The city’s Board of Ethics said Wednesday that it would offer more ethics training sessions and better monitor the attendance of the 17 City Council members.
A review this month found sporadic attendance by Council members over the last five years and some years in which training sessions — mandated annually by the city ethics code — were not offered. On Wednesday, the board vowed to make training available several times a year and to more closely track who attends.
Starting this month, staff from the Ethics Board will send to each Council member a letter about the mandatory training, deputy executive director Nedda G. Massar said at the meeting.
“The code establishes members are required to take annual training," Massar said, "and that’s a mandate that has not been met.”
The letter will provide information about available training dates and ask the Council member to respond with a preferred session. Council members who do not respond will be sent a reminder. Following all the available training, board staff will reach out to any members who did not attend, alerting them to a make-up session.
If a Council member still doesn’t comply, he or she could face a fine.
The annual training requirement also pertains to all elected city officials, cabinet members, department heads, and members of advisory boards and commissions.
It’s not just City Council whose attendance has lapsed. The city has more than a dozen boards and commissions, with hundreds of members on each. With only one staff member dedicated to training, it is nearly impossible to get to everyone, Massar said.
In addition to the recurring training, each year about 1,300 new employees get an ethics primer.
An online system could help with all ethics training needs. In the next two to three months, Massar expects the board will enroll in a city-wide “Learning Management System,” which would allow people to register for training online and staff to track who has completed what. The board is hoping to hire an additional staff person to help with training.
Councilman Kenyatta Johnson introduced a bill last month doubling down on the existing regulations for Council members and additionally requiring Council staff to attend training every year.
Shane Creamer, executive director of the Ethics Board, said after the meeting that he was all for more training but that the issue was capacity.
“I certainly appreciate the intention there, which is to make sure everyone knows the rules and gets annual reminders, and I think that's a valid idea,” Creamer said. “Whether that’s necessary for all staff may not be the case... but we’re happy to talk about that requirement and, if necessary, certainly with online training on the horizon we’d be able to accommodate that much easier.”
The board on Wednesday also voted to offer a decreased payment plan for fines to people who submit campaign-finance reports late. Under the new protocol, a first-time filer who pays within 30 days would avoid fines. A first-time offender who pays within 30 days would be offered decreased fines.
The penalties would still be made public, but the process would simplify things for the board, which previously handled late filers through a lengthier settlement agreement process.
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