The Town Board of the Town of Shandaken recognizes
that there are state statutory provisions mandating towns to establish
rules and standards of ethical conduct for the public officers and
employees which, if observed, can enhance public confidence in local
government. In the light of a tendency today, on the part of some
people, to downgrade our local governments and to discredit our public
servants and our free institutions generally, it appears necessary
that every effort be made to assure the highest caliber of public
administration of this town as part of our state's important system
of local government. It is the purpose of this chapter to implement
this objective through the establishment of standards of conduct,
to provide for punishment of violation of such standards and to create
a Board of Ethics to render advisory opinions to the town's officers
and employees as provided for herein.
The standards, prohibited acts and procedures
established herein are in addition to any prohibited acts, conflicts
of interest provisions or procedures prescribed by statute of the
State of New York and also in addition to common-law rules and judicial
decisions relating to the conduct of town officers to the extent that
the same are more severe in their application than this chapter.