[HISTORY: Adopted by the Borough Council of the Borough of Media 4-21-1993 by Ord. No. 858. Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Officers and employees — See Ch. 43.
The title of this chapter shall be the "Borough of Media Officers and Employees Ethics Act."
As used in this chapter, the following words and terms shall have the meanings given to them in this section:
AGENCY
Any department, bureau, authority, commission, board or other governmental body within or established by a borough, including Borough Council.
APPOINTED OFFICER
A. 
An individual holding an office, named in the Borough Code or in any other ordinance of this borough, to which he or she is named by Borough Council and who receives compensation from the borough for his or her services. "Appointed official" shall not include either an individual who receives no compensation other than reimbursement for actual expenses or any individual who serves on a part-time basis.
B. 
An individual employed by the borough on a full-time or part-time basis, exercising supervisory authority over any other borough employee and/or performing nonministerial action in connection with borough affairs.
BUSINESS
A. 
Any entity organized for profit.
B. 
Any nonprofit corporation or organization in which an individual is employed or holds office.
CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION
Information that may not be obtained from reviewing a public document or from the public record or from making inquiry to a publicly available source of information.
ELECTED OFFICER
An individual holding a borough office in the choice of the electorate and provided for in Article VIII of the Borough Code.
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EMPLOYEE
An individual employed by the borough on a full-time or part-time basis and not coming within the definition of "elected officer" or "appointed officer."
GIFT
A payment, subscription, advance, forbearance, rendering or deposit of money, services or anything of value, unless consideration of equal or greater value is received. "Gift" shall not include a political contribution otherwise reported as required by law, a commercially reasonable loan made in the ordinary course of business or a gift received from a member of the person's immediate family or from a relative within the third degree of consanguinity of the person or of the person's spouse or from the spouse of any such relative.
IMMEDIATE FAMILY
The spouse of an individual and those related by blood, adoption or marriage who are full-time residents of that individual's household.
INDIVIDUAL
A natural person.
MINISTERIAL ACTION
An action that an individual performs in a prescribed manner in obedience to the mandate of legal authority, whether by law, ordinance, regulation or in the instructions of a superior, and without regard to, or the exercise of, the individual's own judgment as to the desirability of the action being taken.
NONMINISTERIAL ACTION
An action that an individual performs as part of his official powers, duties, authority or functions, in which he has authority to exercise discretion or judgment as to the legality or desirability of the action being taken.
RELATIVE
A member of an individual's immediate family and also that individual's father, mother, grandfather, grandmother, son, daughter or sibling, whether by blood, adoption or marriage, the latter including, for example, stepparents, stepchildren and half brothers and half sisters.
VALUE
The intrinsic worth, expressed in dollars, of anything, if that worth is known or easily obtainable; otherwise a good-faith estimate of that worth.
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Editor's Note: See 53 P.S. § 45801 et seq.
No elected or appointed officer and no employee shall use his or her borough office or employment in order to obtain any financial gain for himself or herself, any relative of his or her or any business with which he or she is connected. "Financial gain" shall not apply to or include the authorized salary or other compensation paid that individual by the borough and application to his or her office, position, rank or class.
It shall be unlawful for any elected candidate for elected office to accept from any other person, or to allow any of his or her relatives or any business with which he or she is connected to accept, any valuable thing, including a gift, loan, political contribution or reward, based upon an understanding that the vote, official action or judgment of the recipient will be influenced by that action.
A. 
It shall be unlawful for any elected or appointed officer or for any employee to appear in behalf of another private interest before any agency of the borough or to represent any private interest in any action or proceeding against the interests of the borough in any litigation to which the borough is a party.
B. 
It shall be unlawful for any former elected or appointed officer, for a period of two years from his or her last day in office, to appear in behalf of another private interest before any agency of the borough or to represent any private interest in any action or proceeding against the interests of the borough in any litigation to which the borough is a party.
It shall be unlawful for any elected or appointed official or for any employee, without proper authorization, to disclose confidential information concerning the property, government or affairs of the borough. Nor shall any such officer or employee use that information to advance the financial, personal or private interest of himself or herself or any other person.
It shall be unlawful for any elected or appointed officer or for any employee to engage in or accept employment or to render services for any public or private agency or entity when that employment or service is incompatible with the proper discharge of his or her official or designated or assigned duties for the borough or would tend to impair his or her independence of judgment or action in the performance of those borough duties.
It shall be unlawful for any elected or appointed officer, or for any employee, to grant any special consideration to any person or individual beyond that which is available to every other person or individual.
A. 
It shall be unlawful for any full-time appointed officer or employee to use the prestige, power or influence of his or her position on behalf of any political party or for any political cause.
B. 
No full-time appointed officer and no employee shall, orally, by letter or otherwise, solicit or be in any manner concerned in soliciting any assessment, subscription or contribution to any political party; nor shall he or she be a party to such solicitation by others.
C. 
No elected or appointed officer and no employee shall promise an appointment to any borough position as a reward for any political activity or remove or threaten the removal of another officer or employee for failure to participate in political activity.
Upon leaving office, it shall be unlawful for any elected officer to hold a full-time position as an appointed officer or employee of the borough for a period of four years from his or her last day in office.
It shall be unlawful for any elected or appointed officer or for any employee to use or to request or permit the use of any vehicle, equipment, material or property owned or under the control of the borough for the convenience of or profit to himself or herself or any relative or business associate, except under conditions when that use is available to the public generally or as provided as borough policy.
Any person who violates any provision of this chapter shall be guilty of an offense and, upon conviction, shall be sentenced to pay a fine not exceeding $300 and costs and, in default of payment of fine and costs, imprisonment for not more than 30 days. If that person is an elected or appointed officer, he or she shall be subject to surcharge to the extent of the damage shown to be sustained by the borough from his or her unlawful act and also to ouster from his or her office or position, at which point a vacancy of that elected or appointed office shall be declared and filled in accordance with Section 901 of the Borough Code, 1990 Edition.[1]
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Editor's Note: See 53 P.S. § 45901.