Allegany County staff ask commissioners to amend ethics code bill before public hearing

Unidentified Speaker (S6), a county staff member, told the commissioners the county has scheduled a public hearing on code bill 2-25 and recommended an amendment before the hearing to reflect edits requested by the state ethics commission"She sent me back this week, 1 revision to the text and 1 procedural revision that she needs us to do in order for them to approve that," S6 said.

S6 said the chief substantive change would specify that the code's confidentiality duty applies to a "former employee or official" and that the ordinance's effective date should be 45 days after passage rather than immediate. "Basically, the code provides that an employee or an official has a duty of confidentiality of information beyond their tenure here. The code what they're asking us to do is to specify a former employee or official," S6 said.

The staff request is procedural as well as substantive: S6 asked the board to consider the amendment before the scheduled public hearing so the amended language can be available for public discussion. "What I'm gonna ask you to do is I'm gonna ask you to take them out of order. I'm gonna ask you to do the amendment prior to the public hearing," S6 said.

No formal vote took place at the work session. The staff presentation identified the assistant attorney general's review as the reason for the textual and procedural changes; staff indicated the edits were intended to secure approval from the state ethics commission. The board will consider the amendment and the public hearing at its upcoming public meeting.

Next steps: staff will place the proposed amendment on the action agenda for commissioners to consider during the public meeting and proceed with the public hearing scheduling and state review as discussed.