2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-ONE - Municipalities (§§ 1-4 — 6756) › Subtitle 6 - Autonomous Municipalities (§§ 4001 — 4990-4990j) › Chapter 223 - Municipal Personnel (§§ 4551 — 4579) › § 4561 - Employees—Duties and obligations

In addition to any other duties that may be established by law, ordinance or regulations, all municipal officials and employees, regardless of the service to which they belong and the legal status they hold, shall have the following duties and obligations:
(a) Municipal officials and employees shall:
(1) Attend work punctually and regularly and comply with the established working day.
(2) Behave courteously, correctly and respectfully in their relations with supervisors, fellow workers and citizens.
(3) Diligently and efficiently carry out the tasks and functions assigned to their position and any others that are compatible with those, that are assigned to them.
(4) Obey their supervisor’s orders and instructions that are compatible with the authority delegated upon them, and with the municipal functions, activities and operations.
(5) Maintain the confidentiality of those matters related to their work unless permission or a petition from a competent authority is received which requires them to reveal any matter. None of the above shall impair the rights of the citizens who have access to the documents and other information of a public nature.
(6) Carry out work during non-working hours when the needs of the service require it, and with adequate and reasonable advance notice.
(7) Watch over, preserve and safeguard public documents, goods and interests that are in their custody.
(8) Comply with the provisions of this subtitle and with the ordinances, rules and orders adopted by virtue hereof.
(9) Comply with the ethical and moral standards of conduct established in §§ 1801 et seq. of Title 3, known as “Ethics in Government Act of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico”, and any other standard established by the Puerto Rico Government Ethics Office, by virtue of said sections.
(b) Municipal officials or employees, regardless of the service to which they belong or the legal status they have, shall be subject to the prohibitions that are established in §§ 1821 et seq. of Title 3, and shall be subject to the following prohibitions:
(1) They shall not conduct themselves in a way that is improper or injurious to the good name of the municipality or the Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
(2) They shall not incur any act of prevarication, bribery, or immoral conduct.
(3) They shall not perform any act that prevents the implementation of this subtitle and the rules adopted pursuant hereto, nor shall they knowingly make or accept any false statement or report with regard to any matter covered by this subtitle.
(4) They shall not give nor pay, offer, solicit nor accept directly or indirectly, any money, or services or any other thing of value or change of eligibility, appointment, promotion, or other personnel action.
(5) They shall not perform or attempt to perform any deceit or fraud in the information submitted in any request for examination.
(6) They shall not be remiss in the duties and obligations established in this subtitle or in the regulations adopted by virtue hereof.
(7) They shall not certify, approve, or make any payment whatsoever for personal services in behalf of any person who holds a position in the municipal personnel administration system, unless said person has been appointed pursuant to the provisions of this subtitle and the regulations adopted hereunder.
(8) They shall not certify, approve or perform any personnel action whatsoever in violation of the provisions of this subtitle and the regulations and norms that are adopted pursuant to it or any other law, regulations or norms that apply to said personnel action.
(9) They shall not incur conduct that constitutes sexual [harassment] in the workplace.
(10) They shall not execute any public work whatsoever, nor acquire any products or materials without holding public bidding, except in the cases and in the manner authorized by law.
(11) They shall not sell municipal bonds or notes without holding public bidding except in the cases and in the manner authorized by law.
(12) They shall not execute contracts, incur obligations in excess of what is authorized by law, or regulations, for the use of items consigned in the budget.
(13) They shall not authorize the payment of debts or obligations contracted irregularly in a previous year, to be charged to budgeted items of a subsequent year, unless said debts or obligations were authorized in the manner provided in this subtitle.
(14) They shall not dispose of any motor vehicle under the provisions of subsection (c) of Section 5-710 of Act No. 141 of July 20, 1960, without complying with the requirement of public bidding, or shall fail to comply with any other obligation imposed by virtue of said subsection.
(15) They shall not fail to produce and submit the reports required by mandate of law or regulations.
History —Aug. 30, 1991, No. 81, § 12.011, renumbered as § 11.011 on Jan. 10, 1999, No. 30, § 3.