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Committee aims to consolidate ethics language; legal counsel says abstention should be limited to conflicts

Augusta City Charter Review Committee ยท October 31, 2025
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Summary

Reviewers recommended packaging all ethics-related charter language into a single article. Legal counsel and committee members debated rules on abstention, fiduciary duty, and recording reasons for abstaining, with counsel recommending abstentions be limited to conflicts of interest.

The committee agreed to consolidate ethics and transparency language into one charter article to make it easier for the public and officials to find and understand the rules.

During discussion, legal counsel and Miss Sheffey argued that abstentions should be limited to genuine conflicts of interest. "The only means to actually abstain is the conflict of interest," Sheffey said during the workshop, urging that members "should not be able to abstain" for other reasons because it can be used to frustrate votes.

An attorney explained fiduciary duty to the committee: "A fiduciary is someone who has a legal obligation to either funds or an individual that is essentially under their care," counsel said, and emphasized that elected and appointed officers "shall act in a fiduciary capacity for the benefit of such residents." Committee members discussed language to require that any abstention based on conflict be explained publicly and recorded so the reason is transparent.

The committee asked staff to gather and return all ethics-related language (sample pages were identified) so the body can consider a single consolidated ethics article at the next meeting.