City Council approves new Councilmember Accountability Act and Ethics
Policy ordinance
Midwest City, OK - The Midwest City Council has approved an ordinance
entitled the Councilmember Accountability Act and Ethics Policy.
According to the amendment author, Ward 1 Councilmember,
Daniel McClure, Jr., the primary goal is to ensure that the interests of
Midwest City residents are always the primary and sole objective of elected
municipal official’s decisions. McClure
added that the ordinance summarizes the expectations of elected officials and
creates the framework for a penalty if unethical conduct occurs.
Any violation of this act would result in removal from
office and prohibition from serving as a Midwest City elected official in the
future.
“It is vital to a have a policy like this in place. I love this City and I want to make sure we
do everything we can to ensure good government and the protection of the
residents’ interests,” McClure said.
The proposed amendment adds a new section to Chapter 2 of the
Midwest City Code. The following
represents an abbreviated overview of each new section:
Paragraph (a) Conflict of Interest: This section requires that no member of the
council is to receive any payments or gifts, other than those provided in the
Charter or in the Code of Ordinances, for action or inaction in his/her elected
capacity, nor shall any member of the council make, participate in making, or
in any way attempt to use his/her official position to influence the making of
any decision that s/he knows or should know will have a reasonably foreseeable
material financial effect, distinguishable from its effect on the public
generally, on the member of the council or a member of his/her immediate
family.
Paragraph (b)Executive Session: This section requires that
no member of the council shall disclose confidential discussions occurring in
executive session with anyone other than other councilmembers or invited
staff/guests, nor shall any councilmember use any confidential information
obtained in executive session or other privileged source for foreseeable
material gain, distinguishable from its effect on the public generally, for the
member of the council or a member of his/her immediate family.
Paragraph (c) Elections: States that no member of the
council or candidate for council shall receive more than an amount established
by state law in monetary or in-kind donations from any one source (individual
or organization) for each council election for which the member of council or
candidate for council has drawn an opponent.
No member of council or candidate for council shall receive any monetary
or in-kind contribution that is a combination from individuals and from
entities that receive funding from the same donor.
Paragraph (d) Violation: A violation of this section shall be a misdemeanor punishable upon conviction by a fine, the amount of which shall be determined by ordinance. Any person convicted of a violation of this section shall immediately be removed from office and shall forever be disqualified from filing for or holding a city elective office.
The maximum monetary amount of the penalty is $500 and removal from office.
To read the complete ordinance, please go to: https://midwestcityok.org/DocumentCenter/View/1980
No comments:
Post a Comment