new member or if you have questions or technical difficulties, please email tcaalistserv@tml.org.

If using Outlook, you may want to create an email rule that sends questions and replies to a folder other than your in-box. Here’s how to do that:

1. When you have the email open or you have selected it in your inbox, click on “Rules” and then “Create Rule.”
2. Check the box that says “from TCAA-LIST@listserv.municode.com.”
3. Click “Advanced Options.” Make sure the box “from TCAA-LIST@listserv.municode.com” is checked and click “Next.”
4. Check the boxes for “move a copy to the specified folder” and “delete it.”
5. In the bottom portion where it says, “Step 2: Edit the rule description (click an underlined value)” select the value “specified” before folder and select the folder you want the email to go to. It will change the term “specified” to the name of the folder you select. Click “Finish.”

Norms for the TCAA/MuniCode Municipal Attorney Listserv

To qualify for membership on the TCAA/MuniCode Listserv, you must be a member of TCAA and a practicing attorney representing a city for a significant portion of your time.

All participants of the TCAA/MuniCode Listserv are expected to comply with the following “norms.” The norms exist to promote efficient and responsible communication between members, while retaining the informal collegiality enjoyed by the group.

The norms are intended to reduce messages that do not contribute to the substance of a discussion thread, but they also represent courteous email protocol.

Identify yourself: Always identify yourself by name and title, and include your email address within the body of sent messages. This will allow responders to contact you directly, or off-list, should the need arise.

Replies: Do not reply to a message without adding a substantive thought to the dialogue. Thus, “Me too” or “I agree” or “Ditto” are unnecessary replies.

Subject line: Always review the subject line before sending a message or reply. If the message is a reply to an existing thread, update the subject line if your comment changes the context of discussion.

Quoting list messages: The listserv is a private discussion list for Texas municipal attorneys. Quoting a posting from the listserv or forwarding a posting to others without the specific permission from the person who posted the message isn’t appropriate. This “norm” shall not apply to quoting or forwarding a message to any person bound by the attorney confidentiality requirement. Sharing information in a generic basis, such as “this subject was recently discussed on a municipal attorney list and the consensus seems to be ——-, although there were some who expressed concern that ——,” is acceptable. However, no request for information or for documents that are posted, reproduced, or cited on this List is intended, or should be interpreted, as a request under any federal, state or local law, rule, regulation, or ordinance requiring the disclosure of any government information or documents.

Use of list messages against a city is strictly prohibited: We all recognize that some municipal attorneys on the listserv are with law firms – or with governmental agencies – that may also have matters where they are adversarial to a particular city. It is inappropriate to use the listserv to gather opinions or strategies that would be used against cities. Abuse of the listserv will result in the membership being revoked.

Commercial messages: Messages of a commercial nature are strictly prohibited, and may result in termination as a participant. Reference checks, notices of employment, and other matters pertinent to the operational aspects of your law office are not considered “commercial messages.”

Campaign messages: The list may not be used to solicit or campaign for or on behalf of a listserv member, or another person, running for an elected or appointive position.

Attachments: The list doesn’t allow attachment for security reasons. If you happen to send a message with an attachment, the message will still be distributed, but the attachment will be removed. To exchange files related to a discussion topic, we suggest sending the file directly to a recipient or using one of the popular online file sharing tools – Dropbox, Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, etc.

 

Thanks for participating on the Listserv. Having access to the collective wisdom of the group is an invaluable resource that makes our clients more effective!