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Veteran asks fiscal court to strengthen county code of ethics after inquiry closed
Summary
A local veteran told the fiscal court he filed an ethics complaint alleging unprofessional behavior and physical violence by an appointed court member; the county ethics commission closed its inquiry as outside the ordinance's scope and the judge said the court will consider updates to the code.
A Warren County resident and U.S. Army veteran raised concerns about the county's code of ethics during the public‑comment period at the fiscal‑court meeting on April 30.
Gary Osbrooks identified himself, read portions of a letter from the county ethics commission that said its inquiry was terminated because the allegations fell outside the scope of the existing code, and asked the court whether the code of ethics would be revised to include clearer standards of conduct. "This letter is to advise you that we are terminating our inquiry. We have determined that the allegations do not fall within the scope of the prohibitions of the Warren County code of ethics," Osbrooks read from the notice.
Judge Gorman responded that the current code was written years ago, that the ethics board interviewed multiple people and concluded the matter did not fit within the ordinance as written, and that the fiscal court would consider revising the ordinance. "This fiscal court will address those issues and see if we can change our ordinance to include that," the judge said, and invited Mr. Osbrooks to meet with the ethics board to review its findings.
The exchange did not result in immediate ordinance changes; the judge described the county's intent to examine whether the code should be amended and offered the ethics board as a resource for additional explanation of its process. The meeting record does not show further public testimony on this particular complaint during the session.
