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Orting city attorney recommends no further action on two ethics complaints; council votes to do nothing
Summary
After reviewing two outstanding ethics complaints dating back to 2025, the city attorney recommended the council take no further action; councilmembers debated referral to a hearings examiner and ultimately voted to take no action on both complaints.
The Orting City Council on Jan. 14 received a report from the city attorney on two outstanding ethics complaints (referenced in the meeting as AB 85 and AB 94). The attorney summarized prior procedural history and said an earlier review had deferred action pending a city attorney on contract; having completed an independent review, he recommended no additional action.
The city attorney told the council he had reviewed the allegations and concluded that "the allegations... don't rise to a level, if true, of a violation of the council's adopted ethics policy," characterizing the policy as focused on conduct that results in personal gain and explaining the analytical conclusions in a distributed memorandum.
Councilmembers discussed options, including taking no action or referring one or both complaints to a hearings examiner for investigation and findings. Councilmember Tracy moved to "do nothing" with both matters; after procedural questions and a brief exchange, the motion was put to a vote and recorded as passing in the meeting record.
The attorney said referral to hearings examiner Phil Obrucht remained an available option if council chose; the meeting concluded with the council deciding not to pursue further action at this time.
