Recently, I posted about updating our Ethics Ordinance. I introduced a document outlining a few potential changes for the ordinance.
[UPDATE 4/5/2020: I have introduced a second document outlining a sampling of ethics/legal offenders in the Metro Detroit area]
At our last City Council meeting, we populated the Ethics Ordinance Ad Hoc Committee. The goal of the five-person committee is to propose changes to the City Council regarding the Ethics Ordinance. The committee consists of two City Councilpersons, myself and Councilman Rob Baker, and three residents: Mike Klinefelt, Gary Lippard Jr., and Walter Martin.
The current Ethics Ordinance can be found here. The Ordinance is all of Division 3 in Chapter 2 of the Code of Ordinances. All laws handled by the City are either in the Charter or Code of Ordinances. The Charter can only be amended by a vote of the people (or an override by the State Legislature or by Congress). The Code of Ordinances can be amended by a vote of the City Council at two separate meetings (or by ballot initiative of the people). The Ethics Ordinance Ad Hoc Committee will be sending a proposal to the City Council for a First and Second Reading at the Council table. The Council can take longer than two meetings to consider the proposal if it wishes.
A little bit of history regarding the ordinance is that it was updated in 2001 & 2002, and in 2011. Ordinances 905, 914-2, and 918 in 2001 & 2002 modified the Ethics Ordinance. The Ethics Board, a board able to enforce the Ethics Ordinance, was created in Ordinance 905 and amended in 914-2, but then removed in 2011 (other updates were also made at this time). The Ethics Ordinance currently has no definition for an Ethics Board.