HomeMy WebLinkAboutBoard of Ethics Rules of Procedures all past versionsRULES OF PROCEDURE
BOARD OF ETHICS OF THE CITY OF LANSING
1. Regular meetings of the Board of Ethics shall be held at 5:30 p.m. on the second
Tuesday of every month at the Chambers of the City Council or at such other place as may
be designated by the presiding officer of the Board of Ethics or by a majority of the voting
members of the Board of Ethics.
2. Special meetings of the Board of Ethics may be called by the presiding officer
of the Board of Ethics or any three voting members of the Board of Ethics. Notice of any
such special meeting shall be provided to each member of the Board of Ethics by
personally serving notice of the time, place and subject matter of such special meeting on
each member or, alternatively, by leaving a written copy of the notice of the time, place and
subject matter of the meeting atthe private residence of such members at least twenty-four
hours prior to the time of said meeting or by sending notice of the time, place and subject
matter of such a meeting to each member of the Board of Ethics by first class mail, postage
prepaid 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, by transmitting a facsimile to the number that the member provides of notice
of the time, place and subject matter of such a meeting at least three days prior to the time
of the meeting. 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.
3. Notice of the time and place of all meetings of the Board of Ethics shall be
posted on the City Hall bulletin board on the first floor of City Hall. The schedule of the
regular meetings shall be so posted within ten days after the first meeting in each calendar
year. A change in the schedule of regular meetings shall be so posted within three days
after the meeting at which the change is made and a rescheduled regular or a special
meeting shall be so posted at least eighteen hours before the meeting.
4. All meetings shall be open to attendance by members of the public except where
the Board enters executive session for a reason for which an executive 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 seq.)
5. Any member of the public so desiring will be permitted to address the Board at
any open meeting of the Board of Ethics subject to any time limit imposed by the board.
6. Any voting member of the Board of Ethics who fails to attend three consecutive
meetings of the Board without being excused from attendance [by a vote of majority of the
Board] may be removed from the Board of Ethics. Such removal may be effected by the
majority vote of the remaining voting Board members of the Board of Ethics.
Page 1 of 6 Pages
7.1 Voting Members of the board of ethics shall be residents of the city of lansing
and shall hold no elective public office or other city office or employment. If, during a public
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 of ethics member and said position shall 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 beforethe board of ethics involves any member of the board, such
member shall not participate in board deliberations pertaining to the member's issue and
said member shall be ineligible to vote on any action concerning the issue.
7.3 All voting members of the board of ethics in attendance at a properly
convened meeting of the board shall vote on all matters before the board unless recused
from voting on a particular matter.
7.4 Except as provided in subsection 7.1 of these rules of procedure, a voting
member of the board of ethics shall hold office until a member's successor is appointed,
unless that member has resigned or been removed.
8. The officers of the Board of Ethics shall be a Chairperson, Vice Chairperson and
Secretary.
8.1 The Chairperson shall preside over all meetings of the Board of Ethics and
shall be selected annually for a term of one year from among the voting members of the
Board of Ethics. The chairperson and vice chairperson shall be selected at the first regular
meeting in july of each year by the affirmative vote of a majority of the VOTING members
of the Board of Ethics. The chairperson or vice chairperson shall not serve more than two
consecutive terms in each respective position.
8.2 The terms of office for the Chairperson and Vice Chairperson shall expire
upon the date of June 30th of each year or the election of a successor whichever shall later
occur OR upon resignation or removal of that person from the Board of Ethics.
8.3 The Vice Chairperson shall preside and perform the duties of the Chairperson
in the case of the absence of or inability of the Chairperson to perform his or her duties.
If the chairperson is unable to complete the term of office, the vice chairperson shall
assume the duties of the chair. 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.
Page 2 of 6 Pages
8.4 The recording Secretary of the Board of Ethics shall be the City Clerk who
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 member of the board.
8.5 The city attorney shall serve.as legal advisor to the board ofethics and shall
be an ex officio member of the board.
9. The minutes of the Board of Ethics 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
Executive sessions which were closed pursuant to the Open Meetings act of the State of
Michigan. All other records of the Board of Ethics shall be available for inspection and
duplication by the public unless the release of such records to the public is prohibited by
law or unless law permits such records to be withheld from the public and the Board of
Ethics approves the withholding of such records.
