[Adopted 9-18-1978 by Ord. No. 1281]
A Code of Ethics is hereby established for all Township, paid or unpaid, elected and appointed officials, employees and appointed members of Township boards, commissions and authorities.
A. 
Declaration of policy. The purpose of this Code is to establish guidelines for ethical standards of conduct for all the aforementioned public officials and employees by setting forth those acts or actions that are incompatible with the best interests of Whitehall Township, and by directing disclosure by said officials and employees, of the existence of private financial or other interests that could affect official Township actions or performance of duties.
(1) 
Impetus for passage of an ethics code has come from: great interest in and exposure of "Watergate" at the national level, numerous convictions of corrupt state officials, a lengthy Federal Bureau of Investigation probe in Whitehall Township and the creation of a Board of Inquiry to expose alleged corruption in the Township. Upstanding officials and the public they serve can no longer tolerate a governmental system that evidences indifference toward corrupt behavior of public officials and employees.
(2) 
The public judges its government by the way public officials and employees conduct themselves in the posts to which they are elected or appointed. The people have a right to expect that every public official and employee will conduct themselves in a manner that will tend to preserve public confidence in and respect for the government they represent. This demands treatment of all citizens with impartiality, fairness and equality under the law and avoiding both actual and potential conflicts between their private self-interest and the public interest.
(3) 
Above all, this Code is designed to clarify misuse of office or employment as not only intolerable but punishable; it is designed for governmental leadership and membership to recognize and enforce rectitude standards; it is designed as a blueprint for the best possible Whitehall Township government of the future; and its major by-product should be greater recognition of an appreciation for the many public officials and employees whose unspectacular but dedicated and meritorious service is all too seldom recognized.
B. 
Scope. This Code of Ethics emanates from a vast amount of ideas gathered from research of available related materials in the Unites States; appropriate excerpts from the Whitehall Township Home Rule Charter and the Township Administrative Code and insights gained thus far through investigative work of the Township Board of Inquiry.
Terms used in this Part 13 are hereby defined as follows:
BUSINESS ENTITY
Any business, proprietorship, firm, partnership, person in representative or fiduciary capacity, association, venture, trust or corporation.
HE
Any grammatical derivative of this third person singular, means any person, regardless of gender; this term is used simply to allay the need for repeating all genders — masculine, feminine, neuter or any other possible.
IMMEDIATE FAMILY MEMBERS
A public official's or employee's spouse, minor children, those dependent on him or living in his household.
INSIGNIFICANT VALUE
A gift of little importance and estimated worth, such as a memento, but insignificant value shall not refer to any gifts from a person or business entity as specified in "Code Prohibitions," § 1-305B.
INTEREST
Direct or indirect pecuniary or material benefit accruing to a public official or employee as a result of a contract or transaction, which is or may be the subject of an official act or action by the Township, except those contracts or transactions from which similar benefits accrue to all other persons and/or property similarly situated. For the purposes of this Code, one shall be deemed to have an interest in:
A. 
Any person within his household or who is dependent on him or her.
B. 
Any person or business entity with whom a contractual relationship exists with the public official or employee.
C. 
Any business entity in which the public official or employee is an officer, director or member having a financial interest in or is employed by.
D. 
Any business entity in which the public official or employee has ownership in any party.
PUBLIC OFFICIAL OR EMPLOYEE
Any person, officer or employee holding a full or part-time position by election, appointment or employment in the service of the Township, whether paid or unpaid, including members of boards, commissions, Township authorities and consultants.
TRANSACTION
Includes, but is not limited to, any proceeding, application, submission, request for ruling or other determination, contract, lease, claim, case, award, decision, judgment or legislation including ordinances and resolutions.
The requirements herein set forth shall constitute the Code of Ethics establishing standards and guidelines for the ethical conduct of public officials and employees of Whitehall Township.
A. 
Objectives. The Code identifies misuse of office or employment and provides for penalties and/or removal from office or employment thereof. The Code assures fair and equal treatment of all citizens and stipulates what constitutes conflict of interest including, but not limited to: contracts or transactions with the Township, incompatible employment, disclosure of interest in legislation, representing private interest, gifts and favors, later case interest, disclosure of confidential personnel information, nepotism, retention of tax monies, improper communication, improper access to the Municipal Building and/or offices, unnecessary expenditures if officially voided, inspection approval inconsistent with Township ordinances, misuse of office for personal financial profit, improper issuance of permits, improper use of Township materials or public property, retention of Township materials after termination of official status or employment and failure to report any knowledge of violations of this Code.
