Public officials and employees shall not exceed
their authority or breach law or ask others to do so, and they shall
work in full cooperation with other public officials and employees
unless prohibited from doing so by law or by officially recognized
confidentiality of their work.
Specific conflicts of interest are enumerated
below for the guidance of officials. The following list is illustrative
merely and not exclusive:
A. Incompatible employment. No Trustee or other public
official or employee shall engage in or accept private employment
or render services for private interests when such employment or service
is incompatible with the proper discharge of his official duties or
tends to impair his independence of judgment or action in the performance
of his official duties. In the event a Trustee, official or employee
possesses a financial or personal interest in any business or transaction,
any presumption of conflict of interest with his public duties shall
be removed by his disclosure of the nature and extent of such investment
to the Village Board for the records of that authority.
B. Disclosure of confidential information. No Trustee,
other public official or employee, shall, without proper legal authorization,
disclose confidential information concerning the property, government
or affairs of the Village, nor shall he use such information to advance
the financial or other private interest of himself or others.
C. Gifts and favors. No Trustee or other public official
or employee shall accept any gift having a value greater than $10,
whether in the form of service, loan, thing or promise, from any person
who to his knowledge is interested directly or indirectly in any manner
whatsoever in business dealings with the Village; nor shall any such
official or employee accept any gift, favor or thing of value that
may tend to influence him in the discharge of his duties or grant
in the discharge of his duties any improper favor, service or thing
of value. Any Trustee or other public official or employee who accepts
any gift, favor or thing of value shall, in the case of a Trustee,
disclose the matter in the minutes of the next Board meeting, and
in the case of other officials or employees, report the matter to
the Board for disclosure in the minutes of the next meeting.
D. Representing private interests before Village agencies
or courts. No Trustee or other public official or employee whose salary
is paid in whole or in part by the Village shall appear in behalf
of private interests before any agency of the Village. He shall not
represent private interests in any action or proceeding against the
interest of the Village in any litigation to which the Village is
a party.
E. Contracts with the Village. Any Trustee or other public
official or employee who has substantial financial interest in any
business entity, entering into or proposing to enter into any transaction
or contract with the Village for the sale of real estate, material
supplies or services to the Village shall disclose such interest to
the Village Board to be reported in the minutes of the appropriate
Board meeting. And in the case of a Trustee, he shall refrain from
voting upon or otherwise participating (except in the performance
of a ministerial act) in the transaction or the making of such contract
or sale.
F. Disclosure of interest in legislation.
(1) A Trustee who has a financial or other private interest
in any legislation shall disclose on the records of the Board the
nature and extent of such interest. This provision shall not apply
if the Trustee disqualified himself from voting.
(2) Any other public official or employee who has a financial
or other private interest and who participates in discussion with
or gives an official opinion to the Board shall disclose on the record
of the Board the nature and extent of such interest.
No full-time officer or employee of the Village
shall engage in any other remunerative employment within or without
the Village, provided that the Village Board may approve such outside
employment or activity if it finds that it does not interfere or conflict
with such officer's ability to perform his duties in an efficient
and unbiased manner. Violation of this provision shall be grounds
for removal from office of any such officer.
Any questions as to the interpretation of any
provisions of the Code of Ethics chapter shall be referred to the
Village Attorney for an advisory opinion, and such opinion shall be
given to the Village Board for its action, if any.
Violation of any provision of this chapter should
raise conscientious questions for the Trustees or any other official
or employee concerned as to whether voluntary resignation or other
action is indicated to promote the best interest of the Village. Violation
may constitute a cause for suspension, removal from office or employment,
or other disciplinary action.