HomeMy WebLinkAboutORD 6239 ETHICS CITY CODE
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ORDINANCE NO. 6239
AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND THE AUGUSTA-
RICHMOND COUNTY CODE TO ADD TO TITLE 1
CHAPTER 1, A NEW ARTICLE 2 TO PROVIDE
FOR A CODE OF ETHICS FOR EMPLOYEES AND
PUBLIC OFFICIALS OF AUGUSTA, GEORGIA;
TO RENUMBER AUGUSTA-RICHMOND COUNTY
CODE ~ 1-1-11; TO PROVIDE DEFINITIONS; TO
ESTABLISH RULES OF CONDUCT; TO PROVIDE
SANCTIONS; TO AMEND THE AUGUSTA-
RICHMOND COUNTY CODE TO AMEND AND
RENUMBER CODE ~~ 1-10-10 THROUGH 1-10-22;
TO REPEAL CONFLICTING LAWS; AND FOR
OTHER PURPOSES
PREAMBLE
WHEREAS, the Official Code of Georgia, Section 45-10-1 (1968 Ga Laws, p. 1369)
established the Code of Ethics for Government Service for exhibiting to the public and
employees ofthe state and all governments therein, which Code of Ethics the Augusta-Richmond
County Commission has adopted as Augusta-Richmond County Code ~ 1-1-11; and
WHEREAS, the Augusta Richmond County Commission has heretofore adopted a code
of ethics for public procurement, as Augusta Richmond County Code ~ 1-10-10 through ~ 1-10-
22; and
WHEREAS, to maintain the public trust, it is essential that government function
honestly and fairly, further the public, not private or personal interest; and
WHEREAS, the elected Mayor and Commissioners, and appointed officials and
employees of Augusta, must maintain and exercise the highest standards of duty to the public in
carrying out the responsibilities and functions of their positions; and
WHEREAS, self-interest, partiality and prejudice have no place in decision-making for
the public good; and
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WHEREAS, Augusta is committed to the responsive exercise of authority by persons of
honor and good will in their government, by adopting an ethics policy to prevent all forms of
impropriety, threats, favoritism, and undue influence;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE AUGUSTA-RICHMOND
COUNTY COMMISSION, AND IT IS HEREBY ORDAINED BY AUTHORITY OF
SAME AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1.
The Augusta-Richmond County Code is amended by adding a new Article
2 to Title 1, Chapter 1, and renumbering Augusta-Richmond County Code ~ 1-1-11 to ~ 1-1-20
and to add to said Article new sections to be designated ~ 1-1-21 through ~ 1-1-26 as follows:
ARTICLE 2
CODE OF ETHICS
~ 1-1-20.
CODE OF ETHICS FOR GOVERNMENT SERVICE--A
STATEMENT OF ETHICAL PRINCIPLES
Any person in government service should:
(a) Put loyalty to the highest moral principles and to country above loyalty to
person, party, or government department.
(b) Uphold the Constitution, laws, and legal regulations of the United States
and the State of Georgia and of all governments therein and never be a
party to their evasion.
(c) Give a full day's labor for a full day's pay and give to the performance of
his duties his earnest effort and best thought.
(d) Seek to fmd and employ more efficient and economical ways of
accomplishing tasks.
(e) Never discriminate unfairly by the dispensing of special favors or
privileges to anyone, whether for remuneration or not, and never accept,
for himself/herself or his/her family, favors or benefits under
circumstances which might be construed by reasonable persons as
influencing the performance of his governmental duties.
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(f)
Make no private promises of any kind binding upon the duties of office,
since a government employee has no private word which can be binding
on public duty.
(g)
Engage in no business with the government, either directly or indirectly,
which is inconsistent with the conscientious performance of his
governmental duties.
(h)
Never use any information coming to him confidentially in the
performance of governmental duties as a means for making private profit.
(i)
Expose corruption wherever discovered.
(j)
Uphold these principles, ever conscious that public office is a public trust.
(Ga. L. 1968, p. 1369.)
~ 1-1-21.
PURPOSE
An ETHICS IN GOVERNMENT POLICY for elected and appointed officials and
employees of Augusta is hereby established to encourage a commitment of fidelity to the
public interest for the people of Augusta.
~ 1-1-22.
PERSONS SUBJECT TO THIS ARTICLE; DEFINITIONS
The following persons are subject to this Article:
(a) All employees of Augusta and in any agency created by the Augusta-
Richmond County Commission, whether elected or appointed, including
the Mayor and members of the Augusta-Richmond County Commission.
