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HomeMy WebLinkAboutBoard of Ethics Rules of Procedure AUG 2025 APPROVED BY OCA v2 RULES OF PROCEDURE BOARD OF ETHICS OF THE CITY OF LANSING 1. Regular meetings of the Board of Ethics, also referred to below as the "Board", shall be held at 5:30 p.m. on the second Tuesday of every month at a place designated by the Presiding Officer of the Board or by a majority of the voting members of the Board. 2. Special meetings of the Board may be called by the Presiding Officer of the Board or any three voting members of the Board. A written notice of any such special meeting including the time, place and subject matter shall be provided to each member of the Board by one of the following methods: personally serving notice directly to such members of the Board; leaving at the private residence of such members at least twenty-four hours prior to the time of said meeting; by first class mail, postage prepaid and addressed to the home address of each such member with such mailing being made at least five days prior to the time of the meeting; or, if the voting member so designates, transmitting an email or other form of approved electronic communication to the point of contact that the member provides at least three days prior to the time of the meeting. 3. The requirement of proper notice to a member of a special meeting shall be waived by the attendance of such a member at the special meeting. 4. Notice of the time and place of all meetings shall be posted on the City Hall bulletin board on the first floor of the City Hall. The schedule of the regular meetings shall be posted within ten days after the first meeting in each calendar year. A change in the schedule of regular meetings shall be posted within three days after the meeting at which the change is made and a rescheduled regular or a special meeting shall be posted at least twenty-four (24) hours before the meeting. 5. All meetings shall be open to attendance by members of the public except when the Board enters closed session for a reason for which a closed session is permissible pursuant to the Open Meetings Act of the State of Michigan as it now exists and may be amended in the future. (PA 1976, No. 267, MCL 15.261 et seg.) 6. Each member of the public attending the meeting will have up to a total of three minutes to address the Board. The Presiding Officer may reduce the amount of time allowed for each speaker if the Presiding Officer determines that the number of registered speakers is so numerous that the meeting cannot be C:\Users\jabood\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\INetCache\Content.0utlook\7MUXHJZI\Board of Ethics Rules of Procedure APPROVED BY OCA v2.docx Approved by Board of Ethics 8/12/2025 concluded timely without a reduction in the time allocated for each speaker. 7. Any voting member of the Board who fails to attend three consecutive regular meetings of the Board without being excused from attendance by a vote of majority of the Board in attendance may be removed from the Board. Such removal may be effected by the majority vote of the remaining serving Board members. 7.1 Voting members of the Board shall be residents of the City of Lansing and shall hold no elective public office or other City of Lansing appointed office or employment. If, during a member's term on the board such member is elected to public office or becomes a city officer or employee, said member shall immediately upon taking such office or employment be disqualified as a Board member and said position shall automatically be deemed vacant and subject to appointment pursuant to section 5-502.2 of the Lansing City Charter for the unexpired portion of that member's term. 7.2 If an issue before the Board raises a conflict of interest for any member of the Board, such member shall announce the conflict and recuse themselves on that issue. 7.3 All voting members of the Board in attendance at a properly convened meeting of the Board shall vote on all matters before the Board unless excused from voting pursuant to Rule 7.2. 7.4 Except as provided in Rule 7.1 , a voting member of the Board shall hold office until a member's successor is appointed, unless that member has resigned or been removed. 8. The officers of the Board shall be the Chairperson, Vice Chairperson and Secretary. 8.1 The Chairperson shall preside over meetings. The Chairperson and Vice Chairperson shall be selected annually. The selection shall be made at the first regular meeting in June of each year and their term shall begin on July 1st. They shall be selected by an affirmative vote of a majority of the voting members serving. Their terms shall expire on June 3Oth of each year or upon the election of a successor, whichever occurs later; or upon resignation or removal of that person from the Board. The Chairperson or Vice Chairperson shall not serve C:\Users\jabood\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\INetCache\Content.Outlook\7MUXHJZI\Board of Ethics Rules of Procedure APPROVED BY OCA v2.docx Approved by Board of Ethics 8/12/2025 more than two consecutive terms in each respective position. 8.2 The Vice Chairperson shall preside and perform the duties of the Chairperson in the case of absence or inability of the Chairperson to perform their duties of the office. If the Chairperson is unable to complete the term of office, the Vice Chairperson shall assume the duties of the Chairperson. Fulfilling the unexpired term of the Chairperson or Vice Chairperson shall not be considered a term for purposes of computing two consecutive terms under subsection 8.1 . 