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South Okanagan Photos

Code of Conduct for mayor and council

 

By ROY WOOD

The mayor and councillors will soon have a new rulebook on how to conduct themselves and the town’s business with honesty, integrity, candor and respect for others.

Corporate officer Diane Vaykovich presented the nine-page Code of Conduct to council Monday.

In fairly precise detail, the document prescribes how the town’s elected officials perform their duties, interact with each other and with staff, communicate with the public and the media, avoid conflicts of interest and avoid accepting valuable gifts or benefits.

Under the code, members of council must:

  • “Uphold the highest standards of ethical behavior” in making decisions for the benefit of the community;
  • Act lawfully and in a manner that avoids arbitrary and unreasonable decisions;
  • Refrain from discussing or disclosing personal or confidential information, particularly involving discussions or decisions of council in closed session;
  • Be free from undue influence and not act or appear to act in order to “gain financial or other benefits for themselves, family, friends or business interests;”
  • Avoid making public statements attacking or disparaging staff or advisory board members and shall show respect for the professional capacities of staff;
  • Use “caution in reporting decision making by way of their own social media profiles and websites” prior to official communication by the town; and
  • Not accept personal benefits or gifts in value exceeding $250.

Councillor Petra Veintimilla objected to a section of the code that specified behavior on social media accounts, saying it “seems to want to get into our personal lives”

Vaykovich said the section would be changed to specify “town social media accounts.”

Mayor Ron Hovanes suggested that agreeing to follow the Code of Conduct become part of the oath of office that council members take after being elected.

The code is an outgrowth of a project by an organization of senior municipal managers and the provincial municipal affairs ministry. That group produced the 22-page policy report called Responsible Conduct of Local Government Elected Officials.