LEAGUE CITY — A grand jury deliberating this morning found insufficient evidence to charge League City officials with Open Meetings Act violations, District Attorney Kurt Sistrunk said.

Jurors also considered whether to charge the officials with misuse of official information, a third-degree felony, but did not.

Hearings began two weeks ago about the events leading up to Oct. 23, when four council members voted to switch trash contractors

Sistrunk’s office spent six months investigating the deal after Councilmen Mike Barber and Tim Paulissen told him of their suspicions that elected officials made the decision to change companies outside of a legally posted public meeting, which would be a violation of state law.

Criticism of the deal began when Paulissen learned AmeriWaste had bought hundreds of new trash bins days before the council voted to award the company a temporary contract.

After the city requested bids for a new, permanent contract, the same four council members voted to award AmeriWaste a five-year contract, despite it not being the lowest bidder.

City and company records show that AmeriWaste began negotiating a deal to take over League City’s $6 million annual trash collection contract months before any other company knew it was up for grabs. During that time, the company bought equipment and met with city officials.