The Town Board of the Town of Oneonta recognizes that there
are state statutory provisions mandating towns to establish rules
and standards of ethical conduct for public officers and employees
which, if observed, can enhance public confidence in local goverment
(Chapter 1019 of Laws of 1970). 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 the 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.