Board of Ethics Meeting - July 17, 2025

Yes, so I'm going to start the recording for you. You are recording. All right, well, current time is 3:31 PM on July 17th. Suppose we'll call this meeting of the Board of Ethics to order.

And, Chris, if you would please call roll. Mr. Belreve? Present. Ms. Mogadam? Present.

I believe Miss Guess is excused. Is that correct, Chair? That's correct. And Miss West? Present.

Thank you, Chair. You have a quorum.

Thank you so much. The next item we have on today's calendar is the approval of today's agenda, and the board would entertain a motion.

So moved. And a second? Second. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye.

Aye. And the motion carries. Thus, the next item we have is approving the minutes of our previous meeting, and I think the only issue I saw with it, I believe that Kelly was excused at the last and would recommend amending to reflect that.

Otherwise, I— if the board would have a sense to approve the meetings at the last minute as amended, we would entertain a motion that way. Otherwise, if anyone has thoughts, please feel free.

Are you just saying that instead of saying I was absent, that, that it would say that it was excused? That's correct. Oh, okay.

I will move to approve the minutes of the last Board of Ethics meeting with the aforementioned amendment. And a second? Second. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye.

Aye. Aye. Motion carries. Next item we have is at 5, our consent agenda. We have at 5A.1, disclosure of economic interest in a municipal contract or business by public servant, items A through G. And we also have at 5A.2, a notice of intent to respond by public solicitation by a public servant.

If there are any items that Any member would like to consider individually, then the board would entertain a motion to consider the rest as a block. Otherwise, if we'd like to consider all these as a block, we'd entertain a motion that way.

And by way of background, I believe that 5A1A and B were ones that we had removed from the block at last meeting. And have since been updated to, I guess, address the reason that they were removed from the block at our last meeting.

I will move to, uh, review all of them as a block.

So, again, is there a second?

Second. Perfect. And is there any discussion?

Oh yeah, Daniel, this is Paul. I just wanted to mention one thing. So I don't know if anybody else has been looking at those ASD forms all that closely, but maybe it's something like if the board agrees, I could reach out to the purchasing warehouse senior director. I just don't know why their form requires them to get that notarized. A lot of these forms are like teachers and substitute teachers, and, you know, they have no impact in reviewing contracts at all, and there's no role for them to, like, potential for a conflict, but their forms require them to get that exception notarized, which seems to impose some sort of a a little bit of a burden.

We just want to make it as easy as possible for them to file, but maybe they could just change that form or find out why they do that. That could be helpful. I mean, it is— I'm not seeing who or whether these are notaries within the schools that are able to complete these, or if they're having to go outside and make a separate dedicated trip to sign what to me seems like a form that it certainly doesn't require it whenever it's on the munis form.

If there's no objection, I could just do that. So I'll just do that. I'll reach out to the purchasing director and find out why that is on there and if it's possible for them to just remove that and make it easier for them to file these. That'd be perfect. Any objection from other members of the board?

Not for me. Not for me. All right. And any other discussion on the consent agenda items?

Seeing and hearing none, the motion is to approve the items on the consent agenda at 5A, both 1 and 2. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Aye. Motion carries.

Items on the consent agenda this afternoon are approved. Next item we have today is our unfinished business. At 6A, we have the annual report of the board.

I didn't have any edits or further comments. I'm assuming, Paul, that you drafted that, so I appreciate that. Thank you. For doing that.

Certainly, and I think the only thing I saw was, I think we misspelled my name on the COVID letter, but other than that, as far as the substance, this I think very accurately summarizes what our work has been over the last year and, well, you know, our recommendation for how we can improve what the ethics process looks like in the municipality. So yeah, again, just mirroring, I appreciate your efforts here and looks good.

Oh, you're welcome. Happy to do it. Sorry about misspelling your name. I do it more often than I care to admit. Well, thanks.

With all that, if there's no further discussion, I believe, uh, more to entertain a motion to approve and adopt the annual report of the board at 6A. Oh, I was— if I could just add, so how it works, or how it's worked the last couple years, is it goes to the Assembly Rules Committee, and then typically they'll ask, like, when it gets presented, um, they'll just ask that I be there to answer any questions, um, that any of the assembly members have about the annual report. Last year there were a few, but, um, any board member, I'll let you know when the— when it comes up. So if any board member wants to attend too and, you know, represent the board, you're certainly welcome to. I appreciate that.

And I do apologize, do we have a motion?

Yeah, so moved. And a second? Second. Any further discussion?

Seeing and hearing none, the question is to approve and adopt the annual report of the board at 6A. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Aye. Aye.

And the motion carries. Next item we have on this evening's agenda is request for advisory opinion 2025-03, confidential. I believe the board would entertain a motion to go into a closed session. So moved. Second.

Second. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye.

And with that, I suppose I will see you all on the other side.

Mr. Chair, you are back in open session. All right, we are back in open session. So coming out of our closed session, I believe the first item that we would have, the board would entertain a motion to approve and distribute request for advisory opinion 2025-03 response. Do we have a motion?

Second. And any further discussion? Seeing and hearing none, the motion is to approve the response to request for advisory opinion 2025-03. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye.

Aye.

And the motion carries.

And the next item we have is for new business ethics complaint for potential violation 2025-05. And I do apologize, my notes were incomplete here as to whether it would be the sense of the board to decline either on 160(a)(2)(f), lack of support or lack of information, or the allegations fail to constitute a violation.

But whichever of those may be appropriate, the board would entertain a motion in either way.

I do apologize. It seems like everyone's muted but me. Oh, no, I was just going to say, I don't know who's going to make the motion, but I think it's 2G. 115.162(G) is the basis to decline it. Perfect.

I think I want to go with either one.

Well, in that case, just to reiterate, the Board of Veterans' Claims motion is to decline for the allegations, if true, fail to constitute a violation of the Code of Ethics.

I'm almost wondering either if I'm having tech issues or if someone else is, because I'm seeing unmuting and remuting, but I'm not hearing anything.

Anybody hear me now? I can hear you now. Okay. I was unmuting and nobody could hear me.

So move to decline the ethics complaint for potential violation 2025-05 under 115.262G. 262G, that's correct. And is there a second? Second. Any further discussion?

Seeing and hearing none, all those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. And the motion carries.

Next item we have on our agenda this afternoon is member comments, and I would open the floor to any members who have comments.

Seeing and hearing none, next item on our agenda today is audience participation. And I do not see any audience this afternoon.

And so next item we have is setting up our next meeting.

I believe it's been our practice to go— have we been going The first Thursday of each month?

Or second Thursday? It looks like it's been either the third or fourth Thursday. Oh, heavens.

With that, I would propose August 28th at 3:30 PM.

That time be workable for the board? That works for me. That should work for me as well.

All right. 28Th of August at 3:30 PM.

And finally, last item we have today is adjournment, and I believe the board would entertain a motion.

So moved. And a second? Second. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye.

Aye. All right, thank you all so much.

Thank you. Sorry about my tech issues there.