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Severance council adopts updated code of conduct, agrees to reimburse reasonable attorney fees after hearings
Summary
The council voted to adopt amendments to its code of conduct and ethics — clarifying fiduciary duties, social‑media guidance and limited authority of individual members — and added language that the town shall reimburse reasonable attorney fees following ethics hearings where no misconduct is found.
Town Attorney Mr. Rogers presented a consolidated revision of the council’s code of conduct and ethics that added definitions (including social media, staff member and fiduciary duty), clarified individual councilmember responsibilities and provided guidance about social‑media interactions. Rogers said the changes were intended to document discussions the council had held and to provide clearer guardrails for members’ conduct online and when speaking about council business.
Council members discussed several provisions at length, focusing particularly on social‑media disclaimers, when disclaimers or public clarifications would be recommended, and whether the town should automatically reimburse attorney fees for a member who is cleared after an ethics hearing. Mr. Rogers said the draft left discretion for the council but could be tightened to require reimbursement of “reasonable attorney's fees” if the council finds no misconduct.
Councilmember Vandermark moved and a colleague seconded an amendment to section 10.l to require reimbursement of reasonable attorney fees; the council then approved the resolution, as amended, by roll call. The resolution also reiterates that no single councilmember has authority to bind the whole council and emphasizes the duty to distinguish personal opinions from official council positions when communicating publicly.
The council asked staff to provide a recommended social‑media disclaimer and to flesh out guidance about use of the town seal and official accounts; staff said they would follow up with recommended language and optional best‑practice text for members to use.
