Haines Borough Assembly members suggested a new “overwhelming” ethics code go to a committee of the whole for review and decided to experiment with a different meeting structure.
Borough clerk Julie Cozzi and deputy clerk Alekka Fullerton introduced an ordinance to the assembly in October with about 15 new pages of ethics code. Cozzi said staff worked on a comprehensive rewrite and reorganization of the code of ethics in Title 2 and pulled in code from the City of Homer.
“I was just completely overwhelmed by it when I saw it,” said Heather Lende, chair of the government affairs and services committee. “It seems to me to be overkill for what we were trying to accomplish.”
The issue arose when Debra Schnabel was hired as manager. The borough was no longer able to work with Southeast Roadbuilders because it’s owned by Schnabel’s brother. The borough attorney suggested amendments to the code.
“Our existing conflict of interest and code of conduct codes are pretty broad, and it’s really difficult for you as elected officials to deal with broad brushes of code,” Cozzi said. “If we can be a little bit more specific…giving you some kind of procedure to follow for how to disclose something and what happens with that disclosure.”
Lende said she thought the code now might be too specific.
“At least while I’ve been clerk there’s been a lot of discomfort and uncertainty about how to handle things like conflicts of interest and how to define it,” Cozzi said. “This is our best shot at preparing something that we believe the assembly assigned staff to do…something needs to be done,” Cozzi said.
Assembly member Tresham Gregg said he thought the new code was succinct and gives good advice if someone needs to declare a conflict of interest.
Assembly member Brenda Josephson said she likes process to be in code.
The committee recommended the entire assembly look at the code at an informal meeting and requested Cozzi and Fullerton make a presentation to the group going over each section.
The committee also suggested the assembly gather as a committee of the whole for an hour before regular business meetings to discuss agenda items for the following regular asssembly meeting.
“If we’re discussing them before they’re introduced, that’s when we can effect the changes that we want prior to all the investment in time the staff has got in it,” Josephson said.
Lende said the committee meetings would help eliminate ordinances that assembly members know won’t move forward for discussion.
They suggested the committee of the whole meetings start at 6:30 p.m. before the 7:30 p.m. formal assembly meetings.