Patricia Goudo, a member of the Board of Ethics for the City of Norwalk, outlined the city code’s rules on gifts to officers and employees during a Board of Ethics training session.

Goudo said the central restriction in Norwalk’s Code of Ethics is that officials and employees may not accept gifts above a fixed dollar threshold. “And basically, the main rule here is, you shall not personally solicit, accept or any gift in the form of service, compensation, or any item of property of a value that exceeds a $150,” Goudo said.

The presentation explained why the rule matters for day-to-day conduct by elected officials and city employees and summarized the most common exemptions. Those exemptions include gifts tied to family relationships or established personal friendships; attendance at charitable, governmental, informational or business events where refreshments and small souvenirs are provided to all attendees and not intended to influence official duties; political contributions made in compliance with applicable law; loans obtained on prevailing commercial terms; customary performance or merit awards; and official recognition items of limited value.

Goudo specified several numeric limits and examples discussed under section 32-8. Certificates, plaques or awards given as part of an official recognition program were described as allowable up to $300; the general gift prohibition cited a $150 threshold. City-provided meals and goods or services provided by the city are not treated as prohibited gifts. The presentation also listed routine commercial rebates or discounts and printed or recorded material relevant to governmental functions as exceptions.

Goudo said the Board of Ethics “periodically reviews the monetary exceptions listed here to determine the amount that should be adjusted” and may send recommendations to the Norwalk Common Council for any changes. She also pointed listeners to the citizen’s guide and contact information for further questions about section 32 of the Code of Ethics.

The remarks focused on clarifying which items are clearly allowed and which require caution; no formal action or vote on changing the rules was recorded during the session.