[Adopted 12-30-1970]
Municipal officers and employees shall be strictly governed in their conduct by the requirements of § 805-a of the General Municipal Law, enacted by Chapter 1019 of the Laws of 1970, effective July 1, 1970, which provides:
"Section 805-a. Certain action prohibited.
1.
No municipal officer or employee shall:
a.
Directly or indirectly, solicit any gift, or accept or receive any gift having a value of $25 or more, whether in the form of money, service, loan, travel, entertainment, hospitality, thing or promise, or in any other form, under circumstances in which it could reasonably be inferred that the gift was intended to influence him, or could reasonably be expected to influence him, in the performance of his official duties or was intended as a reward for any official action on his part;
b.
Disclose confidential information acquired by him in the course of his official duties or use such information to further his personal interests;
c.
Receive or enter into any agreement, express or implied, for compensation for services to be rendered in relation to any matter before any municipal agency of which he is an officer, member or employee or of any municipal agency over which he has jurisdiction or to which he has the power to appoint any member, officer or employee; or
d.
Receive, or enter into any agreement, express or implied, for compensation for services to be rendered in relation to any matter before any agency of his municipality, whereby his compensation is to be dependent or contingent upon any action by such agency with respect to such matter, provided that this paragraph shall not prohibit the fixing at any time of fees based upon the reasonable value of the services rendered.
2.
In addition to any penalty contained in any other provision of law, any person who shall knowingly and intentionally violate this section may be fined, suspended or removed from office or employment in the manner provided by law."
As used in this Code of Ethics, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
MUNICIPAL OFFICER OR EMPLOYEE
An officer or employee of the Town of Deerpark whether paid or unpaid, including members of any administrative board, commission or other agency thereof, but does not include any professional consultant such as physician, lawyer, public relations counselor or engineer rendering services on the basis of fees for work performed rather than a salary. No person shall be deemed to be a municipal officer or employee solely by reason of being a volunteer fireman or civil defense volunteer, except a chief engineer or assistant chief engineer of the Fire Department.
Each member of the Town Board, Planning Board, Zoning Board of Appeals, Architectural Review Board and other administrative agencies of the Town and their officers and employees, whether paid or unpaid, having any knowledge of or participation in matters pending before such bodies shall publicly disclose to the respective chairmen of such bodies, and the secretary thereof shall record in their minutes, the nature and extent of any financial or other private interest, direct or indirect, which such member has in any matter pending before any municipal body which he serves or over which he has supervision.
A municipal officer or employee shall not invest or hold any investment directly in any financial, business, commercial or other private transaction which creates a conflict with his official duties.
A municipal officer or employee shall not engage in, solicit, negotiate for, or promise to accept private employment or service, paid or unpaid, when such employment or service creates a conflict with or impairs the proper discharge of his official duties.
A municipal officer or employee shall not, after the termination of service or employment with the Town, appear before any board or agency of the Town in relation to any case, proceeding or application in which he personally participated during the period of his service or employment.
The Supervisor of the Town shall cause a copy of this Code of Ethics and copies of any amendments thereto to be published in the official newspaper of the Town and mailed or delivered to each officer and employee of the Town and of all boards and agencies thereof within 10 days after adoption of this article. Thereafter, the Supervisor shall furnish each such officer or employee with a copy of this Code of Ethics, as amended, before such officer or employee shall enter upon his duties. The Town Clerk shall file in the office of the State Comptroller of the State of New York a copy of this Code within 30 days after its adoption. The Supervisor shall cause a copy of this Code and a copy of Article 18 of the General Municipal Law to be kept posted in each public building under the jurisdiction of the Town in a place conspicuous to its officers and employees. Failure to post any such copy shall have no effect on the duty of compliance with this article, nor with the enforcement of the provisions thereof.
In addition to any penalty contained in any other provision of law, any person who shall knowingly and intentionally violate any of the provisions of this Code may be fined, suspended or removed from office or employment, as the case may be, in the manner provided by law.