Ordinance No. 11,470ORDINANCE NO. 11,470
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BAYTOWN, TEXAS,
ESTABLISHING A MORATORIUM ON THE PROCESSING OF ETHICS
COMPLAINTS EFFECTIVE OCTOBER 14, 2010, TO JANUARY 1, 2011; AND
PROVIDING FOR THE EFFECTIVE DATE THEREOF.
WHEREAS, at the request of the Baytown Ethics Commission (the "Commission "), the City
Council retained Ross Fisher as counsel for the Commission and authorized a contract not exceeding
$25,000; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Fisher's services included providing legal counsel for a then - pending complaint
and a review of the City's Code of Ethics and the Ethics Commission's Rules of Procedure; and
WHEREAS, at the Ethics Commission's meeting on September 29, 2010, the Commission held a
workshop in which changes were proposed by both Mr. Fisher as well as members of the Commission; and
WHEREAS, the moratorium hereinbelow established is designed to allow the completion of the
review by Mr. Fisher and the consideration of any revisions by both the City Council and the Commission,
as appropriate; and
WHEREAS, the revisions to be brought forward will be geared towards making the hearings more
efficient and giving greater clarity to the complainant and the city official, against whom a complaint is
lodged, of the procedure which will be utilized in processing the complaint; and
WHEREAS, any violation of the Code of Ethics, which occurred before the moratorium or which
occurs during the moratorium, may be filed during the moratorium but will not be processed until on or
after January 1, 2011, to the extent the same is not time barred by the Code of Ethics; and
WHEREAS, it is the express intent of the City Council that the moratorium established
hereinbelow does not abolish the Code of Ethics but merely delays the processing of complaints for less
than a three -month period while appropriate revisions are being considered to such code; NOW
THEREFORE
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BAYTOWN, TEXAS:
Section 1: That all matters and facts set forth in the recitals hereinabove are found to be true by
the City Council of the City of Baytown, Texas.
Section 2: That the City Council of the City of Baytown hereby establishes a moratorium on the
processing of ethics complaints effective October 14, 2010, to January 1, 2011. Any complaints filed
during this period will be processed in accordance with and subject to any changes made to the Code of
Ethics and the Ethic's Commission's Rules of Procedure on or before January 1, 2011.
Section 3: This ordinance shall take effect immediately from and after its passage by the City
Council of the City of Baytown.
INTRODLIC READ and PASS FI) by t lie affirmat ive vote of d ("lityCOLil'ICii0i't]IC("itNlOf'
Baytown this the 14"" day ofOctober, 20 10.
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