B. 
Prohibitions. This Code prohibits any public official or employee of the Township of Whitehall from engaging in the following acts:
(1) 
Interest in contract of transactions. No elected or appointed Township official or employee or any corporation, partnership, association, joint venture or other entity of which he is a member, officer, official, partner, stockholder, joint venturer, associate, director, employee or consultant shall solicit, benefit by or be financially interested, directly or indirectly, in any contract for the purchase of property or services to be paid from the Township treasury.
(a) 
No public official or employee shall have or thereafter acquire an interest in such contract or transaction.
(b) 
No public official or employee shall have an interest in any business entity representing, advising or appearing on behalf of, whether paid or unpaid, any person involved in such contract or transaction, during his term of office or employment with the Township.
(c) 
No public official or employee shall have solicited or accepted present or future employment with a person or business entity involved in such contract or transaction.
(d) 
No public official or employee shall solicit, accept or grant a present or future gift to or from any person or business entity doing business with the Township, whether in the form of money, thing, favor, loan or promise.
[1] 
This shall not apply to partaking of a meal; any occasional, nonpecuniary gift of insignificant value or one given or received in one's personal life, so long as such normally human gifts do not involve any person or business entity transacting business with the Township, wherein a possible conflict of interest would result, an award publicly presented in recognition of public service or election campaign contributions as permitted by higher law.
[2] 
This shall prohibit any public official or employee from accepting anything whatsoever, including occasional gifts of insignificant value, from any person or business entity that has business pending with the Township or has transacted business with the Township, involving the public official or employee's service or involving imminent business.
[3] 
No appointed or elected official doing Township business with lending institutions shall obtain favors in the form of loans at lower interest rates than are available to the general public from said institutions.
[4] 
Later case interest. No public official or employee shall, after the termination of service or employment with the Township, appear before any board, commission, committee or authority of the Township in relation to any case, proceeding of application in which he personally participated during the period of his service or employment, or which was under his active consideration, for a period of one year after the termination of his employment with the Township.
[5] 
Special treatment. No public official or employee shall grant any special consideration, treatment or advantage to any person or business entity beyond that which is available to every other citizen or business entity. This shall not be construed to mean services rendered in the interest of public safety or welfare.
[6] 
No member of a board, commission or authority shall make a commitment on behalf of his respective group to any person or business entity transacting business with the Township.
[7] 
No public official or employee shall make any appearance on behalf of any private person other than himself, a spouse or minor children.
[8] 
Improper communication. No public official or employee shall have encouraged, made or accepted any ex parte or unilateral application or communication where a determination is to be made after a public hearing and such public official or employee fails to make the contents of the communication a part of public record.
(2) 
[1]Incompatible employment. No member of the Board of Commissioners shall hold "any compensated appointive Township office or employment" until one year after the expiration of the full term for which he or she was elected to the Board.
(a) 
No Commissioner shall hold any other governmental or Township office or employment "in which he or she receives salary, compensation, or emolument."
(b) 
The Mayor shall hold no other employment, Township or governmental office "during the period of the term for which he or she was elected or appointed, even if he or she does not complete such term."
[Amended 6-8-2009 by Ord. No. 2776, approved 11-3-2009]
[1]
Editor's Note: See, however, Whitehall Township v. Buchmiller (Leh. Co. C.P. 1985)
(3) 
Disclosure of interest in legislation. If a Commissioner or the Mayor has an interest in any action before the Board of Commissioners, he shall disqualify himself from discussion of and/or voting on that action.
[Amended 6-8-2009 by Ord. No. 2776, approved 11-3-2009]
(a) 
If a member of an appointed board, commission or authority has an interest in any area of consideration before his respective group, he shall disclose same and refrain from participation in discussion and/or voting on such matter.
(b) 
A public official in a consultant capacity shall disqualify himself from rendering advice to the Township on any matter involving a person or business entity wherein said consultant has a conflict of interest; that is, if the consultant also represents the person or business entity in another capacity or if the consultant has a personal or financial interest in the business transaction.
(4) 
Disclosure of confidential personnel information. No public official or employee shall disclose confidential personnel information without proper legal authorization.
(5) 
Nepotism. No immediate family member of an appointed public official serving on a Township board, commission or authority shall be appointed by that respective entity, even if the related appointed official refrains from voting on the hiring of his immediate family member. No elected official shall hire or cause to be hired an immediate family member as a Township employee or official.
