Source: https://ecode360.com/11781101
Timestamp: 2019-02-19 06:54:22
Document Index: 388806563

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 44', '§ 44', '§ 44', '§ 44', '§ 44', '§ 44', '§ 44', '§ 44', '§ 44', '§ 44', '§ 44', '§ 44', '§ 44', '§ 44', '§ 44', '§ 44', '§ 44', '§ 44', '§ 44', '§ 44', '§ 44']

City of Crisfield, MD Ethics
§ 44-2 Applicability.
§ 44-3 Ethics Commission.
§ 44-4 Definitions; conflicts of interest.
§ 44-5 Financial disclosure by local elected officials and candidates to be local elected officials.
§ 44-6 Financial disclosure by employees and appointed officials.
§ 44-7 Lobbying.
§ 44-8 Exemptions and modifications.
§ 44-9 Enforcement.
[HISTORY: Adopted by the Mayor and Council of the City of Crisfield 9-14-2011 by Ord. No. 598.[1] Amendments noted where applicable.]
Editor's Note: This ordinance also repealed former Ch. 44, Ethics, adopted 9-24-1980 by Ord. No. 348, as amended.
This chapter may be cited as the "Crisfield Public Ethics Ordinance."
The provisions of this chapter apply to all City elected officials, employees, and appointees to boards and commissions of the City.
There is a Crisfield Ethics Commission that consists of three members appointed by the Mayor.
Devise, receive, maintain, and from time to time revise all forms required by this chapter;
Develop procedures and policies for the processing of complaints to make appropriate determinations regarding complaints filed by any person alleging violations of this chapter;
Conduct a public information program regarding the purposes and application of this chapter; and
Provide, within its discretion, published advisory opinions, if, upon review of any statement filed pursuant to §§ 44-5, 44-6 and 44-7, the Commission finds that the person filing the statement should be disqualified from participation under this chapter.
The City Attorney shall advise the Commission.
The Commission shall certify to the State Ethics Commission on or before October 1 of each year that the City is in compliance with the requirements of the General Provisions Article, Title 5, Subtitle 8, Annotated Code of Maryland, for elected local officials.
[Amended 5-23-2018 by Ord. No. 673]
The Commission shall determine if changes to this chapter are required to be in compliance with the requirements of the General Provisions Article, Title 5, Subtitle 8, Annotated Code of Maryland, and shall forward any recommended changes and amendments to the City Council for enactment.
The following are definitions applicable to § 44-4:
"Business entity" means any:
General or limited partnership;
Unincorporated association or firm;
Other organization, whether or not operated for profit.
A business entity does not include a governmental entity.
Ownership of any interest, as the result of which the owner has received, within the past three years, or is presently receiving, or in the future is entitled to receive, more than $1,000 per year; or
Ownership, or the ownership of securities of any kind representing or convertible into ownership, of more than 3% of a business entity by a public figure or spouse of a public figure.
A thing or service of value to which the recipient has no legal or equitable entitlement.
"Gift" does not include a political campaign contribution regulated under the Election Law Article, Annotated Code of Maryland, or any other provision of state or local law regulating the conduct of elections or the receipt of political campaigns.
"Official" means any:
City elected official; or
Person appointed to any City board or commission.
"Qualified relative" means a:
All City elected officials, officials appointed to City boards and commissions, and employees are subject to this section.
Participation prohibitions. An official or employee may not participate in:
Any matter or municipal proceeding in which, to the knowledge of the official or employee, the official or employee, or a qualified relative of the official or employee has a proprietary, monetary, or beneficial interest.
Any matter in which any of the following is a party:
A business entity in which the official or employee has, or within one year immediately preceding the matter, had a direct financial interest of which the official or employee may reasonably be expected to know;
A business entity for which the official or employee was an officer, director, trustee, partner or employee within one year immediately preceding the matter;
A business entity, doing business with the City in which a direct financial interest is owned by another business entity in which the official or employee has a direct financial interest, if the official or employee may be reasonably expected to know of both direct financial interests; or
The prohibitions of Subsection C(1) and (2) of this section do not apply if:
The official or employee is exercising an administrative or ministerial duty that does not affect the disposition or decision of the matter; or
Participation is allowed by regulation or opinion of the Commission.
A former regulated lobbyist who is or becomes subject to this chapter as an employee or official, other than an elected official or an appointed official, may not participate in a case, contract, or other specific matter as an employee or official, other than an elected official or appointed official, for or one calendar year after the termination or the resignation of the former regulated lobbyist if the former regulated lobbyist previously assisted or represented another party for compensation in the matter.
[Added 5-23-2018 by Ord. No. 673]
Except as permitted by regulation of the Commission when the interest is disclosed, an official or employee may not:
Until the conclusion of the next regular session that begins after the elected official leaves office, a former member of the City Council may not assist or represent another party for compensation in a matter that is the subject of legislative action.
