Council to study ethics ordinance language; Scott to circulate draft comparisons and convene work sessions

Council member Scott told colleagues he had studied 15–20 ethics ordinances from other cities and proposed circulating model language and alternatives for council review. "We, in fact, are one of the only cities in Fulton that does not have an ethics ordinance," Scott said, adding that his intent was to solicit input and bring a collated draft back to the council in coming weeks.

Members discussed options for intake and adjudication, including a standing ethics body, ad hoc citizen panels, a lottery/draw pool of citizens, or outside attorneys acting as a gatekeeper. Several council members warned that poorly designed procedures can turn ethics rules into political tools; one panelist said a useful gatekeeper can be an outside local government attorney to provide neutral intake screening. Scott agreed to circulate three or so comparator ordinances and coordinate follow up, and the council signaled broad interest in studying the matter further and separating a ceremonial pledge from an enforceable ordinance.

Next steps: Scott will circulate the collated draft language and sample ordinances and asked staff to list the item for future work sessions and agenda review.