(b) Agency heads who are appointed by the Augusta-Richmond County
Commission, Mayor or Administrator.
( c) As used in this Article the term:
(1) "Agency" means any agency, authority, department, board, bureau,
commission, council, corporation, entities or instrumentality of
Augusta, except those headed by an elected official other than the
Mayor and any citizens committee, or citizens advisory committee,
appointed by the Mayor or the Commission
(2) "Agency head" means the director or executive head of an agency.
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(3)
"Commission"
Commission.
the
Augusta-Richmond
County
means
(4) "Employee" means any agency head, and all individuals employed
by the Augusta-Richmond County Commission, Augusta, Georgia,
or any agency of Augusta.
(5) "Gift" means food, lodging, transportation, personal services, a
gratuity, subscription, membership, trip, loan, extension of credit
on behalf of an employee or public official, forgiveness of debt of
an employee or public official, advance or deposit of money for the
benefit of an employee or public official, or anything of value,
exceeding the value of$100. A "gift" shall not include:
(A) Food or beverage consumed at a single meal or event; or food,
beverages, and registration at group events to which all members
of an agency are invited; or food, beverage, or expenses afforded
employees, public officials, relatives, or others that are associated
with normal and customary business or social functions or
activities;
(B) Legitimate salary, benefits, fees, commissions, or expenses
associated with a recipient's nonpublic business, employment,
trade, or profession;
(C) An award, plaque, certificate, memento, or similar item given in
recognition of the recipient's civic, charitable, political,
professional, private or public service, or achievement;
(D) Actual and reasonable expenses for food, beverages, travel,
lodging, and registration provided to permit participation in a
meeting related to official or professional duties, if participation
has been approved in writing by the agency head; ,
(E) Promotional items generally distributed to the general public;
(F) A gift from a relative or personal friend of the employee or public
official who is neither a lobbyist nor a vendor; or
(G) Lawful campaign contributions to any elected official or candidate
for elected office; and
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(H) Courtesy tickets or free admission extended to an elected official
for an event as a courtesy or for ceremonial purposes;
(I) A commercially reasonable loan made in the ordinary course of
business.
(6) "Lobbyist" shall have the meanmg defined in O.C.G.A. Section 21-5-
70(6).
(7) "Person" means an individual, partnership, committee, association,
corporation, labor organization, or any other organization or group of
individuals.
(8) "Public official" means the Mayor and members of the Augusta-
Richmond County Commission and all appointed members of any agency.
(9) "Relative" means members of the family or household or relatives
(including a person for whom the employee or public official has legal
responsibility, a parent, step-parent, child, step-child, son-in-law,
daughter-in-law, brother, sister, spouse, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew,
grandparent, grandchild, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, or persons living in
the employee's or public official's household).
(10) "Value" means the actual retail price or cost attributable to a gift, less
applicable taxes and gratuities, or a reasonable estimate based upon
customary charges for like goods or services in the locality, prorated
among all recipients of each single gift, whether or not all recipients are
employees. Gifts shall be valued as a single gift. Specific types of gifts
shall be valued on the following basis:
(A) Transportation, by air or rail, shall be based on the ticket cost or
coach-class equivalent value.
(B) Ground transportation shall be valued on cost or the mileage rate
reimbursed by Augusta.
(C) Entrance fees, admission fees, or other tickets shall be valued at
the face value of the ticket or fee, excluding any portion
attributable to a charitable contribution, if provided by the
charitable organization.
(11) "Vendor" means any person who solicits to sell to or to contract, or who
sells or contracts, with Augusta or any department, board, bureau, agency,
or commission created by the Augusta-Richmond County Commission for
. the provision of any goods or services.
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(12) "Charitable organization" shall have the meanmg defmed in O.C.G.A.
Section 45-20-51.
~ 1-1-23. RULES OF CONDUCT FOR EMPLOYEES AND PUBLIC
OFFICIALS OF AUGUSTA.
Employees and public officials of Augusta shall perform their official duties in
such a manner as to promote the best interest of the public. To help ensure the proper
performance of their duties, the following Rules of Conduct are adopted.
(a) Receipt of Gifts by Employees and Public Officials Prohibited;
Reporting; Disposition
(1) An employee or public official, or any other person on his or her behalf,
is prohibited from knowingly accepting and retaining, directly or indirectly, a gift
from a lobbyist, vendor, or any other person seeking to influence official action.
