Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Ethics Policy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commission delays county conflict-of-interest policy to let legal tailor state template
Summary
Commissioners unanimously postponed adoption of a state-auditor-recommended conflict-of-interest policy, asking staff and legal to compare it with existing county policies and state law and return with a tailored proposal.
Morgan County commissioners on July 7 voted to postpone action on a proposed conflict-of-interest policy (resolution CR26-31) after multiple commissioners said the state-recommended template contains undefined terms and could be too broad for a small county.
Commissioner concerns focused on language that might force elected officials or staff to be 'conflicted out' of routine matters in a small county and on the absence of clearly defined terms such as 'immediate family.' Commissioners suggested the county instead compare its existing policy to the auditor’s template and adopt only needed updates. Legal staff and commissioners agreed staff should draft options that align with state statute and the commission's existing procedures.
The motion to postpone passed unanimously. Commissioners directed legal to return options that either tailor the auditor’s template to local practice or identify targeted modifications to the county’s existing policy.
