Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Ethics Commission Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Vermont Ethics Commission asks Appropriations Committee for two attorney hires as workload rises
Summary
The State Ethics Commission told the House Appropriations Committee it is understaffed after new statewide and municipal ethics responsibilities and requested funding for two attorney positions and modest operating funds; commissioners pressed for clarity on powers, enforcement and training coverage.
The Vermont State Ethics Commission asked the House Appropriations Committee on Feb. 18 for additional staff and operating authority, citing steady growth in complaints, municipal requests and newly assigned investigatory duties.
Christina Sivert, executive director of the Ethics Commission, told the committee the commission’s baseline budget request for “basic expenses and staffing” is $223,562 and that the office is seeking two new attorney positions — a general counsel to lead investigations and a staff attorney focused on municipal ethics and training. "We have about a hundred people a week taking online training through our office," Sivert said, describing a substantial increase in demand for advisory services.
The request follows passage of a statewide code of ethics in 2021 and a legislative package last year that added a municipal code of ethics and investigatory powers for the commission. Sivert said the municipal code requires training and that municipalities must appoint ethics liaisons; the commission now receives a steady flow of municipal guidance requests and complaint inquiries. "Most of our work at this point for the last 6 weeks is made up of municipal requests," she said, noting roughly 20 municipal guidance requests in the past six weeks compared with 37 for all of the prior year.
Why it matters: the commission now provides training, written guidance and complaint intake for state and municipal officials; it can investigate state-level complaints and hold hearings but cannot itself impose sanctions. Sivert told the committee the investigatory authority was added by the Legislature and that the commission’s role is to investigate, make findings public after due process, and consult with enforcement entities that carry out any penalties or prosecution.
Committee members pressed for details on how the commission distinguishes guidance from legal advice and how municipal enforcement will work. Sivert said the office provides compliance guidance but explicitly does not give legal advice that would substitute for courtroom counsel: "We specifically say it's not legal advice." She also said municipal complaints are referred to the relevant municipality for investigation because the commission cannot enforce municipal sanctions; municipalities retain discretion to set standards above the state minimum and to determine sanctions for elected officials and employees.
Sivert described interim steps the office has taken to manage workload, including hiring a part-time contract attorney for municipal work and relying on unpaid overtime: she said she has been working full time on commission matters in addition to another part-time job and called the schedule unsustainable. She compared the commission’s staffing to peer agencies, saying other commissions in the region have substantially larger staffs.
On training and recordkeeping, Sivert said the commission operates two training systems (one for state officials, one for municipal officials) and maintains a repository that records participants’ municipality, title and a contact who can receive notifications for the locality. The municipal training requirement began with an effective date included in last year’s legislation; the commission reported roughly 100 municipal trainees per week on average.
Committee members signaled support for resourcing the commission but sought clarification about the total cost and next steps. Sivert said the administration did not include new positions in its governor’s request and that the Legislature—having expanded the commission’s responsibilities—would need to provide funding. The commission presented the committee with a staffing plan that includes a general counsel and a staff attorney primarily assigned to municipal ethics and training.
Ending: The committee did not take immediate action; members said they would review the commission’s written budget materials and follow up for details about the attorney positions and the commission’s capacity to handle investigations and consultations with enforcement bodies.