If a gift has been accepted, it must be either returned to the donor or transferred to
a charitable organization. However, a gift may be accepted by an employee or
public official on behalf of Augusta, the agency, or the Mayor and Commission.
If the gift is accepted, the person receiving the gift shall not maintain custody of
the gift for any period of time beyond that reasonably necessary to arrange for the
transfer of custody and ownership ofthe gift.
(2) An employee who accepts a gift for an agency or for the Mayor and
Commission must file a report, no later than the last day of each quarter in which
a reportable gift is made. The report shall be filed with the employee's agency
head and in the case of the Mayor and Commission with the Clerk of the
Commission. The report must contain a description of each gift, the name and
address of the recipient of the gift, and the date such gift is given. The donor shall
be notified that the gift will be reported, but a single gift need not be reported by
more than one employee.
(3) A public official who accepts a gift for an agency or for the Mayor and
Commission must file a report with the Clerk of the Commission not later than
February 1, 2001, and not later than February 1 of each year thereafter, and shall
cover the preceding calendar year. The report must contain a description of each
gift, the name and address of the donor of the gift, and the date such gift is given.
The donor shall be notified that the gift will be reported, but a single gift need not
be reported by more than one employee.
(b) Conflict ofInterest Prohibited
(1) An employee or public official shall not knowingly use his or her position
in any manner which will result in the receipt of a fmancial benefit or gift,
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direct or indirect, to the employee, the employee's relatives, the public
official, the public official's relatives, or an individual with whom the
employee or public official has a fmancial interest or a business with
which the employee or public official has a financial interest.
(A) These rules shall not be applicable to financial and other
benefits derived by an employee or public official that he or
she would enjoy to an extent no greater than that which
other citizens of Georgia would or could enjoy.
(B) These rules shall not be applicable to financial and other
benefits rightfully gained by an employee or public official
pursuant to the proper performance of his or her official
responsibilities.
(C) These rules shall not be applicable to the exceptions to
prohibited transactions set forth in O.C.G.A. Section 45-10-
23 and 45-10-25.
(D) These rules shall not be applicable to such further
exceptions as may be made on a case-by-case basis upon
application to the Augusta-Richmond County Commission.
(2) An employee or public official shall not directly or knowingly ask,
accept, demand, extract, solicit, seek, or assign or receive a financial
benefit or gift for himself or herself or for another person in return for
being influenced in the discharge of his or her official responsibilities.
(3) An employee or public official shall not solicit or receive a financial
benefit, or a gift other than a financial benefit received by the employee or
public official for acting in his or her official capacity, for advice or
assistance given in the course of carrying out the employee's official
responsibilities.
(4) An employee or public official shall not use or disclose information
gained in the course of, or by reason of, his or her official responsibilities
in a way that would affect a personal financial interest of the employee, an
employee's relative, the public official, a public official's relative, or a
person with whom, or business with which, the employee or public official
shares a fmancial interest.
(5) An employee shall not cause the employment, appointment, promotion,
transfer, or advancement of a relative to an employment position which
the employee directly supervises or manages. An employee or public
official shall not participate in an action relating to the disciplining of a
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relative. Nothing herein shall be construed to affect Augusta's nepotism
policy as contained in its Personnel Policies and Procedures.
(c) Appearance of Conflict.
(1) An employee or public official shall make every reasonable effort
to avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest. An
appearance of conflict exists when a reasonable person would
conclude from the circumstances that the employee's or public
official's ability to protect the public interest, or perform public
duties, is compromised by personal interests. An appearance of
conflict could exist even in the absence of a legal conflict of
interest.
(2) An employee or public official shall recuse himself or herself from
participation in any official proceeding in which the employee's or
public official's impartiality might reasonably be questioned due to
the employee's or public official's personal or financial
relationship with any participant in the proceeding, including an
owner, shareholder, partner, employee, or agent of a business
entity involved in the proceeding. If the employee or public
official is uncertain whether the relationship justifies recusal, then
the employee or public official shall disclose the relationship to the
person presiding over the proceeding. The presiding officer shall
determine the extent to which, if any, the employee or public
official will be permitted to participate. If the presiding officer is
the affected employee or public official, he or she shall relinquish
the chair to a substitute who shall made the determination.
(d) Other Rules of Conduct
(1 ) The agency head shall make a due and diligent effort to determine whether
he or she has a conflict of interest or appearance of conflict before taking
any action.
(2) The agency head shall continually monitor, evaluate, and manage his or
her personal, financial, and professional affairs to ensure the absence of
conflicts of interests and appearance of conflicts.
