AGENDA #4L
to: Roger L. Stancil, Town Manager
from: Kay Johnson, Finance Director
subject: Downtown Parking Citizens Committee Conflict of Interest Policy
date: October 9, 2006
PURPOSE
The purpose of this report is to recommend that the Council make explicit its intent to permit members of the Downtown Parking Citizens Committee to discuss, advocate, and vote on issues where the members have what might be construed to be a conflict of interest.
The Town Council established a Downtown Parking Citizens Committee on May 8, 2006, to make recommendations on parking to the Council. The Council adopted a resolution that specifically requested representatives from various constituencies for the Committee as follows:
By Council policy, advisory board members are required to agree to follow Town ethics guidelines for Town Advisory Boards and Commissions. Those guidelines state that members of advisory boards should recuse themselves from discussing, advocating or voting in cases of conflict of interest.
DISCUSSION
Since the Council specifically intended that members of the Downtown Parking Citizens Committee represent parties with stated interests in downtown parking, we recommend that the Council adopt the attached resolution affirming that the Ethics Guidelines for Town Advisory Boards and Commissions regarding conflict of interest do not apply to the members of the Parking Committee to the extent that the members would not be able to discuss, advocate or vote on general issues related to the purpose of the Committee. Members would be expected to be excused from consideration of a topic where there was a direct financial impact such as ownership of a specific parcel being evaluated.
That the Council adopt the attached resolution.
1. Memorandum of May 8, 2006 (p. 4).
2. Ethics Guidelines for Town Advisory Boards and Commission (p. 10).