An official or employee may not intentionally use the prestige of office or public position:
For the private gain of that official or employee or the private gain of another; or
To influence, except as part of the official duties of the official or employee or as a usual and customary constituent service without additional compensation, the award of a state or local contract to a specific person.
An official or employee may not directly solicit or facilitate the solicitation of a gift, on behalf of another person, from a lobbyist.
An individual or a person that employs an individual who assists a City agency in the drafting of specifications, an invitation for bids, or a request for proposals for a procurement may not submit a bid or proposal for that procurement or assist or represent another person, directly or indirectly, who is submitting a bid or proposal for the procurement.
Except as provided in Subsection C of this section, a local elected official or a candidate to be a local elected official shall file the financial disclosure statement required under this section:
An incumbent local elected official shall file a financial disclosure statement annually no later than April 30 of each year for the preceding calendar year defined as January 1 through December 31.
May file the statement required under § 44-5C(2)(a) of this chapter with the City Clerk or Board of Election Supervisors with the certificate of candidacy or with the Commission prior to filing the certificate of candidacy; and
Shall file the statements required under § 44-5C(2)(b) and (c) with the Commission.
The City Clerk or Board of Election Supervisors may not accept any certificate of candidacy unless a statement has been filed in proper form.
Within 30 days of the receipt of a statement required under this section, the City Clerk or Board of Election Supervisors shall forward the statement to the Commission or the office designated by the Commission.
Upon request by the official or employee whose financial disclosure statement was examined or copied, the Commission or the office designated by the Commission shall provide the official or employee with a copy of the name and home address of the person who reviewed the official or employee's financial disclosure statement.
For each interest reported under this Subsection F(2), the schedule shall include:
An individual may satisfy the requirement to report the amount of the interest held under Subsection F(1)(b)[2] of this section by reporting, instead of a dollar amount:
A statement filed under this section shall include a schedule of all interests in any business entity that does business with the City, other than interests reported under Subsection F(2) of this section.
For each interest reported under this Subsection F(3), the schedule shall include:
For each position reported under this Subsection F(5), the schedule shall include:
Indebtedness to entities doing business with or regulated by the individual's City unit or department.
A statement filed under this section shall include a schedule of all liabilities, excluding retail credit accounts, to persons doing business with or regulated by the individual's City unit or department owed at any time during the reporting period:
For each liability reported under this Subsection F(6)(a), the schedule shall include:
A statement filed under this section shall include a schedule of the immediate family members of the individual employed by the City in any capacity at any time during the reporting period.
For a statement filed on or after January 1, 2019, if the individual's spouse is a lobbyist regulated by the City, the individual shall disclose the entity that has engaged the spouse for lobbying purposes.
For the purposes of § 44-5F(1), (2), and (3) of this chapter, the following interests are considered to be the interests of the individual making the statement:
Review of financial disclosure statements; enforcement.
This section only applies to all appointed officials and employees.
On or before April 30 of each year during which an official or employee holds office, an official or employee shall file a statement disclosing gifts received during the preceding calendar year from any person that contracts with or is regulated by the City, including the name of the donor of the gift and the approximate retail value at the time of receipt.
The Commission shall maintain all disclosure statements filed under this section as public records available for public inspection and copying as provided in § 44-5F and G of this chapter.
In connection with the intent to influence, expends or reasonably expects to expend in a given calendar year in excess of $100 on food, entertainment, or other gifts for officials or employees of City.
Contents of registration statement; registration period covered.
The value, date, and nature of any food, entertainment, or other gift provided to a City official or employee; and
If a gift or series of gifts to a single official or employee exceeds $25 in value, the identity of the official or employee.
The Commission may grant exemptions and modifications to the provisions of §§ 44-4 and 44-6 of this chapter to any employee and appointed member of the City Planning and Zoning Commission and the City Board of Zoning Appeals when the Commission finds that an exemption or modification would not be contrary to the purposes of this chapter, and the application of this chapter would:
Assess a late fee of $2 per day up to a maximum of $250 for a failure to timely file a financial disclosure statement required under § 44-5 or 44-6 of this chapter;
Assess a late fee of $10 per day up to a maximum of $250 for a failure to file a timely lobbyist registration or lobbyist report required under § 44-7 of this chapter; and
If the Commission finds that a respondent has violated § 44-7 of this chapter, the Commission may:
Require a respondent who is a registered lobbyist to file any additional reports or information that reasonably related to the information that is required under § 44-7 of this chapter;
Suspend the registration of an individual registered lobbyist if the Commission finds that the lobbyist has knowingly and willfully violated § 44-7 of this chapter or has been convicted of a criminal offense arising from lobbying activities.
Upon request by the Commission, the City Attorney may file a petition for injunctive or other relief in the Circuit Court of Somerset County, or in any other court having proper venue for the purpose of requiring compliance with the provisions of this chapter.
Violation of § 44-7 of this chapter shall be a misdemeanor subject to a fine of up to $10,000 or imprisonment of up to one year.