(e) Augusta shall not pay lodging costs, meal costs, transportation costs, entrance
fees, admission fees, or for other tickets for anyone other than the employee
unless such person has specific approval from the City Administrator or agency
head, as applicable, for such person to accompany the employee on such trip, nor
shall Augusta pay for such expenses for anyone representing the Mayor or
members of the Commission, without specific approval of the Augusta-Richmond
County Commission.
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~ 1-1-24.
Violations; Sanctions-Employees.
Each agency shall make a copy of this Article available to all employees and
public officials and shall institute procedures for its enforcement consistent with all
applicable Georgia laws. Violation of this Article may subject an employee to
disciplinary action, including termination of employment pursuant to the applicable
policies and procedures. The agency head of each agency shall be responsible to the
Augusta-Richmond County Commission for the faithful enforcement of this Article, and
shall report all alleged violations and their disposition to the Augusta-Richmond County
Commission.
~ 1-1-25.
Violations; Complaints-Public Officials.
The Augusta-Richmond County Commission shall be responsible for
hearing and deciding any complaints filed against a public official regarding alleged
violation of Articles 2 and 3 of this Chapter.
~ 1-1-26.
Disciplinary action against public official
In addition to any other remedy provided by law, a public official who is subject to the
provisions of this article and who is found by the Augusta-Richmond County Commission to
have violated its provisions may be subject to censure or reprimand.
Section 2.
The Augusta-Richmond County Code is further amended by deleting
Augusta Richmond County Code ~ 1-10-10 through ~ 1-10-22 and substituting in lieu thereof a
new Article 3 to Title 1, Chapter 1, to wit:
ARTICLE 2
ETHICS IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT
~ 1-1-27.
EMPLOYEE OR PUBLIC OFFICIAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST.
It shall be unethical for any Augusta-Richmond County employee or
public official, as defmed in the Augusta-Richmond County Code ~ 1-1-22(c)(8), to
transact any business or participate directly or indirectly in a procurement contract when
the employee or public official knows that:
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(a) the employee or public official or any member of the employee's or public
official's immediate family has a substantial interest or financial interest pertaining to the
procurement contract, except that the purchase of goods and services from businesses
which a member of the Commission or other Augusta-Richmond County employee has a
fmancial interest is authorized as per O.c.G.A. ~ 36-1-14, or the procurement contract is
awarded pursuant to O.C.G.A. ~ 45-10-22 and ~ 45-10-24, or the transaction is excepted
from said restrictions by O.C.G.A. ~ 45-10-25;
(b) any other person, business, or organization with whom the employee or public
official or any member of an employee's or public official's immediate family is
negotiating or has an arrangement concerning prospective employment is involved in the
procurement contract.
An employee or public official or any member of an employee's or public
official's immediate family who holds a substantial interest or financial interest in a
disclosed blind trust shall not be deemed to have a conflict of interest with regard to
matters pertaining to that substantial interest or financial interest.
~ 1-1-28.
GIFTS, REBATES AND KICKBACKS.
(a) Gifts. It shall be unethical for any person to offer, give, or agree to give any
Augusta-Richmond County employee or public official, or for any Augusta-Richmond
County employee or official to solicit, demand, accept, or agree to accept from another
person, a gift or gratuity except as provided in Augusta-Richmond County Code ~ 1-1-
23, or any rebate or an offer of employment in connection with any decision, approval,
disapproval, recommendation, or preparation of any part of a program requirement or a
purchase request, influencing the content of any specification or procurement standard,
rendering of advice, investigation, auditing, or in any other advisory capacity in any
proceeding or application, request for ruling, determination, claim or controversy, or
other particular matter, pertaining to any program requirement or a contract or
subcontract, or to any solicitation or proposal therefor.
(1) Kickbacks and rebates. It shall be unethical for any payment, gifts, or offer of
employment to be made by or on behalf of a subcontractor under a contract to the
prime contractor or higher tier subcontractor, or any person associated therewith,
as an inducement for the award of a subcontract or order.
(2) Contract clause. The prohibition against gratuities, rebates and kickbacks
prescribed in this Section shall be conspicuously set forth in every contract and
solicitation therefor.
(3) Courtesies. Employees may accept for themselves and members of their
families common courtesies usually associated with customary business practices
so long as they do not violate the provision of the Rules of Conduct set forth in
Augusta-Richmond County Code ~ 1-1-23.
