Roswell moves to overhaul ethics ordinance, shifting complaint review to outside hearing officers

Assistant City Attorney Joe Cusket presented a proposed replacement for Roswell’s code of ethics. The draft expands conflict-of-interest rules, clarifies prohibited uses of city property and confidential information, and restructures how complaints are processed and adjudicated.

Under the proposed procedure, complaints would be filed with the city clerk (not directly to the mayor), accompanied by a sworn affidavit. A hearing officer would be selected from a pre-qualified list of attorneys; the ordinance as discussed would disqualify attorneys who reside in or maintain an office within a defined distance of Roswell so that the hearing officer operates as a neutral, outside official. The hearing officer would screen complaints for merit, conduct an investigation when appropriate (including subpoenas of documents and witness interviews), and issue findings and recommendations to mayor and council. Council would then act, and a respondent would retain a 30‑day right to appeal to the Fulton County Superior Court.

The draft also includes a pause on processing complaints filed against candidates within a specified period before an election to limit use of ethics complaints for political advantage. Council members asked for clarifications on the distance/residency language, whether the hearing‑officer list would be public, and how attorney costs would be budgeted; staff said the list would be public under open-records rules and that outside-counsel fees would likely be paid from existing outside-counsel budgets.

Council voted unanimously to advance the ordinance to first reading; staff will incorporate minor edits discussed during the meeting before presenting the ordinance for formal consideration.