The fact that county employees may engage in outside employment which is related to work performed for the county does not necessarily result in a conflict of interest. If the outside employment activity involves clientele who may also be served by the county employee's agency, the county employee must disclose and recuse from participating in any official actions relating to these clientele. An Environmental Health Specialist in the Department of Public Health serves as an in-house consultant to King County residents, and advises on indoor air quality issues.
King County exercises no regulatory authority with regard to indoor air quality.
The employee proposes to engage in outside employment for a laboratory where he would serve as the lead indoor air quality consultant. The King County Code of Ethics limits outside employment when such employment conflicts, or would appear to conflict, with official duties and responsibilities, or when such employment could result in special treatment, competitive advantage, or the enhancement of a private interest at the expense of the public interest. The fact that a county employee engages in outside work related to his or her expertise is not a conflict, unless incompatible with official duties and responsibilities, or in circumstances where impartial and independent judgement may be impair. This situation is most likely to arise when the county employee participates in county actions which relate to the conduct of business with an outside employer. The county employee in this instance has no official duties and responsibilities relating to his prospective outside employer, and the outside employer is not listed on any referral list which the employee may provide to the public.