[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Camillus 12-1-1970. Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Fire Department — See Ch. 13.
Building construction — See Ch. 53.
Cable television franchise — See Ch. A115.
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
FIRE DEPARTMENT
The Fire Department of the Village of Camillus, including the Camillus Volunteer Fire Department, Inc.
[Added 12-6-1994 by L.L. No. 5-1994]
TRUSTEE/FIRE FIGHTER
Any Mayor, Trustee or Fire Commissioner of the Village of Camillus who is also a member of the Camillus Fire Department, as defined in the constitution or bylaws of the Camillus Fire Department, other than members of the Fire Department who are honorary only.
[Added 12-6-1994 by L.L. No. 5-1994]
VILLAGE
Any board, commission, district, council or other agency, department or unit of the government of the Village of Camillus.
VILLAGE EMPLOYEE
Any officer or employee of the Village of Camillus, whether paid or unpaid and whether serving in a full-time, part-time or advisory capacity.
No Village employee shall have any interest, financial or otherwise, direct or indirect, or engage in any business or transaction or professional activity or incur any obligation of any nature which is in substantial conflict with the proper discharge of his duties in the public interest.
A. 
No Village employee shall accept other employment which will impair his independence of judgment in the exercise of his official duties.
B. 
No Village employee shall accept employment or engage in any business or professional activity which will require him to disclose confidential information which he has gained by reason of his official position or authority.
C. 
No Village employee shall use or attempt to use his official position to secure unwarranted privileges or exemptions for himself or others.
D. 
No Village employee shall engage in any transaction as representative or agent of the Village with any business entity in which he has a direct or indirect financial interest that might reasonably tend to conflict with the proper discharge of his official duties.
E. 
A Village employee shall not, by his conduct, give reasonable basis for the impression that any person can improperly influence him or unduly enjoy his favor in the performance of his official duties or that he is affected by the kinship, rank, position or influence of any party or person.
F. 
Each Village employee shall abstain from making personal investments in enterprises which he has reason to believe may be directly involved in decisions to be made by him or which will otherwise create substantial conflict between his duty in the public interest and his private interest.
G. 
Each Village employee shall endeavor to pursue a course of conduct which will not raise suspicion among the public that he is likely to be engaged in acts that are in violation of his trust.
H. 
No Village employee on a full-time basis nor any firm or association of which such employee is a member nor any corporation of which a substantial portion of the stock is owned or controlled directly or indirectly by such employee shall sell goods or services to any person, firm, corporation or association which is licensed or whose rates are fixed by the Village in which such employee serves or is employed.
I. 
Each Village employee shall, to the extent that he is cognizant thereof, disclose any interest he may have in legislation before the Village Board.
J. 
No Village employee, within two years after the termination of his service or employment with the Village, shall accept employment which will involve contacts with the Village which can work to his special advantage by virtue of his prior contact and relationship with the Village.
K. 
No Village employee shall disclose matters discussed in an executive session of any public body of the Village of Camillus.
[Added 11-14-2000 by L.L. No. 4-2000]
[Added 12-6-1994 by L.L. No. 5-1994[1]]
In view of firefighters' historic commitment to public service and to the maintenance and improvement of the public good and public welfare of the inhabitants of the Village of Camillus and in view of the fact that the Village of Camillus has a relatively small population base from which to draw its municipal officials and its firefighters, it is hereby determined that it is in the best interest of the Village of Camillus to encourage firefighters to take part in Village government and to not prohibit or inhibit the involvement of firefighters in Village government unless there exists a true conflict of interest that should prevent them from acting as Trustees or as Village employees or carrying out their duties as such. Accordingly, the following conflict-of-interest provisions, in addition to the standards of conduct set forth in § 11-3 of the Code of the Village of Camillus, shall be adhered to by each Trustee/firefighter when carrying out duties as an official of the Village of Camillus:
A. 
No Trustee/firefighter who is an officer in the Fire Department nor any other member of the Fire Department who is in a policy-making position shall deliberate or vote on any matters relating to the Fire Department.
B. 
No Trustee/firefighter shall deliberate or vote on matters relating to the Fire Department that may directly benefit him/her as a firefighter either personally or financially, as for example in being appointed as an officer in the Fire Department, or in regards to a proposal for a service award program to be established for firefighters.
C. 
Inactive or lifetime members of the Fire Department, as defined in the bylaws of the Camillus Fire Department, may participate in deliberations and vote on matters coming before the Trustees relating to the Fire Department unless otherwise prohibited by the Code of Ethics of the Village of Camillus or any other applicable law, rule or regulation.
D. 
In all other situations, Trustee/firefighters may take part in deliberations and vote on matters relating to the Fire Department as long as there is no actual conflict of interest. However, if participation and voting on a particular issue by the Trustee/firefighter will create an appearance of impropriety or the appearance of a conflict of interest, then the Trustee/firefighter shall recuse himself from deliberating and voting on that issue; provided, however, that if such recusal would result in a practical difficulty such as preventing a vote on the issue for lack of a quorum, then in that case the Trustee/firefighter may deliberate and vote, but only after stating publicly in an open Trustees meeting specifically what is the impracticality which would result from his recusal and why the apparent impropriety is not an actual impropriety or conflict.
[1]
Editor's Note: This local law also provided for the renumbering of former §§ 11-4 and 11-5 as §§ 11-5 and 11-6, respectively.
In addition to any penalty contained in any other provision of law, any Village employee who shall knowingly and intentionally violate any of the provisions of this Code of Ethics may be fined, suspended or removed from office or employment in the manner provided by law.
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 Village officers to the extent that the same are more severe in their application than this Code of Ethics.