REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Annual Review of City's Code of Ethics and Conduct for Elected and Appointed Officials
Report
DISCUSSION
This report represents Council's annual opportunity to review and revise the City's Code of Ethics and Conduct for Elected and Appointed Officials (hereafter referred to as "the Code"). This annual review is typically scheduled on the Consent Calendar, however, at the February 25, 2025 meeting, there was substantive discussion about the Code and staff communicated the 2026 review would be scheduled for a Public Hearing.
The Code contains a section on ethical standards and a section on conduct which describes the way officials should treat one another, City staff, constituents, and others with whom they may come in contact with while representing the City.
Staff propose the following changes:
* Replacing the word "citizens" with "residents" in the Ethics section on Page 3;
* Replacing the word "citizens" with "individuals" in the Do not solicit political support from staff sub-section on Page 8; and
* Removing the Public Disruptions sub-heading on Page 13. Staff propose moving this content to a forthcoming Public Meetings Handbook for better visibility to the public.
These three proposed changes are replaced as redlined edits in Attachment 1.
Annually, each Board and Commission reviews the Code and considers recommending changes for the Code to the City Council
The Human Relations Commission recommended Council revise Appendix A - Model of Excellence Member Statement as follows:
- List the fifth bullet - "Keep the common good..." as the first bullet;
- List the third bullet - "Conduct my personal..." as the second bullet;
- Add a bullet that reads "Centering the perspective of those who will be most affected by decisions and recommendations";
- Add a bullet that reads "To be prepared and informed so that I can make worthwhile contributions"; and
- Revise the seventh bullet to read "Treat all people with whom I come in co...
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