Ethics Code procedures to be updated

(5/27) Noting that the Town’s Ethics Code was due for an update, the Town Council approved an ordinance to amend Chapter 26 of the Town Code, "The Code of Ethics."

The Code of Ethics sets forth values, ethical principles, and ethical standards to which professionals aspire and by which their actions can be judged, as defined by the National Association of Social Workers.

Walkersville Ethics Committee is comprised of three members: Chairman Ronald Layman, Ralph Whitmore, and Daniel Yeeles, as well as a vacant alternate position who each serve two years.

Members of the Ethics Committee are required to meet at least once a year. Their duties include, among other things, enforcement and administration of the Code of Ethics, the development of associated procedures and policies, and the processing of complaints fielded by the public or Town staff alleging ethics violations by Town officials.

Town Manager Sean Williams said that the Ethics Committee is a unique committee because they are volunteers receiving no monetary compensation, unlike the Town’s other committees.

Williams explained that, in the past, the discussion to pay said members has occurred; however, it was determined that "it would be unethical to pay Ethics Committee members. The three members aren’t too put out by not being paid," he said with a smile.

According to Williams, most of the changes to the current Ethics Code are centered around forms that the Town staff and other elected officials must complete each year. These include both financial disclosures and reporting the receipt of gifts.

Williams also said that some of the changes restrict the information an Ethics Committee member may share if information is asked about a Town staff member or official. Specifically, information is restricted from "medical providers, state governmental entities, or local neighboring municipalities or a quasi-governmental entity which performs a public function and that is supported in whole or in part by the State but is managed privately."

The motion to amend the ordinance was approved unanimously and a public hearing will be scheduled to gather public input on the proposed changes, as well as to solicit additional changes.