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Select Board agrees to form pool of outside investigators for ethics complaints
Summary
Board members reviewed a VLCT-based ethics ordinance and agreed to create a pool of potential investigators (three-person panels) to handle complaints referred by the state, seeking volunteers from the public to avoid conflicts of interest. The liaison will remain the contact point but the board emphasized outside or rotating investigators for impartiality.
The board discussed a new ethics complaint and investigation process adapted from a VLCT model ordinance. The liaison (identified in meeting discussion as the board contact) briefed members on the process and recommended following the state for objectivity and guidance. “What I am is the liaison,” the liaison said, describing the role as a contact point rather than the sole investigator.
Members debated whether the liaison or the board should conduct investigations and concluded that a pool of potential investigators—ideally including residents or volunteers not currently on town boards—would preserve impartiality and provide trained investigators for cases the state returns with recommendations. The board agreed to publish a request for volunteer investigators, collect resumes and form a pool to be used on a case-by-case basis. The select board also committed to preparing an ordinance and posting the required documents online before the next meeting so the investigator pool and procedures can be formalized.
