Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Financial Disclosure topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Taneytown ethics board reviews 632 pages of financial disclosures; orders notice for missing filer
Summary
At its May 15 meeting the Taneytown Ethics Board reviewed annual financial disclosure statements, set dates to review campaign finance filings and agreed to send a 10-day notice to a Parks & Recreation advisory board member who failed to file his disclosure.
The Taneytown Ethics Board reviewed the annual financial disclosure statements required by state and local law and agreed to send a formal notice to one board member who did not file his statement.
City Attorney Jay Gullo told members the packet contained 632 pages of disclosure forms sent to the board for review. “I have all of the original financial disclosure statements on the table right now,” Clerk Clara Coleman said. Board members were asked to mark any corrections on Post-it notes and speak them aloud so staff could compile a corrections list.
During the review the board identified one missing filing: Emmanuel Harvey of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. Parks and Rec Director Vakar and staff had sent repeated reminders but, Clerk Coleman said, “he did not respond.” Under the town code the board may assess fines for late filings: $2 per day up to a $250 maximum, and the forms were due Jan. 31, the board noted.
The commission chose by consensus to have staff send a written notice requiring Harvey to submit his annual disclosure within 10 days of delivery. Chair Steve Marsalek asked staff to deliver the notice in a manner that can be confirmed, such as hand delivery or a method that provides proof of receipt.
Board members also set a schedule to review candidate campaign finance filings tied to upcoming elections. The board confirmed a meeting already scheduled for March 26 at 3:30 p.m. to review the first campaign finance report and agreed to meet April 23 and April 30 at 3:30 p.m. to review subsequent reports. Clerk Coleman said the March 26 meeting had already been placed on the calendar and she would follow up by email with the chair.
Members discussed quarterly update forms that had been used informally in past years and are not codified in town law. City Attorney Gullo said quarterly updates are not required by state law or town code and that the commission has historically found them burdensome; by consensus the board indicated it did not want to continue issuing quarterly affirmation forms.
The board closed its administrative business after Clerk Coleman collected the marked corrections and said staff would follow up. A final motion to adjourn carried by voice vote.
