The City Attorney's Office is tasked by the ethics ordinance (EO) with providing support to the Ethics Review Commission and the officials and staff of the City. The EO includes rules that affect all city officers and employees. City officers under the EO are the city's elected officials and all of the members of the city's boards and commissions. Police officers employed by the City fall under the category of employee under the EO. Below is a summary of the latest EO and how it affects employees and officers:

• Officers and employees are prohibited from personally utilizing City resources or by omission allowing City resources to be utilized for personal benefit or the benefit of another.
• Employees shall not recklessly disregard the established practices or policies of the City relating to the duties assigned to the employee.
• Gifts cannot be accepted if the gift might reasonably tend to influence an officer or employee to act improperly in the discharge of his or her official duties.
  • Additionally, most gifts with a value of or exceeding $75 cannot be accepted, and gifts with a value exceeding $10 cannot be accepted from a person registered with the city as a lobbyist.
  • Exceptions to the $75 limitation for gifts include political contributions, awards, personalized mementos, personal gifts from relatives, friends, and business associates, official tokens of recognition, ordinary loans, reasonable hosting in connection with certain public events, allowable honorariums, tickets to City-sponsored events or events that are part of one's official duties or a spouse’s or child’s position or duties, and attendance at most charity events.
  • Gifts with a value exceeding $75 that are not on the list of exceptions should be returned to the sender within 72 hours of receipt or forwarded to the Office of the City Manager for acceptance as a gift to the City.

• All officers and the City Manager, Deputy City Managers, and Department Heads must report all gifts (other than those within the exceptions above) that have a value of more than $10 including the receipt of awards, honorariums, and reasonable hosting with a value exceeding $50.
• The purpose for accepting a ticket or admission pass must be stated on the report form. The form must be filed with the City Clerk no later than the 10th day of the following month for each month during which a reportable gift is received.
• The Ethics Review Commission can now issue advisory opinions at the request of any Officer or the City Manager.
• Officers and employees cannot be found to be in violation of the Ethics Ordinance if they reasonably and in good faith act in accordance with a written advisory opinion that the officer requested or the City Manager requested on behalf of employees.
• During the 24 months after leaving the service or employment of the City, officers and employees cannot become registered lobbyists with the city.
• Complaints must be made on the designated form, sworn to, and filed with the City Clerk's Office. The Ethics Review Commission may issue letter sanctions to an officer or recommend that the City Council issue the sanction of removal from office.
• During the time that a complaint has been filed and is being investigated or heard by the Ethics Review Commission, the complainant, and respondent may not engage in ex parte communications with the members of the Ethics Review Commission, the City Council, or with any known witness.

For more in-depth information about ethics view our presentations:

• Ethics Training Presentation for Board Commissions and Committers - Video
• Ethics in City Government Presentation