[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Supervisors
of Price County 6-19-1990 by Ord. No. 5-90. Amendments noted where
applicable.]
The Price County Board believes that a Code
of Ethics for the guidance of County Board Supervisors will help its
members avoid conflicts between their personal interests and their
public responsibilities, will improve standards of public service
and will promote and strengthen the faith and confidence of the people
of this County in their elected County Board Supervisors. This Code
of Ethics is not intended to be a punitive approach to ethics; rather,
it is a listing of those essentials which all County Board Supervisors
shall observe.
The Price County Board is aware that the Wisconsin
Statutes set forth various items of conduct which are deemed to be
unlawful in § 946.13, Wis. Stats. This code is not intended
to be an adoption of a criminal code. The items which are intended
to be covered herein do not require an intention to do wrong; rather,
they are the mere acts themselves, which in doing, might cast some
doubt upon the integrity of the County Board and upon individual County
Board members. Therefore, the following conduct on the part of a County
Board member shall be deemed unethical:
A.Â
No County Board Supervisor should:
(1)Â
Use his position to obtain preferential treatment
or obtain financial gain for himself or his immediate family, or for
any business with which he is associated.
(2)Â
Disclose or use inside information concerning Price
County to promote a private financial gain.
(3)Â
Vote for the adoption or defeat of any legislation
in which the individual Supervisor has a personal financial interest.
B.Â
Any Supervisors directly or indirectly involved in
a zoning change should disclose their position as soon as the Supervisor
becomes aware of the requested zoning change.
Nothing contained in this Code of Ethics prohibits
a Supervisor from entering into a contract that is permissible under
state law and is within the statutory limit imposed by § 946.13,
Wis. Stats. However, in such situations, the County Board Supervisor
is not to vote and is not to attempt to influence any other County
Board Supervisor's vote.
Any County Board Supervisor having an interest
in any business matter before the Board should disclose any connection
or conflict and should refrain from voting. Any Board Supervisor who
has reason to suspect that the vote of another County Board Supervisor
on an issue presently before the Board would be in conflict with the
provisions of this code shall request that the Supervisor with the
potential conflict abstain from voting on the issue. The recourse
of the Supervisor requested to abstain from voting shall be to request
a temporary ruling from the County Board Chairperson. Any Supervisor
dissatisfied with the County Board Chairperson's ruling has the right
to apply for a hearing before the Ethics Committee.
The Ethics Committee is, upon written request
of any County Board Supervisor or when the Ethics Committee believes
a possible conflict of interest arises, empowered to require any County
Board Supervisor to complete a form to be designed by the Ethics Committee
to be known as the "County Supervisor's Statement" to be filed with
the Ethics Committee.
A.Â
The Price County Ethics Committee shall consist of
the Price County Board Chairperson, unless at any time unable to act,
then the Vice Chairperson shall so act in the place of the Chairperson,
and one citizen from Price County who is not a County Board Supervisor,
and one citizen from a county other than Price County. The County
Board Chairperson is to make an appointment or reappointment at the
April organizational meeting in even-numbered years. Said members
shall be compensated at the current per diem rate and expenses afforded
County Board members.
[Amended 8-15-2000 by Res. No. 5904]
B.Â
The Ethics Committee has the authority to direct that
a County Board Supervisor not vote on a particular issue.