10. A majority of the voting members seated on the board of ethics shall
constitute a quorum for conducting business at a meeting of the board.
11. Any action of the Board of Ethics 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 meeting first
following receipt of the request.
12.1 All requests for opinions shall be submitted in writing to the Lansing City
Clerk.
12.2 Any member of the Board of Ethics receiving a request for an opinion shall
immediately forward such request to the Lansing City Clerk.
12.3 Each request for an opinion shall be signed by the person making the
request.
12.4 Upon receipt of a request for an opinion, the Lansing City Clerk shall forthwith
forward a copy of such request to each member of the Board of Ethics. At the next
meeting following receipt of a request for an opinion, the Board of Ethics shall determine
whether or not it will render an opinion in response to the request therefor and whether the
opinion will be formal or informal pursuant to the Lansing city charter and the Ian sing code
of ordinances.
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12.5 In the event the Board of Ethics elects to prepare an advisory opinion in
response to a request, the City Attorney shall prior to the next meeting of the Board of
Ethics after the decision to render the opinion is made, research all legal aspects of the
opinion requested and prepare legal memorandum to all members of the Board 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 all members of the
Board of Ethics and the City Attorney or his representative shall be present at said meeting
to advise the Board.
12.6 No opinion shall be rendered by the Board of Ethics unless the substance
and final text is concurred with at a duly constituted and convened meeting by a majority
of the voting members seated on the Board.
12.7 Preliminary drafts and research memorandums prepared in connection with
any request for an opinion shall not constitute the view or position of the Board of Ethics
of the City of Lansing nor shall such memorandum or draft opinions be released to or made
available for inspection by the public unless such inspection or release is approved by a
majority of the voting members of the board of ethics 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 of the City
of Lansing advises in writing that the release or inspection of such papers is legally
requiredo; provided, however, that once a formal opinion has been approved and released,
all Memoranda and written recommendations by the City Attorney's Office shall be
available for inspection.
12.8 The approval of an opinion of the Board of Ethics shall be by roll call vote
which shall be recorded in the minutes of the Board.
13. All points of procedure not specifically covered in this document shall be
determined by reference to Mason's Legislative Manual.
14. On a tie vote a motion is lost and no action of the Board has been taken.
15. 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 his or her discretion, delete the name of the person involved, substituting
therefor any other designation which is not likely to be confused with any other person.
16. At the first meeting of each calendar year, the Board of Ethics 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 of Ethics
Pags 4 of 6 Pages
shall review the same in a timely fashion and may take such action regarding said
documents as it deems proper.
17. Nothing contained in these rules of procedure shall alter or amend the duties,
functions and authority of the board of ethics as is prescribed in the Lansing city charter
and the Lansing code of ordinances.
18. These rules of procedure may be amended by the board of ethics by a
majority vote of the voting members serving on the board during any regular meeting,
provided that all members were provided three days prior to said meeting with the full text
of proposed amendment. Any amendment to these rules of procedure shall not take effect
until approved by city council.
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SUBMITTED TO THE CITY COUNCIL ON 12/16/96; NO OBJECTIONS ENTERED
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PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO RULES OF PROCEDURE
FOR THE BOARD OF ETHICS
NOTE: Proposed new language is shown in BOLD CAPITAL LETTERS; THE
MOST RECENT DRAFT REFLECTS THE PROPOSED NEW LANGUAGE IN BOLD SHADED
PRINT. Proposed deletions are printed in strike through.
RULES OF PROCEDURE
BOARD OF ETHICS OF THE CITY OF LANSING
1. Regular meetings of the Board of Ethics shall be
held at 5130 5-!-GB-p.m. on the Fourth SECOND Tuesday of every month
at the Chambers of the City council or at such other place as may
be designated by the presiding officer of the Board of Ethics or by
a majority of the VOTING PUBLIC members of the Board of Ethics.
