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Ethics commission aims to finalize code updates and scale training after budget cuts
Summary
Robert Hicks, chair of the New Castle County Ethics Commission, briefed council May 8 on the commission’s FY26 goals: sending proposed ethics-code amendments to council for a vote, resuming and scaling ethics training and regrading a long‑time part‑time staff position to reflect expanded duties.
Robert Hicks, chair of the New Castle County Ethics Commission, told County Council on May 8 that the commission is close to completing proposed amendments to the county ethics code and that the commission will continue efforts to resume broad ethics training for county employees, boards and commissioners.
Hicks said the proposed code amendments took roughly three years to develop and that the commission is now coordinating with the county executive’s counsel on final technical edits; substantive changes would return to the commission for a vote before coming to council. He said the first pilot ethics training was held April 16 with about 60 participants and that the commission plans larger sessions to clear the backlog created while training was paused.
Hicks noted the commission operates with one part‑time employee who has outgrown the current job grade; the commission is working with the county executive on a position reclassification to reflect broader responsibilities and to shift some work away from the commission’s attorney. He reminded council the commission cut nearly 15 percent from its budget last year and that spending trends have been below budget.
Hicks also pointed to a pattern of complaint filings that typically spikes in election years and said the commission is adopting metrics to better allocate its limited resources. Council members thanked the commission for work on the code amendments and for planning to restart training.
