Ethics commission ordinance update reviewed; commissioners ask staff to clarify removal criteria following state law

The Calvert County Ethics Commission presented draft updates to the county ethics ordinance at an April 1 work session after passage of House Bill 834 (2024), which requires local ethics codes to include disclosure of any recommendations to expel a county commissioner for violations of specified conflict-of-interest provisions.

Emily Shreve, constituent services specialist and new staff liaison to the ethics commission, and John Trass, vice chair of the Calvert County Ethics Commission, summarized the changes. Shreve said the draft ordinance aligns county code with the legislative mandate that the ethics commission publicly disclose recommendations for expulsion and that the county enact regulations granting authority to remove an elected official for certain conflicts of interest.

Commissioners expressed concern about possible ambiguity in the draft language regarding what constitutes grounds for removal. One commissioner cited a hypothetical—whether minor legal violations such as traffic tickets could be interpreted as grounds for removal—prompting discussion about the need to focus the ordinance on conflict-of-interest provisions specified in statute.

Trass and staff noted that the draft ordinance tracks the statutory language and that the ethics commission has obtained a favorable preliminary review from the State Ethics Commission. Commissioners unanimously approved a motion directing the county administrator and staff to confer with the ethics commission and county counsel to clarify the parameters, and to return with guidance and a proposed public hearing schedule.

Shreve said there is no immediate fiscal impact and that the county would proceed with a public hearing after the clarifications were drafted.