(Amended 6/24/91)
2. Special meetings of the Board of Ethics may be
called by the presiding officer of the Board of Ethics or any -twe
THREE VOTING PUBLIC members of the Board of Ethics. Notice of any
such special meeting shall be provided to each member of the Board
of Ethics by personally serving notice of the time, place and
subject matter of such special meeting on each member or,
a-lternatively, by leaving a written copy of the notice of the time,
place and subject matter of the meeting at the private residence of
such members at least twenty-four hours prior to the time of said
meeting or by sending notice of the time, place and subject matter
of such a meeting to each member of the Board of Ethics by first
class mail, postage prepaid 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 PUBLIC MEMBER SO
DESIGNATES, BY TRANSMITTING A FACSIMILE TO THE NUMBER THAT THE
MEMBER PROVIDES OF NOTICE OF THE TIME, PLACE AND SUBJECT MATTER OF
SUCH A MEETING AT LEAST THREE DAYS PRIOR TO THE TIME OF THE
MEETING. 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 rneel:ing.
3. Notice of the time and place of all meetings of the
Board of Ethics shall be posted on the City Hall bulletin board on
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the first floor of City Hall. THE SCHEDULE OF THE REGULAR MEETINGS
SHALL BE SO POSTED WITHIN TEN DAYS AFTER THE FIRST MEETING IN EACH
CALENDAR YEAR. A CHANGE IN THE SCHEDULE OF REGULAR MEETINGS SHALL
BE SO POSTED WITHIN THREE DAYS AFTER THE MEETING AT WHICH THE
CHANGE IS MADE AND A RESCHEDULED REGULAR OR A SPECIAL MEETING SHALL
BE SO POSTED at least eighteen hours prior to each BEFORE THE
meeting.
4. All meetings shall be open to attendance by members
of the public except where the Board enters executive session for
a reason for which an executive 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
seq.)
5. Any member of the public so desiring will be
·permitted a chance to address the Board at any open meeting of the
Board of Ethics SUBJECT TO ANY TIME LIMIT IMPOSED BY THE BOARD. 4'eF
at least three minutes.
6. Any public VOTING member of the Board of Ethics who
fails to attend three consecutive meetings of the Board without
being excused from attendance [by a vote of majority of the Board]
may be removed from the Board of Ethics. such removal may be
effected by THE majority vote of the REMAINING VOTING Board members
of the Board of Ethics. plus the eonfffiffenoe of a majority of the
members of the Lanoinq City Gouneil in ouch remova~.
7. 1 VOTING MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF ETHICS SHALL BE
RESIDENTS OF THE CITY OF LANSING AND SHALL HOLD NO ELECTIVE PUBLIC
OFFICE OR OTHER CITY OFFICE OR EMPLOYMENT. IF, DURING A PUBLIC
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 OF ETHICS MEMBER AND SAID POSITION SHALL 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
1rE:RM.
7.2 IF AN ISSUE BEFORE THE BOARD OF ETHICS INVOLVES ANY
MEMBER OF 'l'HE BOARD, SUCH MEMBER SHALL NOT PARTICIPATE IN BOARD
DELIBERA'l'IONS PERTAINING TO THE MEMBER'S ISSUE AND SAID MEMBER
SHALL BE INELIGIBLE TO VOTE ON ANY ACTION CONCERNING THE ISSUE.
7. 3 ALL VOTING MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF ETHICS IN
ATTENDANCE AT A PROPERLY CONVENED MEETING OF THE BOARD SHALL VOTE
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ON AL.L MATTERS BEFORE THE BOARD UNLESS RECUSED FROM VOTING ON A
PARTICULAR MATTER.
7.4 EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN SUBSECTION 7.1 OF THESE RULES
OF PROCEDURE, A VOTING MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF ETHICS SHALL HOLD
OFFICE UNTIL A MEMBER'S SUCCESSOR IS APPOINTED, UNLESS THAT MEMBER
HAS RESIGNED OR BEEN REMOVED.
'7-.-8. The officers of the Board of Ethics shall be a
Chairperson, Vice Chairperson and Secretary.
'7-=4-8 .1 The Chairperson shall preside over all meetings
of the Board of Ethics and shall be selected annually for a term of
one year from among the publie VOTING members of the Board of
Ethics. THE CHAIRPERSON AND VICE CHAIRPERSON SHALL BE SELECTED AT
THE FIRST REGULAR MEETING IN JULY OF EACH YEAR BY ~the affirmative
vote of a majority of the VOTING members of the Board of Ethics
shall be required to select a Chairperson. THE CHAIRPERSON OR VICE
CHAIRPERSON SHALL NOT SERVE MORE THAN TWO CONSECUTIVE TERMS IN EACH
RESPECTIVE POSITION.
