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Commissioners ask staff to clarify new ethics‑ordinance removal criteria after HB 834 requires public recommendations for expulsion
Summary
Following enactment of House Bill 834, the Calvert County Ethics Commission presented a draft ordinance adding authority to recommend expulsion of a commissioner for specified conflicts of interest. Commissioners expressed concern about vague language and directed staff to confer with the ethics commission and legal counsel for clearer guidance.
The board reviewed a draft ordinance from the Calvert County Ethics Commission that implements provisions of House Bill 834 regarding conflicts of interest and potential expulsion recommendations for county commissioners.
John Trass (speaker 2), vice chair of the Calvert County Ethics Commission, summarized the statute and the draft ordinance. Trass said the law "mandates that the Calvert County Ethics Code include provisions requiring the Calvert County Ethics Commission to publicly disclose any recommendations for expulsion of the commissioner" and that the governing body enact regulations to permit removal for violations of specific conflict‑of‑interest provisions.
Commissioners raised questions about the ordinance's parameters and whether the language could be interpreted broadly (for example, whether a minor legal violation such as a traffic citation could be construed as grounds for removal). Staff and the ethics commission said outside counsel is available to advise on statutory interpretation and that the draft was reviewed preliminarily by the State Ethics Commission in November 2024.
The board unanimously moved to direct the county administrator and appropriate staff to confer with the ethics commission and legal counsel, clarify the ordinance language around grounds for action, and return with recommendations and, if appropriate, a public hearing schedule.
