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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Ethics Review Board - 06/02/2025 -June 2, 2025, 3:30 pm ETHICS REVIEW BOARD MEETING MINUTES COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT: Mayor Jeni Arndt, Councilmember Julie Pignataro, Councilmember Tricia Canonico STAFF PRESENT: Sarah Kane, Briana McCarten, Carrie Daggett OTHER PRESENT: Halee Wahl Call Meeting to Order Roll Call Approval of May 5, 2025, Minutes Councilmember Pignataro moved, seconded by Mayor Arndt, to approve the May 5, 2025, minutes. The motion passed unanimously. Gift Reporting City Attorney Carrie Daggett stated to the Ethics Review Board (ERB) that the purpose of the meeting is to review the City’s requirements around the acceptance of gifts, gift disclosures, and financial disclosures and to recommend changes. Daggett presented an overview of exceptions to gift restrictions that the ERB considered at its last meeting. Daggett provided an overview of Colorado law gift disclosure requirements. Pignataro expressed a desire to continue quarterly gift reporting. Pignataro expressed a desire to have the City’s gift reporting requirement mirror the gifts that are acceptable under the Code amendments. Items provided to councilmembers, such as memberships to a City facility and parking passes, are a benefit to Councilmembers and not gifts. The ERB all expressed their desire to revise the City’s code provision to set a gift acceptance threshold of $75 and mirror the State’s gift acceptance statute. The ERB discussed that items valued over $75 shouldn’t be accepted and that items under $75 in value do not need to be reported. Other gifts, as permitted by the proposed gift acceptance code amendments and over the $75 threshold, should be reported. Daggett suggested a councilmember does not need to report a charitable event ticket valued over $75 that is given to the City for the purpose of requesting representation by a councilmember at the event; the ERB agreed to such a provision. The ERB suggested to exclude the following from reporting requirements: • Scholarships and financial aid for educational purposes; • Tickets given to the City and distributed to councilmembers; • Prizes given at competitions or drawings open to the public; • Reasonable cost for conferences paid by for by the City, a City-owned entity, an organization to which the City belongs, or a governmental entity; • Compensation for speaking engagements paid to the City; • City-sponsored educational events; • Perishable or consumable gifts given to the City or a City group; • Gifts accepted in a person’s official capacity that will become property of the City; • Discounts that are available to all employees or the public generally; and • Exceptions approved by the ERB. The ERB suggests that the following should be reported: • Unsolicited items of value over $75; • Ticket or admission valued over $75 to a charity event attended on behalf of the City through an individual invitation; • Reasonable cost for conferences not paid by the City or a City-owned entity; and • Reasonable cost of meals and tickets above $75 if it does not affect a direct official action. Financial Disclosures Daggett presented an overview of the State’s and other municipalities’ categories of disclosure requirements. The ERB did not find value in reporting property owned outside of the growth management area and direct or indirect investment or interest, including stock investment, in a business located outside of the growth management area. The ERB believes the following should be reported: • Direct or indirect investment or interest, including stock investment, in a business located within the growth management area with a value over $15,000 (there is a desire for this amount to automatically adjust for inflation to a rounded number); and • Anything that could possibly impact a councilmember’s decision-making. • The name of all offices and directorships held in a councilmember’s personal capacity The ERB discussed the requirement to report the name of each of a councilmember’s creditors. There is a desire to adjust the dollar threshold for the amount of credit owed for inflation according to the Consumer Price Index and to a rounded number. Daggett stated that the attorney’s office will review and propose new timing for when the adjustment should occur and will explain their proposal at the next ERB meeting. The ERB suggested that disclosures should only apply to the reporting person and their spouses because the charter definition of conflict of interest only applies to the councilmember and their spouses. Disclosures should not apply to all other members of a reporting person’s household. The ERB wishes to continue to report any business in which the reporting person or their spouse is associated with that is regulated by the City. Draft Gift Restrictions Code Amendment The ERB did not discuss draft gift restriction code amendments because time did not permit. Other Business The ERB did not discuss any other business. Next Meeting The next ERB meeting is scheduled for Monday, July 7, 2025. Adjournment The meeting adjourned by unanimous consent at 4:52 p.m. Minutes approved by the Chair and a vote of the Board on July 7, 2025.