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(4) Cash. It is never permissible for an Augusta-Richmond County official or
employee to accept a gift in cash or cash equivalent (e.g. stocks or other forms of
marketable securities) of any amount.
~ 1-1-29.
PROHIBITION AGAINST CONTINGENT FEES.
It shall be unethical for a person to be retained, or to retain a person, to
solicit or secure an Augusta-Richmond County contract upon any agreement or
understanding for a commission, percentage, brokerage, or contingent fee, except for
retention of bona fide employees or bona fide established commercial selling agencies for
the purpose of securing business.
~ 1-1-30.
CONTEMPORANEOUS EMPLOYMENT PROHIBITED.
It shall be unethical for any Augusta-Richmond County employee or
official who is participating directly or indirectly in the procurement process to become,
or to be while such an employee or public official, the employee of any person
contracting with Augusta-Richmond County.
~ 1-1-31.
WAIVER FROM CONTEMPORANEOUS EMPLOYMENT
PROHIBITION AND OTHER CONFLICTS OF INTEREST.
The Augusta-Richmond County Commission may grant a waiver from the
employee conflict of interest provision or the contemporaneous employment provision
upon making a written determination that:
(a) the contemporaneous employment or financial interest of the employee has been
publicly disclosed;
(b) the employee will be able to perform his/her procurement functions without actual
or apparent bias or favoritism; and
(c) the award will be in the best interests of Augusta-Richmond County.
~ 1-1-32.
USE OF CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION.
It shall be unethical for any Augusta-Richmond County employee or
public official knowingly to use confidential information for actual or anticipated
personal gain, or for the actual or anticipated personal gain of any other person.
~ 1-1-33.
INSIDE INFORMATION.
No Augusta-Richmond County public official or employee shall:
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(a) Give or release without proper authority to anyone not employed by Augusta-
Richmond County or to another employee or public official who has no need for the
information, data or information of a confidential or proprietary nature, such as a tax sale
obtained while in Augusta-Richmond County's employment or service.
(b) Use non-public information obtained while in Augusta-Richmond County's
employment or service, including information about customers or suppliers, for the
personal profit of that employee or public official or anyone else. This includes, but is
not limited to, taking advantage of such information by:
. (1) Trading or providing information for others to trade in securities;
(2) Acquiring a real property interest of any kind, including but not limited to
plant or office sites or adjacent properties; or
(3) Acquiring options to obtain interest in royalties, minerals, or real property for
the purpose of obtaining mineral or royalty interest.
~ 1-1-34.
USE OF POSITION FOR GAIN.
No Augusta-Richmond County public official or employee shall use his
official position or office to obtain financial gain for himself.
~ 1-1-35.
UNAUTHORIZED PURCHASES.
No purchases of materials, supplies, equipment and services shall be made
in the name of Augusta-Richmond County or one of its departments, or through its
purchasing department, except such as are required for official use by Augusta-Richmond
County or one of its departments. Purchases in the name of Augusta-Richmond County
or a department for personal use by an individual or for other than official use are
prohibited, and no Augusta-Richmond County funds will be expended or advanced
therefor.
~1-1-36.
AGREEMENT OF CANDIDA TES INVOLVING WORK OR
APPOINTMENTS.
It shall be unethical for any candidate for the office of mayor or
commissioner to enter into any agreement or understanding with any person as to the
disposal of any work or appointment which is or shall be under the control of the
Commission.
~ 1-1-37.
PENAL TIES AND SANCTIONS.
(a) Legal or disciplinary action by Commission. The Commission may take
appropriate legal and/or disciplinary actions against any Augusta-Richmond County
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public official, vendor, contractor, organization, or person in violation of these ethical
standards or the Rules of Conduct set forth in Augusta-Richmond County Code ~ 1-1-23.
(b) Legal or disciplinary action by Augusta-Richmond County Administrator. The
Augusta-Richmond County Administrator may take appropriate legal and/or disciplinary
actions against any Augusta-Richmond County employee subject to the Administrator's
supervision and control as defmed in the Augusta-Richmond County Code, subject to the
appropriate appeals process of Augusta-Richmond County.
(c) Legal or disciplinary action by Elected/Constitutional Ojjicers of Augusta-
Richmond County. The Constitutional Officers and other Elected Officers of Augusta-
Richmond County may take the appropriate legal and/or disciplinary actions against any
employee under their supervision and control subject to the appropriate appeals process
of Augusta-Richmond County.
