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Regular City Council Meeting <br />Monday, February 8, 2016 <br />Page 27 <br />1references and inclusion, Ms. Lindberg offered to submit those ethics findings an- <br />2nually to the City Council. <br />3 <br />4Mayor Roe noted a number of reasons the code language was as currently written, <br />5and sough to make sure this City Council and Ethics Commission understood that <br />6initial rationale and whey it was established as written. Mayor Roe referenced <br />7discussion held at the time the original code was in place, and not to imply these <br />8are not valid questions, expressed the need that those past discussions inform this <br />9process. Mayor Roe noted that the City Attorney had worked with the Code and <br />10could advise the City Council if they decided to move in this direction. <br />11 <br />12Councilmember McGehee noted that she was also here when working through the <br />13Ethics Code subsequently reconstituted in a different tone; and suggested it may <br />14be worthwhile to review that previous process, since she was also not sure every- <br />15one was privy to how and why those revisions were applied. Specific to com- <br />16plaints brought to the EC without formal filings, Councilmember McGehee asked <br />17if that wasn’t due to no process being in place. Councilmember McGehee opined <br />18that a process was needed, and whether or not it belonged in the Ethics Code, <br />19there needed to be a process for handling violations. <br />20 <br />21Mayor Roe clarified that he didn’t think it had been established that the com- <br />22plaints brought forward were ethics violations. <br />23 <br />24Councilmember McGehee stated that she understood that, but still thought a Code <br />25of Conduct was needed. <br />26 <br />27Mayor Roe suggested that this discussion not get into that level of detail tonight; <br />28and thanked commissioners for their work. <br />29 <br />30Councilmember Willmus stated that he hated to set the clock back and revitalize <br />31revisit mistakes under the previous code, opining that often that commission had <br />32been used as a political tool for disagreements, which was why the EC had been <br />33dissolved in the first place. Councilmember Willmus opined that he found the fo- <br />34cus of the current Code of Ethics aligned where it needed to be, and as far as the <br />35complaint process itself, expressed his disinterest in seeing anyone labeled as an <br />36ethics violator if there was any disagreement in how to best proceed at the com- <br />37mission level. Councilmember Willmus opined that he thought the function of <br />38how the EC should work or how to assemble it was needed, and he expressed his <br />39appreciation for the model provided in the packet in draft form, allowing a com- <br />40plaint to be dealt with as it comes forward. Councilmember Willmus also spoke <br />41in support of further discussion on the continuation of the three commissions and <br />42their scopes and duties for further discussion and attempting to free up administra- <br />43tive personnel as liaisons. <br />44 <br /> <br />