Approved Minutes — original pdf

Approved Minutes

ETHICS REVIEW COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES 18, August, 2022 ETHICS REVIEW COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES Wednesday, April 27, 2022 The Ethics Review Commission (“Commission”) convened in a regular meeting on Wednesday, April 27, 2022, Austin, Texas. Chair Soberon called the meeting to order at 6:08 p.m. Location: City Hall, Room 1101, 301 W 2nd Street, Austin, Texas and via Videoconference. Commissioners in Attendance: Chair Luis Soberon and Commissioners: Betsy Greenberg, Michael Lovins, Donna Beth McCormick, Nguyen Stanton, Mikki Teneyuca, and Sidney Williams were present at City Hall. Vice-Chair Mary Kahle attended via videoconference. Commissioner Williams arrived before the first vote on item 1(a). Members Absent: Commissioners: Debra Danburg and Raafia Lari. Vacancy: Mayor’s nominee. City Staff in Attendance: Lizette Benitez, Staff Liaison; Lynn Carter, Commission Executive Liaison & Assistant City Attorney. PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL (formerly CITIZEN COMMUNICATION) Each person who signed up to speak prior to the meeting being called to order and who designated this item on which to speak, or who did not designate an agenda item on which to speak will be allowed three minutes to speak No one registered to speak during Public Communication. 1. NEW BUSINESS Discussion and possible action regarding the following: a. Annual Election of Commission Officers (Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary, and Parliamentarian) Commissioner Greenberg nominated Commissioner Stanton as Secretary. Commissioner Teneyuca seconded the nomination. Commissioner Stanton was elected as secretary on a unanimous vote of the eight members present. Voting in favor: Chair Soberon, Vice-Chair Kahle, and Commissioners Greenberg, Lovins, McCormick, Stanton, Teneyuca, and Williams. Secretary Stanton made a motion to approve Chair Soberon, Vice-Chair Kahle, and Parliamentarian Greenberg continuing in their current officer positions. Commissioner McCormick seconded the motion. The motion passed on a unanimous vote of the eight members present. Voting in favor: Chair Soberon, Vice-Chair Kahle, Secretary Stanton, and 1 ETHICS REVIEW COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES Commissioners: Greenberg, Lovins, McCormick, Teneyuca, and Williams. Commissioners Danburg and Lari were absent. 18, August, 2022 b. Ethics Code Overview of Section 2-7-62 (Standards of Conduct) and conflict of interest provisions, Section 2-7-63, 2-7-64, and 2-7-65, and Section 2-7-2 (Definitions) Item 1(b): Commission Executive Liaison, Lynn Carter, gave a partial presentation (about 30 minutes). The presentation will continue at one or more future meetings. 2. OLD BUSINESS Discussion and possible action regarding the following: a. Review and evaluation of the dollar limits established in Chapter 2-2 (Campaign Finance) and consider making recommendations to the city council as to those limits. b. Statement and/or Video of What the Commission Does & How the Public can use the Commission and Statement on Equity, Access, and the Need for Reform by the Working Group on Race, Identity, and Equity c. Content of the agenda for future meetings, including description of Commission’s jurisdiction and/or functions. d. Working group status reports and/or recommendations on the following. i. Working Group on Sanctions, Procedures, and other Issues (Chair Soberon and Commissioners Greenberg, Stanton, and Teneyuca) on the following subjects: - Commission sanctions including effectiveness, past cases, and recommendations. - Potential amendments to City Code, Chapter 2-7 (Ethics and Financial - Commission procedures including effectiveness, past cases, and Disclosure). recommendations. - Scope of work of the Commission (powers, duties, and obligations), including effectiveness, past cases, and recommendations. - Potential amendments to the Rules of the Ethics Review Commission. - Best practices for city attorney opinions including effectiveness, past cases, and recommendations. - Dollar Limits in Chapter 2-2 (Campaign Finance Code) (i) (ii) ii. Working Group on Race, Identity, and Equity (Commissioners Kahle, Lari, and Soberon) status report and/or recommendations on: addressing issues of race, identity, and equity including: planning for presentations or trainings by the Equity Office; helping focus the Commission’s evaluation of racial injustice and how the Commission can operate more fairly and effectively in light of racial injustice. 2 ETHICS REVIEW COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES Working Groups provided updates to the Commission. No action was taken. 18, August, 2022 3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: MARCH 23, 2022 REGULAR COMMISSION MEETING Discussion and possible action regarding the minutes for the March 23, 2022 Regular Commission meeting. Corrections to the minutes were discussed, including changes to punctuation, noting when Commissioners Danburg and Lovins each left the meeting, and correcting the vote counts on items 5(a) and 5(b). Following discussion, Commissioner Greenberg, made a motion to approve the minutes as corrected, which was seconded by Commissioner Teneyuca. The motion to approve the March 23, 2022 meeting minutes, as corrected, was approved by unanimous vote of the members in attendance: Chair Soberon, Vice-Chair Kahle, Secretary Stanton, and Commissioners: Greenberg, Lovins, McCormick, Teneyuca, and Williams. Commissioners Danburg and Lari were absent. 4. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS Chair Soberon stated he would like to add an agenda item on streamlining the working group assignments, particularly the topics assigned to the Working Group on Sanctions, Procedures, and Other Issues to produce recommendations in a more efficient way. Secretary Stanton suggested project-based assignments. In regard to agenda item 2(c), Secretary Stanton stated she would like the Commission’s meeting calendar to be added to future agendas. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 7:28 p.m. The minutes were approved at the May 25, 2022 Regular Commission meeting on Commissioner Greenberg’s motion, Commissioner Lovins seconded on a 9-0 vote. Commissioner Lari was absent. 3