Kingston ethics board asks Common Council to review expanding annual financial disclosures

KINGSTON, N.Y. — The City of Kingston Board of Ethics voted unanimously May 20 to ask the Common Council to review whether additional city officers and employees should be required to file annual financial-disclosure statements, including members of the police commission and deputies who assume department-head responsibilities.

The request, made during the board's regular meeting, directs the board secretary to draft and send a letter asking the Common Council to “look at and determine” whether specific positions should be added to the city’s list of offices required to file disclosures. The board approved the motion unanimously by the three members present; a fourth member participated by phone and did not vote.

Board members said the goal is transparency where individuals exercise the authority of a department head. Chair Walter, speaking as the meeting opened, asked that the board prepare a recommendation for the Common Council rather than unilaterally adding positions to the city code. Board members discussed police-commission members as an explicit example of positions that are currently excluded from the disclosure list but might warrant inclusion.

Members debated how to treat deputy positions. Several board members said deputies sometimes serve as acting department heads during absences and that triggering disclosure requirements only when a deputy assumes acting authority could be a way to limit the number of people required to file. One board member noted a previously suggested rule that an acting officer should file within 20 days, while another recommended a shorter window for short-term acting assignments.

Board members asked that the Common Council be given flexibility to act quickly: rather than immediately amending the ordinance, the council could use a resolution to require disclosures for newly identified positions and later formalize changes in the city code if desired. The board discussed asking the Common Council to consult the city attorney and controller as needed before deciding.

The board also discussed enforcement of civil penalties for noncompliance with filing requirements. Members said the city’s code allows the board to assess civil penalties, but the mechanism for collecting those penalties is unclear. The board discussed whether collected fines default to the city’s general fund and whether the Common Council should specify collection, deposit, and spending procedures. Board members agreed to ask the Common Council and city counsel to clarify how assessed penalties would be collected and accounted for.

The board noted two individuals remained out of compliance with filing obligations; board staff will send violation notices to the heads of the relevant boards if the filings are not completed. The board also said that where appropriate it can recommend nonparticipation for volunteers until they comply, while leaving collection and enforcement procedures to the Common Council and city administration.

Action taken: the board voted to instruct the ethics board secretary to draft and send a letter to the Common Council asking the council to review positions — including police commission members and department deputies — and determine whether those positions should be required to file annual financial disclosures. The motion passed unanimously among the three voting members present.

The board met in executive session during the meeting; no public details of the closed session were released. The board adjourned at 5:11 p.m.