Bernalillo County Commissioner Maggie Hart Stebbins will present a comprehensive, updated County Code of Ethics to govern County elected officials and employees at today’s Administrative Meeting. The Bernalillo County Board of Commissioners will vote on whether to publish the new ethics ordinance for public comment and will cast a final vote on the proposal at the November 24th meeting.
Commissioner Hart Stebbins stated that the proposal is a proactive step to establish clear, consistent, and enforceable ethical standards for the County. “The County’s ethics ordinance was last updated in the mid 1970’s. There’s a clear need to bring Bernalillo County into the 21st century so that we’re in compliance with state law and taxpayers are confident that county resources are being used appropriately.”
Key provisions in the bill include:
- Terms and appointment criteria for members of the County Ethics Board;
- A complaints process that protects whistleblowers from retribution, sends complaints to the County’s external audit staff for evaluation, and forwards to the County Ethics Board all complaints that are found to have merit; and
- Standards of conduct for County elected officials, employees, and volunteers.
According to Commissioner Hart Stebbins, the new ordinance is not in response to any particular complaint. “Our current ethics ordinances are vague and out of date. This new ordinance will make clear what is acceptable conduct and how we handle violations of the public trust. It benefits everyone to have the rules spelled out.”
10/13/2009