Sec. 16-47. Ethics/conflict of interest.
(a) The proper operation of the Town of St. John, Indiana, requires that all official representatives be effective, independent, objective, and accountable to the people they serve. To ensure these qualities are upheld, the Town has adopted this code of ethics and values to promote and maintain the highest standards of personal and professional conduct in our community. All elected and appointed officials, employees, volunteers, and others who participate in our government are required to subscribe to this code, understand how it applies to their specific responsibilities and practice these core values in their work. Because we value the public's confidence and trust in our services and its decision-makers, our character and behaviors must meet the most demanding ethical standards and demonstrate the highest levels of achievement in following this code.
(1) Honesty/integrity.
a. To act with moral courage.
b. To make decisions for the public's best interests, even when they may not be popular.
c. To not engage in any business that would be, directly or indirectly, inconsistent with the conscientious performance of our public duties.
d. To make no private promises of any kind that may unduly influence our public duties.
e. To accept the responsibility to:
1. Expose corrupt practices and/or behaviors; and
2. Where empowered to do so, protect any public employee from retaliation who has exposed corrupt practices and/or behaviors.
(2) Respect/civility.
a. To treat others as you wish to be treated.
b. To accomplish the goals and responsibilities of our individual positions, while respecting our role as a member of a team and the community at large.
c. To act in a professional and responsive manner.
d. To work together in a spirit of tolerance and understanding.
e. To work to build consensus and accommodate diverse opinions.
f. To communicate effectively by listening carefully, asking questions, and responding in a way that adds value to conversations.
(3) Accountability/responsibility.
a. To not participate in any decision where we have a conflict of interest or from which our family, business, or professional associates may personally benefit.
b. To not use our positions, public property or public resources for the personal benefits of ourselves, our family or our business or professional associates.
c. To never solicit or accept any favor or benefit for our family, our business, professional associates or ourselves that might be construed as influencing the performance or our public duties.
d. To make full public disclosure of the nature of any conflict of interest prior to any action taken.
e. To avoid disclosing or abusing the information that we gain by virtue of our position for the personal benefit of ourselves, our family or businesses or professional associates.
f. To not engage in direct competition with our respective Town while we are an employee, an appointed official, or an elected official.
g. To support the public's right to know the truth and encourage diverse and civil public debate in the decision-making process.
(4) Fairness/justice.
a. To promote nondiscrimination in our decision-making for our respective Town and to make decisions based upon the merits of the issue at hand.
b. To recognize the function of government to serve the best interests of the citizens.
c. To use our authority to promote the efficient and effective delivery of public services.
d. To refrain from proposing services where adequate resources are not available.
e. To work to remedy the imbalance where inadequate resources adversely affect the best interest of the citizens.
(b) Behavior inconsistent with the values set forth in this code may be re-addressed by the traditional instruments of governance including state law, ordinances, and work rules.
(c) No employee shall use his/her position with the Town for personal gain, nor shall he/she engage in any business or transaction which is in conflict with the proper discharge of his/her duties.
(d) No employee shall accept any valuable gratuity, whether in the form of a service, loan, item, or promise from any person, firm, or corporation which is interested directly or indirectly in any manner whatsoever in business dealings with the Town; nor shall employees accept any valuable gift, favor, or item that may tend to influence an employee in the discharge of his/her duties. No employee shall grant any improper favor, service, or item in the discharge of his/her duty. Therefore, a limit of seventy-five dollars ($75.00) per occasion will be considered reasonable for gifts that might consist of luncheons or dinners at various meetings, seminars, or conventions.
(e) All employees are expected to maintain the highest possible ethical, moral, and legal standards, and to perform their duties in compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local laws, the rules and regulations contained in this manual, and/or future administrative directives deemed necessary.
(f) No employee shall, without proper and legal authorization, disclose confidential information concerning the property, government, or affairs of the Town.
(g) No employee shall engage in, accept private employment with, or render services for private interests, when such employment or service is incompatible with the proper discharge of his/her official duties, or would tend to impair his/her independent judgment or action in the performance of his/her official duties.
(h) Employees found in violation of the ethical standards set forth will be subject to progressive discipline.