~ 8.2 The terms of office for the Chairperson and
Vice Chairperson shall expire upon the date of June 30th of each
year or the election of a successor whichever shall later occur OR
upon resignation or removal of that person from the Board of
Ethics.
"1---?r 8.3 The vice Chairperson shall preside and perform
the duties of the Chairperson in the case of the absence of or
inability of the Chairperson to perform his or her duties. IF THE
CHAIRPERSON IS UNABLE TO COMPLETE THE TERM OF OFFICE, THE VICE
CHAIRPERSON SHALL ASSUME THE DUTIES OF THE CHAIR. FULFILLING THE
UNEXPIRED TERM OF THE CHAIRPERSON OR VICE CHAIRPERSON SHALL NOT BE
CONSIDERED A 'I'ERM FOR PURPOSES OF COMPUTING TWO CONSECUTIVE TERMS
UNDER SUBSECTION 8.1.
~ 8.4 The RECORDING Secretary of the Board of Ethics
shall be the City Clerk aiW WHO 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 MEMBER OF THE BOARD.
8.5 THE CITY ATTORNEY SHALL SERVE AS LEGAL ADVISOR TO
'I'HE BOARD OF ETHICS AND SHALL BE AN EX OFFICIO MEMBER OF THE BOARD.
~ 9. The minutes of the Board of Ethics shall be kept
in the off ice of the City Clerk and shal 1 be available for
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inspection by members of the public except for the minutes of
Executive sessions which were closed pursuant to the Open Meetings
act of the State of Michigan. All other records of the Board of
Ethics shall be available for inspection and duplication by the
public unless the release of such records to the public is
prohibited by law or unless law permits such records to be withheld
from the public and the Board of Ethics approves the withholding of
such records.
9. Membership of the Board of Ethics shall consist of
the City httorney and City Clerk of the City of Lansiney and three
public members who shall be appointed by the Lansiney City Council
as provided by the Lansiney City Charter.
10. .', quorum of the Board of Ethics for the purpose of
conductiney business shall be three members of the Board.
10. A MAJORITY OF THE VOTING MEMBERS SEATED ON THE BOARD
OF ETHICS SHALL CONSTITUTE A QUORUM FOR CONDUCTING BUSINESS AT A
MEETING OF THE BOARD.
11. Any action of the Board of Ethics shall require the
concurrence of three THE MAJORITY OF THE VOTING members . SEA'l'ED
SERVING ON e¥ the Board at a properly DULY CONSTITUTED AND convened
meeting of the Board.
12. The Board shall consider all requests for advisory
opinions at the meeting first following receipt of the request.
12.1 All requests for advisory opinions shall be
submitted in writing to the Lansing City Clerk.
12.2 Any other member of the Board of Ethics receiving a
request for an advisory opinion shall immediately forward such
request. to the Lansing City Clerk.
12. 3 Each request for an advisory opinion shall be signed
by the person making the request.
12.4 Upon receipt of a request for an advisory opinion,
the Lansing City Clerk shall forthwith forward a copy of such
request to each member of the Board of Ethics. At the next meeting
following receipt of a request for an advisory opinion, the Board
of Ethics shall determine whether or not it will render an advisory
opinion in response to the request therefor AND WHETHER THE OPINION
WILL BE FORMAL OR INFORMAL PURSUANT TO THE LANSING CITY CHARTER AND
THE LANSING CODE OF ORDINANCES.
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12.5 In the event the Board of Ethics elects to prepare
an advisory opinion in response to a request, the City Attorney
shall prior to the next meeting of the Board of Ethics after the
decision to render the opinion is made, research all legal aspects
of the opinion requested and prepare an advisory LEGAL memorandum
to all members of the Board 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 all
members of the Board of Ethics and the City Attorney or his
representative shall be present at said meeting to advise the
Board.
12.6 No advisory opinion shall be rendered by the Board
of Ethics unless the substance and final text is concurred -iR WITH
AT A DULY CONSTITUTED AND CONVENED MEETING by at least three A
MAJORITY OF THE VOTING members SEATED ON THE BOARD. of the Board of
ffi;fri-es-,.
