11/22/2010 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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Communication Sharing of Information — It is the responsibility of council members to publicly share information with all other council members that they have received from sources outside of the public decision - making process, which pertains to a topic under consideration. Whenever possible, new information or data obtained by council members, pertinent to a topic being discussed, will be distributed through the city administrator to the city council members. Upon reviewing the "new information" the council may adopt a motion to postpone further consideration of the information until all members have had time to review and interpret this new information. Focused Discussions — Council members shall work to keep discussions and debates focused on the item under discussion without introducing extraneous or irrelevant information. Request for Information- All council members shall receive the same information at the same time when deemed ready for distribution by staff. If an elected official requests information in advance of others on the city council, the matter shall be resolved by a majority of the city council. Coordination with City Staff — City staff should be involved when council members meet with officials from other agencies and jurisdictions to ensure proper staff support as needed and to keep staff appropriately informed. Citizen Questions — Elected officials should refer questions and concerns from citizens to the city administrator or appropriate department director. City staff should report back to the city council on the resolution of the referral. Confidential Information — Council members shall respect and preserve the confidentiality of non - public, protected non- public, private, and confidential information provided to them concerning matters of the city. They shall neither disclose confidential information without proper legal authorization nor use such information to advance their personal, financial or private interests. Notice of Attendance — If any council member has knowledge or reason to believe that there will be a large or emotional attendance at an upcoming council meeting or work session, they have an obligation to inform the city administrator as soon as they become aware of the potential situation. Conflict of Interest — In order to assure their independence and impartiality on behalf of the public good, council member or members of a board or commission shall not use their official positions to influence government decisions in which they have a financial interest or where they have an organizational responsibility or a personal relationship that would present a conflict of interest under applicable State law. Except as permitted by law, a council member or member of a board or commission must disclose a potential conflict of interest for the public record and refrain from participating in the in the discussion and vote, when a matter comes before that person that: A. Affects the person's financial interests or those of a business with which the person is associated, unless the effect on the person or business is no greater than on other members of the same business classification, profession or occupation; or B. Affects the financial interests of an organization in which the person participates as a member of the governing body, unless the person serves in that capacity as the city's representative. Implementation Orientation — This Code of Conduct shall be included in the regular orientations for new city council members. Following each election, the new council shall, by resolution of its elected members, adopt a city council code of conduct.