(d) Administrative penalties for employees. The Augusta-Richmond County
Administrator or ConstitutionallElected Officer may impose anyone or more of the
following penalties or sanctions on an Augusta-Richmond County employee for
violations of the ethical standards in this Section as appropriate to the situation, subject to
the Personnel Manual or other appropriate appeals procedures:
(1) oral or written warnings or reprimands;
(2) suspensions with or without pay for specified periods oftime; or
(3) termination of employment.
(e) Administrative penalties for outside contractors/vendors. The Augusta-Richmond
County Commission may impose anyone or more ofthe following penalties or sanctions
on a vendor/contractor or other person or organization for violations of these ethical
standards:
(1) written warnings or reprimands;
(2) termination of contracts; or
(3) debarment or suspension as provided in ~ 1-10-65 (Authority to Debar or
Suspend).
~ 1-1-38.
RECOVERY OF VALUE TRANSFERRED OR RECEIVED IN
BREACH OF ETHICAL STANDARDS.
(a) General provisions. The value of anything transferred or received in breach of
the ethical standards of this chapter or the Rules of Conduct set forth in Augusta-
Richmond County Code ~ 1-1-23 by an Augusta-Richmond County employee, public
official, or a vendor/contractor or other person may be recovered from either party.
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(b) Recovery of kickbacks by Augusta-Richmond County. Upon showing that a
subcontractor made a kickback to a prime contractor or a higher tier subcontractor in
connection with the award of a subcontract or order thereunder, it shall be conclusively
presumed that the amount thereof was included in the price of the subcontract or order
and ultimately borne by Augusta-Richmond County and will be recoverable hereunder
from the recipient. In addition, that amount may also be recovered from the
subcontractor making such kickbacks. Recovery from one offending party shall not
preclude recovery from other offending parties.
~ 1-1-39.
POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS.
(a) No employee or public official shall make any contribution of Augusta-Richmond
County funds, property, or services to any political party or committee, or to any
candidate for or holder of any office ofthe government--national, state, local, or foreign.
(a) Nothing herein shall be construed as prohibiting the making of political
contributions by any vendor/contractor or other person or organization to any candidate
for public office, so long as the contribution is made without any agreement or
understanding with regard to future or pending contracts or purchase orders.
~ 1-1-40.
REGISTRATION OF VENDORS MAKING GIFTS
(a) Any vendor who, either directly or through another person, makes a gift or gifts to
one or more employees or public officials exceeding in the aggregate $100.00 in value
during any calendar year shall file a disclosure report with the Clerk of the Augusta-
Richmond County Commission in the form specified by the Augusta-Richmond County
Commission listing the amount and date of receipt, the name and mailing address of any
vendor making the gift, and the name, address, and position of each public employee or
public official receiving such a gift.
(b) Each disclosure report required by subsection (a) of this section shall be filed with
the Clerk ofthe Commission not later than February 1,2001, and not later than February
1 of each year thereafter, and shall cover the preceding calendar year.
(c) A report required by this section shall be verified by the oath or affirmation of the
person filing such report or statement taken before an officer authorized to administer
oaths. Each report required in a calendar year shall contain cumulative totals of all gifts
which have been made or received and which are required to be reported.
(d) In addition to other penalties provided under this Article, a filing fee of $50.00
shall be imposed for each report that is filed late. In addition, a filing fee of $25.00 shall
be imposed on the fifteenth day after the due date if the report has still not been filed.
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Section 3.
This Ordinance shall become effective upon adoption.
Section 4.
All Ordinances or parts of Ordinances in conflict with this Ordinance are
hereby repealed.
Section 5.
This Ordinance shall be construed to effectuate its purposes and policies
and to supplement such existing laws as may relate to the conduct of persons made subject to this
Ordinance. This Ordinance shall not affect any act done, liability or penalty incurrred, or right
accrued or vested prior to the effective date of this Article; nor shall this Article affect any
actions or prosecution then pending, or to be instituted, to enforce any right or penalty then
accrued or to punish any offense thereto committed.
Section 6.
In the event that any section, subsection, sentence, clause or phrase of this
Ordinance shall be dechrred or adjudged invalid or unconstitutional, such declaration or
adjudication shall in no manner affect the other sections, sentences, clauses, or phrases of this
Ordinance, which shall remain in full force and effect, as if the section, subsection, sentence, or
clause or phrase so declared or adjudged invalid or unconstitutional were not originally a part
thereof.
Duly adopted this 1- day Of~~ -l'llI, and this 11' day of
~'2000.
By:
~ As its Mayor
First Reading:
Second Reading:
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