(6) 
Improper access to the municipal building and/or offices. No public official or employee shall give out or possess any key to the Municipal Building and offices, other than authorized personnel as designated in the Township Administrative Code, except that only the Township Treasurer or his designate shall possess a key to the Treasurer's Office and only the Information and Complaints Officer shall possess a key to that respective office, when established, although a janitor and the police are recognized as protectively in need of keys to all building and office entrances. This provision shall not conflict with union contract agreements or essential access to the public works area.
(7) 
Unnecessary expenditures if officially avoided. The Mayor shall not execute a purchase in excess of $1,500, even though a budgeted item, if the Board of Commissioners, subsequent to passage of said budget, voids the expenditure as unnecessary and/or wasteful.
[Amended 6-8-2009 by Ord. No. 2776, approved 11-3-2009]
(8) 
Inspection approval. No public official or employee shall grant inspection approval for any project or inspected area if Township ordinance specifications are not met by the area inspected.
(a) 
If the area under inspection has been sealed or is not accessible to the inspector, he shall require that the project to be inspected be made accessible to him.
(b) 
No inspection approval shall be granted without the inspector's actual on-site inspection of said project.
(9) 
Misuse of Township materials or public property. No public official or employee shall use Township facilities for personal, financial gain. This provision shall not affect the present employee's contractual union agreement permitting mechanics after-hour use of facilities, but any future union contracts shall be consistent with this section prohibiting use of Township facilities for personal, financial gain.
(a) 
No public official or employee shall retain Township materials after ceasing to hold office or employment, pursuant to § 15.05 of the Home Rule Charter. This shall not include copies of original materials received by the Board.
(b) 
No public official or employee shall use materials acquired through Township services for personal, financial gain unless those materials, if dispensable, are first made available to the general public.
(10) 
Misuses of office or employment. No public official or employee shall use his office or employment either for the solicitation of any sales or the receiving of any goods dispensed by a person or business entity doing business with the Township. This shall mean that no public official or employee shall actively engage in promotion of any non-Township business ventures on Township time or through Township business transactions.
(11) 
Improper issuance of permits. No official or employee shall issue or cause to have issued any permit which cannot property be granted before any necessary approvals are obtained from the Planning Commission, Zoning Hearing Board, the Whitehall Authority and/or the Coplay-Whitehall Sewer Authority.
(12) 
Reporting requirements. Reporting any offer of gifts, whether in the form of money, thing, favor, loan or promise, or knowledge of any possible code violations or other criminal action, any public official or employee who is approached with an offer of a gift of a favor, whether in the form of money, thing, favor, loan or promise, or who has knowledge of any possible code of ethics violations, or other criminal action, as elicited in this Part 13 shall disclose such offer in writing to the Board of Ethics no later than seven days thereafter. This shall also apply to any public official or employee who is in doubt as to the legality of a gift he receives, in which case the Board of Ethics shall return an opinion on same to the concerned official or employee within 30 days after receipt of the written information.
(13) 
Retention of tax monies. The Township Treasurer "shall receive, collect, account for and deposit into the Township treasury all taxes, fees, funds, assessments or charges that are levied, established or received by the Township for general or special purposes. Such deposits shall be made not later than the first business day following the day in which the funds are received. . . He or she shall deposit the funds of the Township in various depositories as designated by the Board. All such accounts shall be in the name of the Township."
(a) 
If the term of office of the Township Treasurer expires or if he relinquishes his Treasurer's office, he shall, upon leaving that office, turn all accounts, Township funds and Township Treasurer's materials over to his successor, including all taxes collected by him.
(14) 
Equal treatment required. All Township officials or employees shall be afforded fair and equal treatment as officials or employees by their supervisors or superiors.
[Amended 11-1-1979 by Ord. No. 1317]
A. 
The Code creates a Board of Ethics which shall be composed of not less than three and not more than five members, to be effected by means of a resolution, to provide for flexibility in the event of changing needs. Majority membership of the Board shall be comprised of Township citizens holding no other Township elected or appointed position. The Board shall operate within the framework of the Information and Complaints Department, if and when established.
B. 
Members of the Board of Ethics shall be subject to this Code. They shall receive no salary but shall be reimbursed for their expenses actually and necessarily incurred in the performance of their duties. They shall be appointed by majority vote of the Board of Commissioners, upon recommendations by the Board meeting as a committee of the whole.
(1) 
Duties and powers of the Board of Ethics.
