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Home My WebLink About11-20-23 - Board of Ethics - Agendas & Packet MaterialsA.Call meeting to order This meeting will be held both in-person and also using an online video conferencing system. You can join this meeting: Via Video Conference: Click the Register link, enter the required information, and click submit. Click Join Now to enter the meeting. Via Phone: This is for listening only if you cannot watch the stream, channel 190, or attend in- person United States Toll +1 669 444 9171 Access code: 959 3074 8231 B.Disclosures C.Changes to the Agenda D.Public Comment This is the time to comment on any matter falling within the scope of the Board of Ethics. There will also be time in conjunction with each agenda item for public comment relating to that item but you may only speak once per topic. Please note, the Board cannot take action on any item which does not appear on the agenda. All persons addressing the Board shall speak in a civil and courteous manner and members of the audience shall be respectful of others. Please state your name and place of residence in an audible tone of voice for the record and limit your comments to three minutes. E.Action Items E.1 Discuss and Determine the Content of a Bozeman Daily Chronicle Editorial Regarding the City's Ethics Program(Maas) THE BOARD OF ETHICS OF BOZEMAN, MONTANA BOE AGENDA Monday, November 20, 2023 General information about the Board of Ethics is available our Board of Ethics webpage. If you are interested in commenting in writing on items on the agenda please send an email to agenda@bozeman.net or visit the Public Comment Page prior to 12:00pm on the day of the meeting. Public comments will also be accepted in-person and through Video Conference during the appropriate agenda items. As always, the meeting will be streamed through the Commission's video page and available in the City on cable channel 190. For more information please contact Greg Sullivan, gsullivan@bozeman.net 1 F.FYI/Discussion G.Adjournment This board meets as needed. Board of Ethics meetings are open to all members of the public. If you have a disability that requires assistance, please contact our ADA Coordinator, Mike Gray, at 582-3232 (TDD 582-2301). 2 Memorandum REPORT TO:Board of Ethics FROM:Mike Maas, City Clerk SUBJECT:Discuss and Determine the Content of a Bozeman Daily Chronicle Editorial Regarding the City's Ethics Program MEETING DATE:November 20, 2023 AGENDA ITEM TYPE:Policy Discussion RECOMMENDATION:I move to approve the content of a Bozeman Daily Chronicle Editorial Regarding the City's Ethics Program STRATEGIC PLAN:1.1 Outreach: Continue to strengthen and innovate in how we deliver information to the community and our partners. BACKGROUND:Board Members have looked at publishing a reflection of the Ethics Board over the course of the last decade as an editorial in the Bozeman Daily Chronicle. Given that this is a three member board, any discussions between two members would constitute a quorum and therefore this discussion needs to occur at a regularly noticed meeting via the agenda. At the August 28 meeting, the Board assigned portions of the editorial review and this action is to finalize Board approval of that editorial. UNRESOLVED ISSUES:None identified ALTERNATIVES:As per the Board FISCAL EFFECTS:None Attachments: Ethics Editorial Revised.docx Report compiled on: November 15, 2023 3 September 8, 2023 Revised DRAFT editorial for the BDC: You don’t have to look very far on the internet to find quips about politics being dirty work (like the famous quote that, “Laws are like sausages, it is better not to see them being made”). But, as the Washington Post masthead reminds us, “Democracy dies in darkness.” Why? Because without access to timely and accurate information, fair and transparent processes for making and administering laws and regulations, and trustworthy and accountable public officials, government of the people, by the people, and for the people is not possible. As members of the City of Bozeman’s independent Board of Ethics, we take these democratic values seriously, and collaborate with City staff, elected officials, Citizen Advisory Board members, and residents of Bozeman to cultivate and safeguard ethical culture and practices in local government. Mandated by the Bozeman City Charter (drafted by a citizen commission, put on the ballot, voted on by the citizens, and put into effect in 2008), the Board has worked for almost fifteen years to review and update the City of Bozeman Code of Ethics, which specifies standards for government actions to ensure that all dealings are conducted fairly and in an unbiased manner in both appearance and fact. We also work with the City to develop and refine the Ethics Training that all city employees, Advisory Board members, city commissioners, and judges undergo annually. These trainings involve thinking through scenarios where a potential ethical dilemma might arise, and practicing the kind of reasoning that leads to good moral and political judgment. Because remember: as extensive as a Code of Ethics might be, it can never capture the precise details of every situation. As such, building ethical culture requires providing opportunities for learning, discussion, being wrong, understanding why, and developing stronger practical reasoning skills through the application of principles of fairness, transparency, integrity, honesty, and respect. It’s been our privilege to participate in some Advisory Board trainings, and to witness the thoughtful conversations that regular citizens are having so that they can support the work of administering our town in the best possible way, whether that involves the Bozeman Public Library, zoning regulations, economic vitality, parks, or numerous other issues. Finally, in addition to working on the Ethics Code and the annual Ethics Trainings, the Board fields inquiries from city employees and citizens about whether some particular conduct was ethical. These inquiries involve anything from conflicts of interest to transparency in decision- making, from fairness in permitting to concerns over whether a gift to a public official or city employee risks creating undue influence (yes, your City garbage collector can accept cookies at the holidays; no, they cannot accept $100 with a tacit agreement that they’ll empty your bin an additional day each week because they just happen to be driving by). Many of the inquiries we have received are beyond our purview – they raise questions that are better asked of the City Attorney, or involve State laws like open meetings law. But occasionally we receive an ethics complaint that warrants investigation. In that case, we review the claim, can decide to dismiss it if the facts don’t suggest impropriety, or we can hold a hearing to collect testimony, and if 4 necessary can issue an advisory opinion to a City official or employee calling for them to reconsider the actions taken. In the spirit of transparency, and in accordance with our duties and powers outlined in section 2.03.600 of the Bozeman Municipal Code, we issue a report every December detailing our activities the past year. All our meetings are officially noticed in advance and open to the public. And since there are only three members of this board, proper conduct forbids us from bumping into each other in town and talking Ethics Board business, since two of us creates a quorum, and thus constitutes a “meeting”! We serve on the Ethics Board because we are passionate about good government, sustainable democracy, and citizen participation. And we serve because we love Bozeman! There are many Citizen Advisory Boards that offer opportunities to further the public good, share the work of administering local government, and help chart the course for a thriving community. To learn more, visit the Advisory Boards page at https://www.bozeman.net/departments/city- commission/advisory-boards. And to learn more about the Board of Ethics, visit our webpage at https://www.bozeman.net/departments/city-commission/ethics. 5