The Board of Trustees of the Village of Highland Falls recognizes that
there are state statutory provisions mandating villages to establish rules
and standards of ethical conduct for 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 Village 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 officers and employees as provided for
herein.
The standards, prohibited acts and procedures established herein are
in addition to any prohibited acts, conflict 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 Village officers to
the extent that the same are more severe in their application than this chapter.