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Resident asks council for written ethics response, raises concern about possible tax increase
Summary
During public comment a resident said she filed an ethics request alleging council members used their official titles to endorse a candidate, and also asked for transparency about a town manager statement that a tax increase might be needed; the mayor said staff would respond and that no illegal actions have been found so far.
At the start of the meeting the council heard public comment from resident Missy Grau, who asked the town to respond in writing to an ethics request she filed on May 1. Grau said her request alleges a potential conflict under section 2.414 of the town’s code of ethics because sitting council members posted endorsements on Facebook pages that identified them by their official council titles, creating the appearance of using office for campaign advocacy.
Grau said she did not receive confirmation of her May 1 filing until May 12 and that, as of June 15, she had not received a status update or response. She also raised concern about reports that the town manager had told council members a tax increase might be possible, asking whether council candidates had knowingly misrepresented the town’s financial position in recent campaigns.
Mayor Cheryl Moore responded during the meeting that staff would follow up with Grau and noted, "there has not been any illegal actions taken by any of our counsel," but did not adjudicate the ethics allegation in the meeting. The town manager later discussed the budget process and stressed that proposed budgets are prepared by staff and adopted by the council later in the public process.
Grau asked for a written response to her ethics request and greater transparency about any potential budget or tax issues; staff said they would respond and provide clarification outside the public comment period.
