2016_0210_Ethics Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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Regular City Council Meeting Monday, November 30, 2015 Page 28 Councilmember Willmus suggested starting with defining the charge and scope for the HRC and CEC and how to clarify theu specific roles, as well as how they functioned related to a meeting schedule. City Manager Trudgeon advised that staff could better help advisory commissions if not meeting monthly. Councilmember Willmus asked staff to provide their recommendation, with con- currence by Mayor Roe, for meeting frequency of various commissions, and any other ideas or desires they wished to share with the City Council at this time. Ethics Commission Mayor Roe advised that since he'd been serving on the City Council in 2007, only one ethics complaint had been received and subsequently withdrawn, or at least with no formal action being taken. Therefore, Mayor Roe stated he had inixed emotions in appointing citizens to serve when not receiving complaints or no changes are indicated to the Ethics Code. Mayor Roe opined that staff could per- form the training without a commission, but noted the process was in place in code that the Ethics Commissioli review complaints as they were received and help consider those complaints and their resolution. Mayor Roe stated he had given consideration to recommending demoting the Ethics Cominission from a standing committee to an ad hoc committee, staffed by one member from each commission if and when a complaint or issue needed addressing based on the Eth- ics Code. Mayor Roe noted that direction could be provided to them at that time to seek their input and would serve as the reality of how the Ethics Commission could function and what serving residents actually received from theit- set-vice on that Commission. Councilmember Laliberte stated that her observations from the last two joint meetings with the Ethics Commission was a sense of fi-ustration from them; and no charge to do anything other than enact monthly ethics tips and annual training put on by staff and the City Attorney. Councilmember Laliberte stated she shared Mayor Roe's concern in appointing people who in turn become disappointed or frustrated by a lack of ineaningful worlc. For the benefit of the public, Mayor Roe clari�ed that his comments in no way in- tended to suggest he was advocating getting rid of the Ethics Commission or not have a complaint process in place, but simply rethinking how it operated. Councilmember Willmus noted that, using Mayor Roe's idea for members serving from standing commissions, they would still review complaints as currently done by the standing Ethics Commission.