HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 2017-11-7
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Ethics Review Board Meeting Minutes
November 7, 2017
4:00 p.m.
Members in Attendance: Board members Ray Martinez, Kristin Stephens and Ross Cunniff (as
alternate).
Staff in Attendance: Carrie Daggett, City Attorney; Jeanne Sanford, Paralegal, Tyler Marr, Ginny
Sawyer, City Manager’s Office,
Also Present: Kevin Jones, Fort Collins Chamber of Commerce.
A meeting of the City Council Ethics Review Board (“Board”) was held on Tuesday, November
7, 2017, in the City Attorney’s Office Large Conference Room, for review of recommended
amendments to City Code Section 2-568(c)(2) in preparation for Council consideration.
The meeting began at 4:04 p.m. The Board reviewed the Agenda which contained the following
items:
1. Review and approval of the March 21, 2017 Minutes of the Ethics Review Board.
2. Review of recommended amendments to City Code Section 2-568(c)(2) in preparation for
Council consideration.
3. Other Business.
4. Adjournment.
Chair Martinez stated that this was an Ethics Review Board meeting on November 7, 2017 at 4:04
p.m., and after roll call, declared that a quorum of the Board was present with Ray Martinez and
Ross Cunniff present to act as alternate for Ken Summers.
Chair Martinez called for the approval of the March 21, 2017 Minutes. Councilmember Cunniff
moved approval and Chair Martinez seconded. The Board unanimously approved the March 21,
2017, Minutes.
Chair Martinez then called for and read the second agenda item which was review and
recommendation of amendments to City Code Section 2-568(c)(2 in preparation for Council
consideration.
Chair Martinez called for the record to reflect that Ken Summers has asked Ross Cunniff to
participate in this Ethics Review Board meeting in his role as alternate. Chair Martinez and
Councilmember Cunniff asked City Attorney Daggett to meet one-on-one with Councilmember
Summers to bring him up to speed on the issues and to circle back to the Board if he had any
questions.
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Chair Martinez then asked if City Attorney Daggett had any presentations. Ms. Daggett explained
that part of the reason this meeting was scheduled was due to the fact that it had been since last
spring since the Ethics Review Board acted on the recommendation for Code changes to go
forward to Council. Ms. Daggett explained not too long after that, she received feedback calling
for more public outreach on items the City Attorney’s Office was in the lead on. After a series of
conversations about that particular question with the City’s Public involvement office, the group
realized that part of the public process is really the Ethics Review Board and due to the fact there
is a new member on the Board, staff wanted to make sure we gave the public an additional chance
to chime in about this matter before it went to Council.
Councilmember Cunniff asked if the draft ordinance language was the same language that was
reviewed last meeting?
City Attorney Daggett stated yes and reminded the Board that there was an ethics opinion about a
year earlier, in which the Board noticed there really was no guidance to Council when a conflict
of interest was declared and there would be a benefit to clarifying what exactly Councilmembers
can and cannot do when they have declared a conflict of interest. Ms. Daggett explained there
were a number of meetings on that issue, so there were many different versions of language drafted,
reviewed and discussed on this topic. The Code amendment language that is stated in the March
21, 2017 Minutes is the language the Board settled on.
Ms. Daggett stated the current Code language is very minimal and the new language adds more
detail in its place.
Ginny Sawyer asked City Attorney Daggett for an explanation of City Code Section 2-568(c)(4)
and (5) to bring her up to speed. Ms. Daggett read the pertinent Code sections and discussed the
matter. Ms. Sawyer asked if this was already a scheduled agenda item. Ms. Daggett explained
that due to timing, the matter would be brought before either the December 5th or December 19th
Council session.
Ms. Daggett then noted for the record that staff members Ginny Sawyer and/or Tyler Marr would
now be participating in Ethics Review Board meetings due to the public outreach discussion which
identified the need to have staff counterparts actively work with the Ethics Review Board.
Chair Martinez made a motion to adjourn and Councilmember Cunniff seconded the motion. The
Board voted unanimously to adopt Chair Martinez’s Motion to adjourn the meeting.
Meeting adjourned at 4:24 p.m.
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Carrie M. Daggett, City Attorney