The City Council also approved an ordinance preventing contractors and subcontractors with any city department to confirm that they are not on the Excluded Parties List System.
The resolution also creates the position of Water and Sewer Ethics Compliance Officer and names to that position the director of water and sewer operations (James Brasher) retroactive to Sept. 25, 2007.
Under the ethics code, employees and contractors are required to “at all times, recognize his or her primary obligation is to protect the safety, health and welfare of the public in the performance of his or her duties” as well as to “accept and perform operations assignments only when qualified by education or experience in the specific technical area and levels of operation involved.” He or she is also required to be “completely objective and truthful in all professional reports, statements and testimony. At no time shall he or she ever conceal, destroy or alter documents; lie or make misleading statements to anyone investigating any alleged incident or attempt to cause another person to fail to provide accurate information.”
The code also requires avoidance of conflicts of interest and “shall not review or influence the decision of his or her employee’s work for any public body on which he or she may serve.”
Employees are not allowed to accept gratuities, and are forbidden to falsify or exaggerate academic or professional accomplishments, and shall not associate with any “business venture by any person or company which he or she knows or has reason to believe is engaging in business or professional practices of a fraudulent or dishonest nature.”
Employees are also required to report any violations to the proper authorities. Violation of any of these terms is subject to discipline as outlined in the city’s personnel handbook.
The council, mayor, city manager and assistant city manager met with Mike O’Brien, the city attorney, during the executive session. O’Brien also gave a brief statement of appropriateness before the council adjourned.
Council President Horace Patterson said the two votes after the executive session were necessary to “make certain we are in compliance with the (Environmental Protection Agency) agreement.”
Although no specifics were discussed during the open portion of the council meeting, the compliance issues involved seem to stem from an agreement from 2007 over the illegal use of the Amanda Bingham (formerly Grant Street) well earlier in this decade.
Further coverage of Monday’s meeting will appear in Wednesday’s Daily Home.
This is the heading on the article that appears on the front page of the Daily Home today. Why it is not here on the online edition I don't know. Other that Water and sewer dept. employees there was poor attendance. Whether it was by improper notification to the public or people are not aware of the seriosness that our water and sewer system had fallen into ,I don't know the reason for the slim turn out. Please refresh yourself to the above article.
Also today in the letters to the editor section a great article about our city government and questions as to how and why the directer of the city's rezoning dept was selected over asst city manager Muenger. We just don't know and we need answers. Thank you Mr. Anderson for speaking out
Armgstrong-Osborne Public Library
June 14,2010
5:00 pm - MONDAY
Water and Sewer Department
Management Services
Privatization Proposed
Bond for Infrastruture Improvements
Proposed
Any questions,please contact Beth Cheeks,City Clerk at 256-362-8186 ext.1026
Thank you for the correction
above article - code of ethics most interesting