Board of Ethics to review code of ethics and consider aligning local definition of "relatives" with state rules

Warren County—Members of the Warren County Board of Ethics discussed potential recommendations to the Board of Supervisors to modify the county Code of Ethics and the annual financial disclosure statement, including whether the county’s definition of "relatives" for conflict-of-interest purposes should be brought into alignment with the state definition.

Chair Moynihan asked members to read the current code and send suggested changes to the county lawyer's office for consideration. "If you feel that the Code of Ethics as it sits now really doesn't cover everything... let the lawyer's office know if you believe there's items that have not been covered that should be covered," he said.

Board members recalled prior questions about how broadly to define relatives for disclosure purposes. Chair Moynihan summarized the concern: "The question was in when people had to list an ethical conflict, if it was somebody directly related by blood or marriage... there came several issues where there was a relationship of in-laws, the cousins, and things like that. And that we wanted to potentially bring our definition in line with the state." Members proposed a focused desk discussion at the next meeting and to circulate the exact state and county language beforehand so the group could be precise.

No formal motion or vote on code changes occurred during the meeting; members said they would review the code and provide suggested edits to county counsel for a future discussion.

Next steps recorded in the public transcript: board members will circulate the county and state definitions for comparison and plan a detailed discussion at a future meeting.