Officers and employees of the Borough of Hasbrouck
Heights shall comply with the following provisions:
A. No officer or employee of this Borough or member of
his or her immediate family shall have an interest in a business organization
or engage in any business, transaction or professional activity which
is in substantial conflict with the proper discharge of his or her
duties in the public interest.
B. No officer or employee shall use or attempt to use
his or her official position to secure unwarranted privileges or advantages
for himself or others.
C. No officer or employee shall act in his or her official
capacity in any matter where he, a member of his or her immediate
family or any business organization in which he or she has an interest
has a direct or indirect financial or personal involvement that might
reasonably be expected to impair his or her objectivity or independence
or judgment.
D. No officer or employee shall undertake any employment
or service, whether compensated or not, which might reasonably be
expected to prejudice his or her independence of judgment in the exercise
of his or her official duties.
E. No officer or employee, member of his or her immediate
family or any business organization in which he or she has an interest,
shall solicit or accept any gift, favor, political contribution, service,
promise of future employment or other thing of value based upon an
understanding that the gift, favor, loan, contribution, service, promise
or other thing of value was given or offered for the purpose of influencing
him, directly or indirectly, in the discharge of his or her official
duties. This provision shall not apply to the solicitation or acceptance
of contributions to the campaign of an announced candidate for elective
public office, if the officer has no knowledge or reason to believe
that the campaign contribution, if accepted, was given with the intent
to influence the officer in the discharge of his or her official duties.
F. No officer or employee shall use or allow to be used,
his public office or employment or any information not generally available
to the members of the public which he receives or acquires in the
course of and by reason of his office or employment for the purpose
of securing financial gain for himself, any member of his immediate
family or any business organization with which he is associated. No
officer or employee shall disseminate or cause the dissemination of
any information gained in the course of the performance of official
duties with the intention to mislead the public or with the knowledge
that such information or parts thereof are erroneous.
[Amended 12-10-2013 by Ord. No. 2315]
G. No officer or employee or any business organization
in which he or she has an interest shall represent any person or party
other than the Borough in connection with any cause, proceeding, application
or other matter pending before any agency of this Borough. This provision
shall not be deemed to prohibit an employee from representing another
employee where the representation is within the context of official
labor union or similar representational responsibilities, nor shall
this provision be applicable to the Public Defender with respect to
representation of defendants in the Municipal Court.
H. No officer shall be deemed in conflict with these
provisions if by reason of his or her participation in the enactment
of any ordinance, resolution or other matter required to be voted
upon or which is subject to executive approval or veto, no material
or monetary gain accrues to him or her as a member of any business,
professional occupation or group, to any greater extent than any gain
could reasonably be expected to accrue to any other member of such
business, profession, occupation or group.
I. No elected officer shall be prohibited from making
any inquiry for information on behalf of a constituent if no fee,
reward or other thing of value is promised to, given to or accepted
by the officer or a member of his or her immediate family, whether
directly or indirectly, in return therefor.
J. Nothing shall prohibit any officer or employee of
the Borough of Hasbrouck Heights or members of his or her immediate
family, from representing himself, herself or themselves in negotiations
or proceedings concerning his, her or their own interests.
The Board shall have the following powers:
A. To initiate, receive, hear and review complaints and
hold hearings with regard to possible violations of the Municipal
Code of Ethics or financial disclosure requirements by local government
officers or employees serving the Borough.
B. To issue subpoenas for the production of documents
and the attendance of witnesses with respect to its investigation
of any complaint or to the holding of a hearing.
C. To forward to the County Prosecutor or the Attorney
General or other governmental body any information concerning violations
of the Code of Ethics or financial disclosure requirements by officers
or employees serving the Borough which may warrant the institution
of other legal proceedings.
D. To render advisory opinions in accordance with §
74-9 hereof.
E. To enforce provisions of the Code of Ethics and financial
disclosure requirements with regard to officers or employees serving
the Borough and to impose penalties for the violation thereof as are
authorized by this chapter.
F. To adopt rules and regulations and do other things
as are necessary to implement the purposes of this chapter.
All statements, complaints, requests or other
written materials filed pursuant to this chapter and any rulings,
opinions, judgments, transcripts or other official papers prepared
pursuant to this chapter shall be preserved for a period of five years
from the date of filing or preparation, as the case may be.