On July 30, City Council passed several minor changes to the Denver Code of Ethics, which governs all Denver elected officials, city employees and board and commission members. The last major revision to the Code of Ethics was made in 2001 and a number of smaller changes were made in 2004. The current changes were recommended by the Denver Board of Ethics based on its experience in interpreting and administering the Code for the purpose of clarification and filling in gaps.
The changes are as follows:
1. to specify that, if a city agency or department wishes to adopt a stricter code of ethics for its employees (which is currently allowed by the Code of Ethics and the Denver Charter), the agency must do so through published rules or policies, is encouraged to consult with the Board of Ethics, shall provide information and training to employees of the agency and shall provide a copy to the Board of Ethics.
2. to add to the definition of “immediate family,” for the purpose of expanding the list of persons that city personnel should not makes decisions regarding due to conflict of interest “any person with whom he or she is cohabiting and any person to whom he or she is engaged to be married.”
3. to substitute “complaint or inquiry” for “inquiry” wherever used in the Code of Ethics. This is to clarify in plain English that the word “inquiry” primarily means “complaint.”
4. to specify what a city person should do if he or she should not take “direct official action” due to a substantial conflict of interest. The Code now says that a city person a) shall disclose such conflict of interest to his or her colleagues on a board or commission or to his or her supervisor or appointing authority; b) shall not act or vote on the matter; c) shall not attempt to influence the decisions of others in acting or voting on the matter; and d) shall work with his or her supervisor or appointing authority to ensure that the matter is assigned to someone without conflicting interests.
5. to clarify that city personnel may not have any other employment or position which is incompatible with his or her city duties or that adversely affect the interests of the city.”
6. to provide that “unpaid volunteer activity” does not need to be disclosed as part of the annual disclosure and permission requirement for outside employment or outside business activity.
7. to provide that copies of documentation relating to the annual disclosure and permission requirements for outside employment or outside business activities shall be placed in each city person’s departmental personnel file.
8. to clarify that city persons who leave the city government may obtain new employment or contract work inside the city government even if they will take direct advantage of matters with which they took direct official action with the city, without waiting for six months.
Please contact the Board of Ethics if you have questions about these changes or any other concern about the Denver Code of Ethics – 720-865-8412 or michael.henry@ci.denver.co.us.