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Council reviews two options for city ethics board; second reading scheduled
Summary
City Attorney presented two options to establish an ethics board — a five-member board with residency constraints or a three-member board with mayoral and council appointments — and council scheduled a second reading for the ordinance at the next meeting.
The Dawsonville City Council on May 5 reviewed proposed amendments to the city ethics ordinance that would establish a local ethics board and set the process for handling ethics complaints.
City Attorney Kevin Tallent presented two options: a five-member ethics board requiring appointments that would avoid two members living in the same district (with an exception for the chair) and requiring unanimous council appointment approval, or a three-member board in which the mayor appoints one member and the council appoints the other two by majority vote, also with residency limits so "no two people [would] live in the same district." Tallent said the materials with the second option had been posted to the city’s website.
Tallent described the purpose of an ethics board as providing due process for people charged under the ethics ordinance and protecting council members and residents who might have a complaint brought against them.
Council members asked procedural questions about publication; Tallent confirmed the updated version with the second-option language was already on the website. The council held a first reading; a second reading and opportunity for a vote were scheduled for the next meeting.
No appointments or formal board membership actions were taken at the May 5 meeting. The matter remains at first-reading stage pending the second reading and any further amendments the council may adopt.
