HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-20-11 Board of Ethics Minutes MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE
BOARD OF ETHICS
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April 20, 2011
BOZEMAN, MONTANA
Please Note: The audio recording of this meeting is available in the folder
httR://weblink.bozeman.net/WebLink8/0/fol/1086/Rowl.asRx. These minutes are not word for
word and should be considered in addition to the audio of the meeting.
The Board of Ethics of the City of Bozeman met in the Madison room, City Hall at 121 North
Rouse on Wednesday, April 20, 2011 Present were board members Melissa Frost and Mary Jane
McGarity as well as City Attorney Greg Sullivan and Deputy City Clerk Aimee Kissel taking
minutes.
A. Meeting Called to Order
Melissa Frost called the meeting to order at 4:10 p.m.
B. Public Comment
Melissa Frost opened public comment.
No person commented as no people were present.
Melissa Frost closed public comment.
C. Approval of the March 23, 2011 minutes
It was moved by Mary Jane McGarity, seconded by Melissa Frost to approve the minutes
of March 23, 2011. The motion passed unanimously.
D. Disclosure of information or comments received.
None.
E. Review On-line Ethics Training
Board members and staff reviewed comments received from participants who took the on-line
ethics training.
• Improvements for the next online training:
• Eliminate confusion between instructions saying `choose at least one answer'
compared to `choose all that apply.
• Work with moodle help desk at MSU extension to make log-in procedures easier.
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Board of Ethics Minutes for April 20, 2011
o Provide an option for a brown bag event for those that would like to attend in
addition to online training.
• Conversation regarding the purpose and complexity of the training and how that will
change from training to training.
• Ms. Kissel reported that about ten people (out of approx. 575) who called for help in
registering for the online training, with about 2 employees and 6 board members needing
to take the training by hard copy paper mailed to them and returned. As of 4-20-11, there
are still 35 board members who have not completed the training.
• Conversation regarding a comment made regarding the lack of an employee
representation on the board. Mr. Sullivan spoke to this employee explaining the code
prohibits employees and elected officials from serving on the board.
• Yearly training will be planned for every January.
F. Discuss and Draft Work Plan including goals and tasks
• Review webpage today-
• Plan next January's ethics training—add to agenda in September
• Conflict of interest provisions, sections 7, 8 and 9 of Ord. 1775 —add to agenda in
May, June and possibly July
• Ms. Kissel and Mr. Sullivan to find and provide examples of other cities conflict
of interest provisions to board members
• Ms. Kissel to invite Lynn Bacon from the Wetlands Review Board, Jeff Rupp
from HRDC, Paul Lachapelle, from the Local Government Center, (Mr. Sullivan
to invite Chris Budeski/ex-planning board member) to talk about conflict of
interest issues and provide some insight at the May meeting.
• Ms. Kissel to provide audio of past commission discussion regarding conflict of
interest provisions —board members to review before May meeting
• Discussion regarding provisions for acting when necessary even when conflict of
interest occurs. This provision within the code is for elected officials but not for
board members.
• Our provisions are more stringent than State law (2.2.121)
• Discussion regarding why the board should take up amending provisions 7, 8 and
9.
• Mock Hearing
• Start planning in July. Mock hearing in August and September?
• Mr. Sullivan to discuss the mock trial with Carson Taylor.
• Take mock hearing in pieces, discuss as it goes along.
• Annual Report to the Governing Body
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o October begin composing annual report, to Commission on an early December
agenda
• Financial Disclosures
• Clerk's office is handling sending out the form to major decision makers very
soon. The list of signers is currently being updated.
• Clerk's office to replace web form with correct copy that does not include the
Recreation and Parks Advisory Board members as signers.
Time line for Goals Summarized:
May: Meet with affected parties to begin revising conflict of interest provisions in the
code.
June: Continue revisions to conflict of interest provisions.
July: Finalize revisions to conflict of interest provisions. Begin planning mock trial.
August: Mock trial
September: Begin planning yearly ethics training for January, 2012
October: Compose annual report to the Commission
November: Continue planning yearly ethics training for January, 2012
December: Present annual report to the Commission
January, 2012: Conduct annual ethics training
G. Review Bozeman ethics website page
Board members and staff reviewed the current ethics website page.
• Ms. Kissel to speak with Ms. Kroh with IT to remove the first two hits when you search
the word ethics on the city web page. These links are not current. This will bring the
ethics page to the top of the search hits.
• Ms. Kissel to fix the `board of ethics' link on the ethics page.
• Board members to review the ethics page and the board of ethics page and come back
with suggestions.
• Ms. Kissel to place a friendly, neutral Bozeman landscape picture on the ethics page.
H. FYI/Discussion
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None.
I. Adjourn
Melissa Frost adjourned the meeting at 5:17 p.m.
Melissa Frost, Board Chairperson
Prepared by:
Aimee Kissel, Deputy City Clerk
Approved on:
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