
Aaron Leal serves as the City Attorney. He leads and supervises attorneys and staff organized in two major functional divisions (Transactions and Litigation) created within the City Attorney’s Office to optimize effective delivery of legal services. He is responsible for management of the Office, including the selection, training, and evaluation of all staff.
Aaron also serves as the chief legal advisor to the City Council and City Manager. He presents legal opinions to City Council, boards and commissions, and City staff related to City operations to ensure compliance with federal and state laws and regulations, as well as the City Charter and Code of Ordinances. He also negotiates and resolves legal concerns with outside private attorneys, special interest groups, customers, and the general public.
Before being appointed to the City Attorney position, Aaron served as the City’s in-house land use attorney and was legal counsel for the Planning and Zoning Commission and the Zoning Board of Adjustments. He also served as City’s representative on two Texas Municipal League Legislative Policy Committees (Regulation of Development and General Government) for 2012-2013 and 2014-2015. During his time as the land use attorney, he was also one of the key members involved in the continuing annexation of 18 geographical land areas comprising approximately 9,035 acres.
Aaron was also one of the key members in developing the comprehensive amendments to the City’s Gas Well Drilling and Production Ordinance in 2013 and 2015 and was heavily involved in litigating a citizen-initiative Hydraulic Fracturing Ban Ordinance as against the Texas Land Government Office and the Texas Oil and Gas Association. Today, he is the lead attorney involved in resolving the day-to-day legal issues associated with natural gas drilling and production activities relative to the City’s Gas Well Drilling and Production Ordinance.