(a) 
To consider questions of ethical conduct and conflict of interest and issue advisory opinions on same.
(b) 
To conduct hearings on questions of ethical conduct and make recommendations for action to the Board of Commissioners, based on its findings.
(c) 
To provide a continuing program effecting implementation of the Code of Ethics.
(d) 
To require that all complaints must be duly notarized and signed by the person or persons filing any code violation charge, prior to any public hearing of same and/or public revelation of the charge.
(e) 
To accept and file any information voluntarily supplied that exceeds the requirements of this Part 13.
(f) 
To render a determination on all alleged violations.
(g) 
If an alleged violation if found to be groundless by the Board of Ethics, the entire matter shall be stricken from pubic record; if, in the opinion of the Board of Ethics, the complaining party was motivated by malice or reason contrary to the spirit of this Part 13 in filing the complaint without just cause, the findings shall be reported to appropriate law enforcement authorities.
(h) 
The Board of Ethics shall have subpoena powers and the power to grant immunity under Township law only.
(i) 
They shall hold meetings open to the public at least once a year and make an annual report of their actions and recommendations to the Mayor and the Board of Commissioners.
[Amended 6-8-2009 by Ord. No. 2776, approved 11-3-2009]
(j) 
To investigate and adjudicate alleged violations of the Ordinance Establishing Campaign Contribution Limits.[1]
[Added 2-13-2017 by Ord. No. 3073]
[1]
Editor's Note: See Part 17, Campaign Contributions.
(2) 
The Board shall conduct its investigations in the following manner:
(a) 
When a complaint is filed with the Board, a copy shall promptly be sent to the person alleged to have committed the violation. If the Board determines the complaint does not allege facts sufficient to constitute a violation, the complaint shall be dismissed and the complainant and respondent notified. If the Board does allege facts sufficient to constitute a violation, it shall promptly investigate the alleged violation utilizing the resources of such other Township agencies as may be required. If, after such preliminary investigation, the Board finds that probable cause exists to support an alleged violation, it shall convene a hearing on the matter within 30 days after making such determination. All Board investigations and records relating to the preliminary investigation shall be confidential.
(b) 
If a hearing is to be held, the respondent shall be allowed to examine and make copies of all evidence in the Board's possession relating to the charges. At the hearing, the charged party shall be afforded appropriate due process protection consistent with Township administrative procedures, including the right to be represented by counsel, the right to call and examine witnesses, the right to introduce exhibits and the right to cross examine opposing witnesses. All hearings shall be conducted in executive session. Upon completion of its investigation and any hearing thereon, the Board shall, where appropriate, recommend disciplinary and administrative action or, in the case of an alleged criminal violation, refer the matter to the Board of Commissioners with the recommendation that appropriate law enforcement authorities take action. With respect to investigations of violations of the Ordinance Establishing Campaign Contribution Limits, the Board shall have full power to adjudicate such violations and to impose fines and/or penalties as set forth in the Ordinance Establishing Campaign Contribution Limits.[2]
[Amended 2-13-2017 by Ord. No. 3073]
[2]
Editor's Note: See Part 17, Campaign Contributions.
(c) 
Issue, upon request, and publish advisory opinions on the requirements of this Part 13.
(3) 
Availability of the Code of Ethics. The Township Administration shall make copies of the Code of Ethics available at all Municipal offices, post a copy on Municipal Building bulletin boards and inform all Township officials and employees of said availability of the Code of Ethics copies.
C. 
Anyone who is convicted of a violation of the Ordinance Establishing Campaign Contribution Limits shall be subject to fines and/or penalties as set forth in the Ordinance Establishing Campaign Contribution Limits.[3]
[Added 2-13-2017 by Ord. No. 3073]
[3]
Editor’s Note: See Part 17, Campaign Contributions.
A. 
Any public official or employee who is convicted of violation of any of the provisions of this Code of Ethics shall be subject to a fine not to exceed $600 for each violation and, in default of payment of said fine and costs, to a term if imprisonment not to exceed 30 days. He shall make restitution and forego all pensions due him from the Township. Each day that a violation exists may be regarded as a separate offense and punishable as such, if such violation is a continued violation.
B. 
Upon conviction for any willful violation of this Part 13 of any elected public official, such official shall be subject to recall proceedings. Upon conviction for any willful violation of this Part 13 of any appointed official or employee, he shall be subject to dismissal from his appointed office or employment, consistent with any Township laws governing personnel procedures.