Committee moves to align county disclosures with state law and shift administration to the clerk's office

Unidentified speaker S3 told the committee that proposed amendments to county code would bring the county into alignment with state law on conflict-of-interest disclosures and would place administrative responsibility with the Clerk's office.

Under the proposed change, elected officials and appointed officers would complete disclosure forms consistent with Title 17 (as noted in the draft). S3 said previous practice had administrative responsibility under the Office of Personnel Management but moving it to the Clerk's office will centralize collection and better support compliance. Committee members discussed which appointed positions and boards would be included and flagged the need for the Clerk or staff to produce a comprehensive list of appointed roles so annual disclosures can be tracked. Several members noted that some boards and community entities (for example the County Community Foundation) are not county government bodies and therefore would not be part of the disclosure requirement.

S3 confirmed that some positions that recently completed disclosures would not need to repeat them again until the next annual filing, which the committee set to January for full compliance. Committee members asked staff to prepare the logistics (how the Clerk's office will notify boards and collect forms) and to coordinate training or guidance so appointees understand when and how to file. No formal vote was taken; staff will prepare redline and clean versions for committee review and work with the Clerk's office to implement the annual schedule.

The committee emphasized transparency and practical administration: members want a reliable list of appointed positions, clear instructions for appointees and a straightforward annual process that mirrors state requirements.