Committee recommends Oak County financial-disclosure policy to full board after amendment
Summary
After debate over enforceability and scope, the committee voted unanimously to recommend an amended county financial-disclosure policy that tailors state-model rules to county needs and urges legislative changes; county executives agreed to voluntary compliance.
Oakland County commissioners on Thursday voted unanimously to recommend an amended county financial-disclosure policy to the full board after debate over what the county can legally require.
Commissioner Erickson Gault presented an amendment to a draft financial-disclosure policy that, she said, adapts state-model rules to the county's needs and better informs voters about potential conflicts of interest. "Ethics and transparency in these issues are not one size fits all," Erickson Gault said, urging the committee to tailor reporting to what is relevant for county commissioners.
Deputy CFO Cheryl Johnson explained the county's use of the inflation-rate multiplier (IRM) for property-tax cap calculations when commissioners questioned a separate compensation item earlier in the meeting. Later, Executive Dave Coulter (online) said he and his deputies would voluntarily comply with the proposed financial-disclosure policy.
Discussion covered enforceability: commissioners noted the board cannot unilaterally compel other elected countywide officials or their staff to comply, and that any mandatory change would require state-legislative action. The amended policy as presented would be voluntary for countywide nonjudicial elected officials; commissioners said the text also urges the legislature to extend binding disclosure requirements statewide.
The committee voted 7-0 to recommend the amended policy to the full Board of Commissioners. The recommendation advances the proposal to the board, where the final policy and any additional edits will be considered.
