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Knox County ethics committee debates lobbying ban, disclosure rules and nepotism language
Summary
The Knox County Ethics Committee reviewed proposed revisions to the county code of ethics April 1, debating the length of a post-office lobbying prohibition, whether disclosure forms should be read into meeting records or filed with personnel/county clerk, and whether 'personal interest' should include nepotism; members agreed to seek legal guidance before finalizing changes.
The Knox County Ethics Committee on April 1 reviewed an extensive draft of the county code of ethics and deferred final decisions after members asked the law department to examine legal constraints on extending a post-office lobbying prohibition and on filing and disclosure procedures.
Committee members spent the largest portion of the meeting debating three matters: whether former elected officials should be barred from representing private clients before their former governing body for one or two years; how completed disclosure forms (Attachment A) should be stored and whether they should be read into the committee record; and whether the definition of "personal interest" — currently framed around financial interests — should be expanded to include nepotism or other relational conflicts.
"A person who's been elected to any county office may not personally represent another person or entity for…
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