Governance committee backs amended ‘DA fiscal responsibility’ policy, bars employees from voting on committees

The St. Louis City Governance Committee voted Oct. 9 to recommend a revised "DA fiscal responsibility" policy to the full board, adding a provision that staff members may serve on board committees but will not hold voting rights and clarifying when staff must recuse themselves from committee deliberations.

Committee members said the draft policy — previously reviewed by the audit committee and returned with edits — needs a clear conflict-of-interest line so that employees who work in areas under review do not vote on matters affecting their own units. "I think what we could do is have them recuse themselves if an area under their control was being discussed," said Miss McLaughlin, a committee member. The committee agreed to insert that clarification into the policy…