8.3 The City Clerk shall be responsible for preparing and keeping the minutes and records of the Board and for such other administrative support as may be needed from time to time. The City Clerk shall be an ex officio non-voting member of the Board. 8.4 The City Attorney shall serve as legal advisor to the Board and shall be an ex officio non-voting member of the Board. 9. The minutes of the Board shall be kept in the office of the City Clerk and shall be available for inspection by members of the public except for the minutes of closed sessions which were closed pursuant to the Open Meetings Act of the State of Michigan. All other records of the Board shall be available for inspection and duplication by the public unless the release of such records to the public is prohibited by Lansing Ordinance or other law or unless the law permits such records to be withheld from the public and the Board approves the withholding of such records. 10. A majority of the voting members serving shall constitute a quorum for conducting business at a meeting of the Board. 11 . Any action of the Board shall require the concurrence of the majority of the voting members serving on the Board at a duly constituted and convened meeting of the Board. 12. The Board shall consider all requests for opinions at the next meeting following receipt of the request. 12.1 All requests for opinions shall be submitted in writing to the Lansing City Clerk. 12.2 Each request for an opinion shall be signed by the person making C:\Users\jabood\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\INetCache\Content.0utlook\7MUXHJZI\Board of Ethics Rules of Procedure APPROVED BY OCA v2.docx Approved by Board of Ethics 8/12/2025 the request. 12.3 Upon receipt of a request for an opinion, the City Clerk shall forthwith forward a copy of such a request to each member. At the next meeting following receipt of a request for an opinion, the Board shall determine whether or not it will render an opinion in response to the request and whether the opinion will be formal or informal pursuant to the Lansing City Charter and the Lansing Code of Ordinances. 12.4 In the event the Board elects to prepare an opinion in response to a request, the City Attorney shall, prior to the next meeting of the Board after the decision to render the opinion is made, research all legal aspects of the opinion requested and prepare a legal memorandum to all members setting forth the results of that research and making such recommendations as the City Attorney shall deem advisable. A copy of that memorandum shall be provided to all members of the Board and the City Attorney or the attorney assigned shall be present at said meeting to advise the Board. 12.5 No opinion shall be rendered by the Board unless the substance and final text is debated and agreed to at a duly constituted and convened meeting by a majority of the voting members serving. 12.6 Preliminary drafts and research memoranda prepared in connection with any request for an opinion shall not constitute the view or position of the Board or the City of Lansing nor shall any memorandum or draft opinion be released or made available for inspection by the public unless such inspection or release is approved by a majority of the serving members at a duly constituted and convened meeting or unless such disclosure is ordered by a court of law or administrative agency with competent jurisdiction to make such an order or unless the City Attorney advises in writing that the release or inspection of such papers is legally required. 12.7 The approval of an opinion of the Board shall be by roll call vote which shall be recorded in the minutes. 12.8 All points of procedure not specifically covered in this document shall be determined by reference to Roberts Rules of Order. 13. On a tie vote a motion is lost and no action of the Board has been taken. C:\Users\jabood\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\INetCache\Content.0utlook\7MUXHJZI\Board of Ethics Rules of Procedure APPROVED BY OCA v2.docx Approved by Board of Ethics 8/12/2025 14. Opinions of the Board shall be issued and dealt with in a manner least likely to reveal the identity of the person concerned. Upon receipt of an opinion request the City Clerk may, in their discretion, delete the name of the person involved, substituting therefore any other designation which is not likely to be confused with any other person. 15. At the first meeting of each calendar year, the Board shall request the City Clerk to provide the Board with any documents required to be filed under ordinances adopted by the City of Lansing for the purpose of establishing standards of conduct for officers and employees. Upon receipt of such documents, the Board shall review the same in a timely fashion and may take such action regarding said documents as it deems proper. 16. Nothing contained in these rules of procedure shall alter or amend the duties, functions and authority of the Board as is prescribed in the Lansing City Charter and the Lansing Code of Ordinances. 17. These rules of procedure may be amended by the Board by a majority vote of the voting members serving during any regular meeting, provided that all members were provided three days prior to said meeting with the full text of proposed amendment. As set forth in the City Charter, revised rules of procedure shall be submitted to the City Attorney for approval as to form. The rules shall then be submitted to the City Clerk for transmission to the City Council. The rules shall be effective at the conclusion of the Council meeting at which they are received unless the Council directs otherwise. Y~ •* R 0 V FO 0 C:\Users\jabood\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\INetCache\Content.0utlook\7MUXHJZI\Board of Ethics ul o Procedure APPROVED BY OCA v2.docx Approved by Board of Ethics 8/12/2025