1.0 Membership and Officers
1.1 The Board of Ethics is composed of seven members who are appointed by citizen groups, as set out in section 2-804 in the City’s Code of Ordinances. The board elects a chair and vice chair to serve for a term of one year. The election shall occur as the first order of business at the first meeting of the calendar year or whenever a vacancy occurs.
1.2 The chair of the board presides at all meetings and appoints members of board committees. The chair shall sign official documents on behalf of the board, issue subpoenas for any party to an enforcement proceeding, and perform all other duties delegated by the board.
1.3 In the absence of the chair, the vice chair shall perform the duties of the chair and may assume any duties delegated by the chair.
1.4 Members shall serve without compensation. They may be reimbursed for parking fees incurred to attend meetings.
2.0 Location, Dates, and Times of Meetings
2.1 The regular meetings of the City of Atlanta Board of Ethics shall be held on the third Thursday of every month, except April, August, and December, starting at 6 p.m. in City Council Committee Room 2, Atlanta City Hall, 55 Trinity Avenue, Second Floor, Atlanta, Georgia 30303. The board or the chair may reschedule or cancel a meeting, provided adequate notice is given to board members and the public as required under the Open Meetings Act.
2.2 Regular monthly board meetings are televised on Channel 26 as required by law.
2.3 Special meetings of the Board of Ethics may be convened at the call of the chair or vice chair, in the absence of the chair, or the ethics officer on the petition by a majority of the members. Board members shall be given at least 48 hours notice prior to any special meeting. The notice and agenda for any special meeting will be posted and distributed as required under the Georgia Open Meetings Act.
2.4 The board shall hold a board retreat at least once every year in December, which may be held in a location other than City Hall. Notice of the meetings shall be given as required under the Open Meetings Act.
2.5 Committee meetings may be held as needed to conduct the work of the board. Committees should report their activities to the full board at the next regularly scheduled board meeting, and the board must approve any official action.
3.0 Agenda for Meetings
3.1 The chair of the board, in consultation with the ethics officer, shall establish the proposed agenda for meetings of the board.
3.2 To the extent practicable, the ethics officer shall distribute the proposed agenda and materials to the members of the Board of Ethics at least seven days prior to the meeting date. No item shall be ineligible for consideration by the board solely on the basis that the agenda was distributed less than seven days prior to the meeting. The agenda shall be posted at the board’s website.
4.0 Conduct of Meetings
4.1 Except as permitted under state law, meetings of the Board of Ethics shall be open public meetings.
4.2 The chair of the Board of Ethics shall preside at all meetings, and the vice chair shall preside in the absence of the chair at a meeting. If both the chair and vice chair are not present, the remaining board members shall vote to elect a temporary presiding officer for that hearing.
4.3 Four members of the Board of Ethics shall constitute a quorum. The affirmative vote of a majority of the quorum shall be required for any action to be taken. If any member is disqualified or abstains from participating, the disqualified member shall not be counted for this quorum requirement or as present for the particular matter under consideration.
4.4 The rules of parliamentary practice set forth in Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised, shall be used at all regular monthly meetings.
5.0 Minutes
5.1 The ethics officer shall serve as secretary and prepare draft meeting minutes for review by the Board of Ethics. The minutes shall be considered final on approval by a majority of the board members. The ethics officer shall maintain the official minutes of the meetings and post approved minutes at the website of the Board of Ethics.
6.0 Public Participation
6.1 Public participation at regular monthly meetings is encouraged. All persons who wish to appear before the board shall sign up to speak at the beginning of the meeting. Each person may speak for two minutes. Public comment shall not be permitted at hearings.
6.2 The two-minute time limit does not apply to any person appearing at the board’s invitation, as a party in an official action or proceeding, as an attorney or representative on behalf of a party, or as a person adversely affected by comments during an enforcement hearing.
6.3 A party is a person who requests a formal advisory opinion, seeks approval for outside employment under section 2-820(d), or is a respondent who is the subject of an ethics complaint or proceeding.
6.4 Any board member or the ethics officer may question any person speaking. No other person at a meeting will be permitted to question any speaker, unless the chair grants permission.
6.5 Any party who wishes to be added to the agenda must contact the ethics officer at least seven days prior to the meeting and identify the matter to be placed on the agenda. The chair reserves the right to add items and parties to the agenda when less notice is given.
7.0 Orientation and training
7.1 All new board members should attend a workshop on the City’s Code of Ethics within six months of their appointment. Any current board member who has not attended a workshop at the time these bylaws are adopted shall fulfill the training requirement within 12 months of their adoption.
7.2 Members of the Board of Ethics may fulfill this training requirement by attending a citywide ethics workshop for board members or a special workshop offered at a board retreat or meeting.
8.0 Removal of board members
8.1 Any board member who fails to regularly attend meetings and hearings without good cause or grossly fails to perform his or her duties may be recommended for removal by a vote of five members of the board.
9.0 Amendment of bylaws
9.1 Any proposed amendment to the bylaws shall be submitted in writing to the board at a regular monthly meeting, and may be voted on at the next regular monthly meeting. Any amendment becomes effective at the time of its adoption by a majority of the board.
Adopted February 19, 2009
City of Atlanta Board of Ethics
MaryAnne Gaunt, Vice Chair
Carol Snype Crawford
Charles B. Crawford, Jr.
Cathy Daniels
Caroline Tanner