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Council continues redline work on proposed ethics ordinance, considers adopting five principles to join 'City of Ethics' program
Summary
Councilmembers discussed redlines for a draft ethics ordinance: suggested items included independence and appearance standards, appointing a standing ethics officer, addressing indirect benefits and recency bias, and explicitly adopting five ethics principles to qualify for the 'City of Ethics' program.
Councilmembers continued discussion on a draft ethics ordinance that is being redlined and refined. Speaker 6 (councilmember) said he and others have been exchanging comments and suggested specific focus areas including independence, the appearance of conflicts, addressing indirect benefits, appointing a standing ethics officer and mitigating recency bias in enforcement.
"It requires that we adopt a resolution establishing 5 ethics principles," speaker 6 said, describing a procedural item that the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) and the City of Ethics program look for in applications. Councilmembers agreed to share redlined Word documents, compare changes and continue working with counsel to produce a consolidated draft for future discussion.
Members encouraged clear redlining and a targeted follow-up with legal counsel to ensure the ordinance text meets state program requirements and local expectations. Staff and council agreed to circulate changes and return with a revised draft next month for more detailed deliberation.
