Chester council gives first reading to amendments of the Code of Ethics

Chester City Council held a first reading on Ordinance B6 at its June 24 meeting to amend Article 149 of the Codified Ordinances (Code of Ethics). The ordinance was read into the record and a member moved to pass Bill No. 6 on its first reading.

During brief remarks, the city solicitor summarized the amendment’s purpose as clarifying the scope and application of the ethics policy. “Specifically, this was an ethics policy which was passed by ordinance previously,” the solicitor said, and the revisions are intended to address questions about whether certain city employees could be considered to have a conflict of interest by virtue of the prior ordinance’s language. The solicitor added that the revised language makes clear that anyone bound by the ethics policy—employees, city officials or appointed officials—are held to the same code, and that the ordinance does not impose a separate obligation to follow a directive beyond ethical considerations contained in the policy.

Council did not debate major changes on the floor at first reading; the item will return for subsequent readings and formal adoption if council advances the bill. The amendments enumerated in the first reading included edits to legislative intent, definitions, conflict-of-interest sections (including new subsections) and updates to Board of Ethics procedures as described in the meeting text.

Because this meeting recorded only a first reading, no final vote on adoption occurred; councilors encouraged public review and the item may be scheduled for a later meeting for further consideration.