Today the Phoenix, Arizona City Council is expected to vote on whether to create a city ethics commission and whether to add a gift policy to its ethics policies.

According to the council’s agenda for the meeting, the proposed gift policy identifies permissible and prohibited gifts for elected officials, employees, board members, and volunteers.

It also identifies permissible gifts to elected officials required to be disclosed on a form submitted to and posted by the city clerk.

According to AZCentral.com, the proposed ordinance would allow officials to avoid disclosing event tickets, food, drinks, transportation, or lodging they received as long as such gifts were related to economic development, tourism promotion, or a sister-cities program.

If passed, the ordinance would also create an ethics commission authorized to receive allegations of ethical violations, investigate, take testimony, and engage in any other activity in order to oversee the investigation and enforcement of the gift policy and other conflicts of interest.

The meeting is scheduled to start at 3:00 p.m.

The Chicago Board of Ethics recently posted two new publications on its website, both of which outline ethics restrictions for city officials.

The first addresses, among other things, general conflicts of interest, lobbying on behalf of others, financial interests in city contracts, financial disclosure requirements, gifts, revolving door provisions, and penalties for ethics violations.

The second addition is a publication delineating what city employees and officials may or may not do in terms of contracting with the city.

Both documents are intended to provide a basic understanding of ethics rules and are not deemed legal advice.

State Rep. Mike Reynolds is criticizing officials at the state Ethics Commission for offering proposed changes to lobbyist reporting and registration, conflict of interest, and financial disclosure rules.

According to Reynolds, “the Ethics Commission seems to be declaring open season for lobbyists on elected officials” as the proposed changes “. . . have the potential of increasing lobbyists’ gifts to lawmakers by hundreds of thousands of dollars each year.”

Opponents of the proposed changes argue expansion of the current guidelines will increase undue influence on elected officials and reduce the efficacy of the commission in and of itself.

Trenton’s recently established ethics board passed the city’s first code of ethics last week. The long-awaited code outlines behavioral guidelines for elected officials, city employees, and representatives serving on city boards. Included are provisions regarding conflicts of interest, receipt of gifts, and financial disclosure.

Additionally, the code permits the ethics board to investigate possible ethics violations.

The code will go to the state Department of Community Affairs before it is enacted and added to the code book.

South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley has created an independent commission responsible for making recommendations to reform state ethics and open records laws.

The executive order establishes an 11-member panel to review several ethics areas including conflict of interest rules, lobbying regulation, and enforcement of existing laws.

The governor expects a report from the commission by January 28, 2013, just weeks after the beginning of the next legislative session.

Photo of Governor Haley courtesy of Albert N. Milliron on Wikipedia.

WAYNE COUNTY, MICHIGAN:  Wayne County will have a comprehensive ethics ordinance in place within the next 90 days, according to Wayne County Commission Chairman Gary Woronchak.

Commission attorneys are currently working on a draft of a Wayne County ethics ordinance. Hearings are expected in January, with final approval targeted for February.

The ordinance seeks to set enhanced standards of conduct for officials and employees and rules for disclosure designed to avoid conflicts of interest and improper business practices.