Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Ethics Commission Code Of Conduct topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council debates creating formal ethics/code-of-conduct committee; attorney to draft ordinance language
Summary
Council members discussed forming a formal commission or committee to address behavioral and ethics complaints, reviewed existing state ethics provisions (noting penalties and references to section 1-19), and requested the city attorney draft language to codify a commission and a code of conduct for future action.
City council members debated forming a formal committee or commission to address conduct and ethics concerns, and asked the city attorney to draft code language and a commission structure for future council consideration.
Councilmember Hovlett, who reopened the topic after it was tabled at an earlier meeting, reviewed existing mechanisms and said a state ethics framework already exists that addresses campaign violations and certain penalties. “There are already hefty fines in there,” Hovlett said, citing penalty language in the state statute and noting the code section at “1‑19.” He summarized penalties referenced in the state provisions: “up to 365 days in jail and $2,500 in fines,” and noted the gift‑ban provisions carry fines “between $1,000 to $5,000.”
Council discussion turned to whether a council-established body should be purely advisory and how to structure membership. Several members said they favored creating a codified commission with a small membership to ensure practicality and to provide a neutral place for complaints about conduct. One councilmember said the commission should include alternate members and contain language requiring recusal and replacement if a complaint involves a commission member.
The attorney advised that the council could codify a commission and place it in a reserved section of the code (chapter 2, title 2 was identified as currently reserved), and recommended using existing state provisions as a template while adding a local code of conduct. The council instructed the attorney to draft ordinance language that would establish the commission and provide a starting code of conduct for future refinement; the council also asked specific council members to work with the attorney on developing a recommended makeup for the commission. Item 11 will return to the next Committee of the Whole meeting for further consideration.
Background: the council previously formed an informal committee to address immediate issues; members said the lack of a formal process has caused confusion when behavioral or ethical questions arise and that a formalized process would provide a predictable place for complaints and advisory findings.