12. 7 Preliminary drafts and research memorandums prepared
in connection with any request for an advisory opinion shall not
constitute the view or position of the Board of Ethics of the City
of Lansing nor shall such memorandum or draft opinions be released
to or made available for inspection by the public unless such
inspection or release is approved by three A MAJORITY OF THE VOTING
members of the Board of Ethics 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 of the City of Lansing advises in
writing that the release or inspection of such papers is legally
required.,-; Pprovided, however, that once a final FORMAL opinion has
been approved and released, all memorand\lffis MEMORANDA and written
recommendations by the City Attorney's Office shall be available
for inspection.
12.8 The approval of an advisory opinion of the Board of
Ethics shall be by roll call vote which shall be recorded in the
minutes of the Board.
13. All points of procedure
this document shall be determined
Legislative Manual.
not specifically covered in
by reference to Mason's
14. On a tie vote a motion is lost and no action of the
Board has been taken.
15. Advisory Opinions of the Board shall be issued and
dealt with in a manner least likely to reveal the identity of the
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person concerned. Upon receipt of an opinion request the City
Clerk may, in his or her discretion, delete the name of the person
involved, substituting therefor any other designation which is not
likely to be confused with any other person.
16. At the first meeting of each calendar year, the
Board of Ethics 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 of Ethics shall review the same in a timely
fashion and may take such action regarding said documents as it
deems proper.
17. NOTHING CONTAINED IN THESE RULES OF PROCEDURE SHALL
ALTER OR AMEND THE DUTIES, FUNCTIONS AND AUTHORITY OF THE BOARD OF
ETHICS AS IS PRESCRIBED IN THE LANSING CITY CHARTER AND THE LANSING
CODE OF ORDINANCES.
18. THESE RULES OF PROCEDURE MAY BE AMENDED BY THE BOARD
OF ETHICS BY A MAJORITY VOTE OF THE VOTING MEMBERS SEA'l'ED SERVING
ON THE BOARD DURING ANY REGULAR MEETING, PROVIDED THAT ALL MEMBERS
WERE PROVIDED THREE DAYS PRIOR TO SAID MEETING WITH THE FULL TEXT
OF PROPOSED AMENDMENT. ANY AMENDMENT TO THESE RULES OF PROCEDURE
SHALL NOT TAKE EFFECT UNTIL APPROVED BY CITY COUNCIL.
::: \WLJ\dat,;1\tior\\f IJ Ir-.;~, .'lll'·/kmc: Page 6 of 6 Pages
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RULES OF PROCEDURE
11-zz-93P0 1': O~d~RD OF ETHICS OF THE CITY OF LANSING
April 28, .1930
1. Regular meetings of the Board of Ethics shall be held at
2:00 p.m. on the fourth Monday of every month at the Chambers
of the city Council or at such other place as may be designated by
the presiding officer of the Board of Ethics or by a majority of
the members of the Board of Ethics.
2. Special meetings of the Board of Ethics may be called by
the presiding officer of th~ Board of Ethics or any two members of
the Foard of Ethics. Notice of any such special meeting shall be
pro~ided to each member of the Board of Ethics by personally serving
notice of the time, place and subject matter of such special meeting
on each member or, alternatively, by leaving a written copy of the
notice of the time, place and subject matter of the meeting at the
'fj private residence of such members at least twenty four hours prior
to the time of said meeting or by sending notice of the time, place
and subject matter of such a meeting to each member of the Board of
Ethics by first class mail, postage prepaid addressed to the home
address of ·each such member wi:th such mailing bein-g made at least
.five days prior to the time of the meeting. The requirement of
.proper notice to a member of a special meeting shall be waived by
the a·ttendance of such member at .the special meeting.
3·. Notice of the time and place of all i:neetings of the Board
of Ethics shall be posted on the City Hall bulletin board on the
first floor of City Hall at least eighteen hours prior to each
meeting.
4. All meetings shall be open to attendance by members of
the publi~ except where the Board ente~s executive session for a
reason for which pursuant to t:!"le
Open Meetings Act of the State of Michigan as it now exists and may
be amended in the future. (PA 1976, No. 267, MCLA 15. 261 et seq.)
5. Any member of the public so desiring will be permitted a
chance to address the Board of Ethics at any open meeting of ·the
Board of Ethics for at least three minutes.
6. Any public member of the Board of Ethics who fails to attend
three consecutive meetings of the Board without being excused from
attendance by a vote of majority of the Board may be removed from the
Board of Ethics. Such removal may be affected by a majority vote of
the Board members of the Board of Ethics plus the concurrence of a
majority of the members of the Lansing City Council in such removal.
