Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Ethics topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee debates rule requiring candidates, officeholders to be current on city taxes
Summary
Committee members discussed an ordinance that would require candidates and elected officials to be current on municipal income tax obligations (payment plans allowed); members questioned scope, charter authority and suggested changes before sending the draft to the law director.
The committee reviewed a proposed ordinance that would require candidates for elected office and current officeholders in North College Hill to be current on municipal income tax obligations. Miss Dukesdee said the draft includes allowances for payment plans and tax‑workouts so that officials need not be fully current but must not be delinquent or nonfiling.
Some members objected to provisions that would permit removal of an elected official, noting the council’s governance and charter responsibilities. Mary Jo Zorpe and others said existing subpoena and tax processes already provide tools to enforce compliance, while others said elected officials should lead by example and be held to a higher standard.
Members asked staff to clarify verification language (which currently references the city administrator) and to confirm how tax‑status checks would be performed within state law limits. Miss Dukesdee said she would revise the draft to replace references to the city administrator with the finance manager/tax administrator where required and to add failure‑to‑cure language and payment‑plan language before further consideration.
No formal committee vote was recorded; members agreed to continue work on the draft and to request legal and charter review before returning to committee.
