AURORA | A proposed ethics ordinance for Aurora elected officials will make its formal introduction at Monday’s Aurora City Council meeting.
The proposed ordinance from council members Charlie Richardson and Marsha Berzins already caused a stir in the council’s Oct. 23 study session. Council member Nicole Johnston also had an ethics ordinance in the works — something she said she’d pledged to work on even before being elected.
Johnston’s ordinance won’t be heard by the council, but she will be pushing amendments that reflect her version of an ethics code, which was circulated during a previous study session. It was a redlined version that was amended to show the changes that ultimately were in Richardson’s and Berzin’s version.
The amendments Johnston has submitted, according to the agenda, include applying the ethics ordinance to appointed board and committee members and select staff. The version being heard only applies to the city council and mayor.
Another amendment, if adopted, would require a five-member board of ethics to hear complaints and issues and make recommendations, instead of the retired judge the ordinance being considered would require.
Johnston also wishes to add a nepotism policy and a disclosure of conflicts of interest policy. The city currently adheres to a 2006 version of an ethics code that was in state law prior to the state adopting Amendment 41.
Those rules state that public officers should not “acquire or hold an interest in any business or undertaking which he has reason to believe may be directly and substantially affected to its economic benefit by official action to be taken by any agency over which he has substantive authority.”
The rules go on to forbid members from lobbying or soliciting lobbying business or contracts the council may take up or to “assist any person for a fee or other compensation in obtaining any contract, claim, license or other economic benefit from his agency.”
Richardson and Berzins presented their version of an ethics ordinance to the city council’s Management and Finance Policy Committee during the “miscellaneous” portion of the meeting. That also raised concerns among some city council members at the October study session.
Johnston, working with council member Angela Lawson, presented at an August Federal, State, and Intergovernmental Relations Policy Committee meeting.
Johnston said she wanted to have more stakeholder input before offering her own ordinance to the council, which wouldn’t be possible before council heard the version put forth by Richardson and Berzins.
During the study session, council members will hear an update on police pensions — which narrowly escaped a ballot question this year.
The City Council will also consider a rezoning ordinance and make appointments to various city boards and committees.
This story was updated to reflect that current ethics rules for the city council came from state law that existed prior to the adoption of Amendment 41.