7. The officers of the Board of Ethics shall be a Chairperson,·
,.
Vice Chairperson and Secretary.
7.1. The Chairperson shall preside over all meetings of
~ the Board of Ethics and shall be selected annually for a term of one ~)
year from among the public members of the Board of Ethics. The
affirmative vote of a majority of the members of the Board of Ethics
shall be required to select a Chairperson.
7.2. The terms of office for the Chairperson and Vice
Chairperson shall expire upon resignation or removal of that person
from the Board of Ethics or upon the date of June 30th of each year
or the election of a successor whichever shall later occur.
7.3. The Vice Chairperson shall preside and perform the
duties of the Chairperson in the case of the absence of or inability
of the Chairperson to perform his or her duties.
7.4. The Secretary of the Board of Ethics shall be the
City Clerk and shall be responsible for preparing and keeping the
1) . ·f) minutes and records of the Board.
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8. The minutes of the Board of Ethics 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 Executive sessions
which were closed pursuant to the Open Meetings Act of the State
of Michigan. All other records of the Board of Ethics shall be
available for inspection and duplication by the public unless the
release of such records to the public is prohibited by law or unless
law permits such records to be withheld from the public and the Board
of Ethics approves the withholding of such records.
9. Membership of the Board of Ethics shall consist of the
City Attorney and City Clerk of the City of Lansing and three public
members who shall be appointed by the Lansing City council as provided'
by the Lansing City Charter.
10. A quorum of the Board of Ethics for the purpose of conducting.
business shall be three members of the Board.
11. Any action of the Board of Ethics shall require the concurrer.
of three members of the Board at a properly convened meeting of the
Board.
12. T~e Board shall corrsider all requests for advisory opinions
at the meeting first following receipt of the request.
12.1. All requests for advisory opinions shali be submitted
in writing to the Lansing City Clerk.
12.2. Any other member of the Board of Ethics receiving
a request for an advisory opinion shall immediately forward such
request to the Lansing City clerk.
12.3. Each request for an advisory opinion shall be signed
by the person making the request.
12.4. Upon receipt of a request for an advisory opinion,
the Lansing City Clerk shall forthwith forward a copy of such request
. .-/ . . ,
'·
to each member of the Board of Ethics. · At the next meeting following
receipt of a request for an advisory opinion, the Board of Ethics
shall determine whether or not it will rer.der an advisory opinion in
response to the request therefor.
12.5. In the event the Board of ~thics elects to prepare
an advisory opinion in response to a request, the City Attorney shall
prior to the next meeting of the Board of Ethics after.the decision to
render the opinion is made, research all legal aspects of the opinion
requested and prepare an advisory memorandum to all members of the
Board 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 all members of the Board of Ethics
prior to or at the time of the next meeting __ of the Board of Ethics
and the City Attorney or his representative shall be present at
said meeting to advise the Board.
12.6. No advisory opinion shall be rendered by the Board
of Ethics unless the substance and final text of said opinion is
concurred in by at least three members of the Board of Ethics.
12.7. Preliminary drafts and research memorandums prepared
in connection with any request for an advisory opinion shall not
constitute the view or position of the Board of Ethics of the City
of Lansing nor shall such memorandum or draft opinions be released
to or made available for inspection by the public unless such
inspection or release is approved by three members of the Board of
Ethics at ~ duly convened meeting or unless such diiclosure is ordered
by a Court of law or administrative agency with competent
jurisdiction to make such an order or unless the City nttorney of the
• City of Lansing advises in writing that the release or inspection
of such papers is legally required. Provided, however, that once ~
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final cpinion has been approved and reieased, all memorandums and
written recommendations by the City Attorney's office shall be
available for inspection.
12.8. The approval of an advisory opinion of the Board of
Ethics shall be by roll call vote which shall be recorded. in the
minutes of the Board.
13. All points of procedure not specifically covered in this
document shall be determined by reference to Masons Legislative
Manual.
14. On a tie vote a motion is lost and no action of the Board
· has been taken.
15. Advisory 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 his or her discretion, delete the name of the person involved,
substituting therefor any other designation which is not likely to be
confused with any other person.
16. At the first meeting of each calendar year, the Board of
Ethics 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
of Ethics shall review the same in a timely fashion and may take
such action regarding said documents as it deems proper.
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