Board of Ethics

CITY OF LANSING - BOARD OF ETHICS REGULAR MEETING May 13, 2025, 5:30 P.M. Reo Elections Office 1221 Reo Rd Lansing AGENDA CALL TO ORDER ROLL CALL □ Jim DeLine, Chairperson □ Keith Kris, Vice Chairperson □ Janielle Houston □ R Cole Bouck □ Jim Cavanagh □ John Folkers □ Rachelle Franklin □ Charles Filice A Quorum is: □ Present □ Not Present □ Others Present: PUBLIC COMMENT (TIME LIMIT OF 5 MINUTES PER SPEAKER) APPROVAL OF AGENDA □ As Submitted □ With Changes Noted SECRETARY'S REPORT □ Approval of Minutes: April 8, 2025 NEW BUSINESS Statements of Financial Interests with no items disclosed. Scott Bean Mayor's Office Communications Director Sheryl Boak City Council Office Manager Jake Brower Mayor's Office Chief Strategy Officer Kimberly Coleman HRCS Department Director Elisha Franco Board of Water & Light BWL Auditor Michael Hopson HRCS Department Culture/Accountability Officer Frank Lee HRCS Advisory Board Board Member Glenn Lopez HRCS Advisory Board Board Member Delvata Moses HRCS Department Deputy Director Elizabeth O'Leary HR Department Director Dennis Parker HR Department Chief Labor Negotiator Renee Richmond City Council Committee Admin. Asst. Lucianna Solis Mayor's Office Community Relations Liason Daniel Spencer HRCS Department Contract Manager Rawley VanFossen Economic Development & Planning Director Gregory Venker Law Department City Attorney Daphine Whitfield HRCS Department Contract Manager Versey Williams HRCS Advisory Board Board Member Thomas Woods HRCS Advisory Board Board Member Statements of Financial Interests with items to be reviewed.  Amy Crank HRCS Department Contract Manager Jeffrey Brown City Council Council Member Paul Dripchak HRCS Advisory Board Board Member Jeremy Garza City Council Council Member Sean Gehle HRCS Advisory Board Board Member Kimberly Gillespie HRCS Department Contract Manager/CLCSC Melissa Horste Advisory Board Board Member Adam Hussain City Council Council Member Brian T. Jackson City Council Council Member Ryan Kost City Council Council Member Christopher Mumby Mayor's Office Chief of Staff/Deputy Mayor Trini Pehlivanoglu City Council Council Member Peter Spadafore City Council Council Member Chris Swope City Clerk's Office City Clerk Crystal Thomas Finance Department Finance Director/Treasurer Affidavit of Disclosure Erin Buitendorp, Economic Development and Planning Affidavit of Disclosure Aiden Godby, Police Department CITY ATTORNEY'S REPORT CHAIR’S REPORT: TABLED ITEMS: UNFINISHED BUSINESS: Rules of Procedure Review Third Review of proposed edits Ethics Manual Review Mayor’s Office provided dated updated cover letter ADJOURNMENT Persons with disabilities who need an accommodation to fully participate in this meeting should contact the City Clerk’s Office at (517) 483-4131 (TTY 711). 24 hour notice may be needed for certain accommodations. An attempt will be made to grant all reasonable accommodation request.  MINUTES LANSING CITY BOARD OF ETHICS REGULAR MEETING April 8, 2025, 5:30 PM Reo Elections Office 1221 Reo Rd Lansing The meeting was called to order at 5:31 p.m. MEMBERS PRESENT: Jim DeLine, Chairperson Keith Kris, Vice-Chairperson Jim Cavanagh John Folkers Charles Filice Rachelle Franklin R Cole Bouck Janielle Houston ABSENT: none A QUORUM WAS PRESENT OTHERS PRESENT: Brian P Jackson, City Clerk’s Office Joe Abood, City Attorney’s Office Nicholas Saba, City Clerk's Office PUBLIC COMMENT: There was no public comment. APPROVAL OF AGENDA: Moved by Jim Cavanagh to approve the agenda as submitted. MOTION CARRIED SECRETARY’S REPORT: Approval of Minutes Moved by John Folkers to approve the Minutes of March 11, 2025. MOTION CARRIED NEW BUSINESS: Statements of Financial Interests with no items disclosed. Department of Neighborhood Arts DeLisa Fountain Director & Citizen Engagement Melissa Glasscoe Mayor's Office Manager Brett Kaschinske Parks & Recreation Department Director Andy Kilpatrick Public Service Department Director Brian Sturdivant Fire Department Fire Chief Corporate LaVella Todd Board of Water & Light Secretary Moved by Keith Kris to place all of the Statement of Financial Interests with no items disclosed listed above on file having found no violation of the Ethics Ordinance or other issues to further debate or discuss at this time. MOTION CARRIED Statement of Financial Interests Tamera Carter, City Council Member Moved by Cole Bouck to place the Statement of Financial Interests on file having found no violation of the Ethics Ordinance or other issues to further debate or discuss at this time. MOTION CARRIED Statement of Financial Interests Veronica Hetke, Mayor's Office Scheduling Coordinator Moved by Cole Bouck to place the Statement of Financial Interests on file having found no violation of the Ethics Ordinance or other issues to further debate or discuss at this time. MOTION CARRIED Statement of Financial Interests Mark Lawrence, Mayor's Office Executive Asst. to the Mayor Moved by Cole Bouck to place the Statement of Financial Interests on file having found no violation of the Ethics Ordinance or other issues to further debate or discuss at this time. MOTION CARRIED Statement of Financial Interests Richard Peffley Board of Water & Light General Manager Moved by Cole Bouck to place the Statement of Financial Interests on file having found no violation of the Ethics Ordinance or other issues to further  debate or discuss at this time. MOTION CARRIED Statement of Financial Interests Andy Schor, Mayor Moved by Cole Bouck to place the Statement of Financial Interests on file having found no violation of the Ethics Ordinance or other issues to further debate or discuss at this time. MOTION CARRIED Statement of Financial Interests Robert Backus, Police Chief Moved by Cole Bouck to place the Statement of Financial Interests on file having found no violation of the Ethics Ordinance or other issues to further debate or discuss at this time. MOTION CARRIED Members of the Board of Ethics discussed potential revisions to the Statement of Financial Interests Form such as: - Consistency of what should be listed as ‘Principal address” of whether it is work or home address depending on city employment status? - Name of the family member should be listed in Part VIII As this cycle of Statements of Financial Interests will be reviewed in April and May, there may be more recommendations which could be considered. CITY ATTORNEY’S REPORT: Attorney Joe Abood shared that the revised language for 7.2 and 7.3 of the Ethics Board Rules of Procedure has been provided as requested for the Board’s consideration. CHAIR’S REPORT: Chairperson DeLine thanked the Clerk’s Office, the Office of City Attorney, and Cole Bouck for their work on edits to the Rules of Procedure and creation of the Ethics Training Material Review memo. TABLED ITEMS: None. UNFINISHED BUSINESS: Rules of Procedure Review The Ethics Board completed a third review of the Rules of Procedure and accepted and declined recommendations and made further edits that were approved by members in attendance. It was agreed that a final review of a clean copy with no edits will need to be occurred before taking a vote to accept the new Rules, which would then be follow up by the City Attorney’s Office review for approval for form. Ethics Training Materials Review Board of Ethics reviewed the memo and thanked the Administration for the information. Ethics Manual Review The Board of Ethics requests that the new Mayor’s introduction is dated. ADJOURNED 6:37 p.m.  RULES OF PROCEDURE BOARD OF ETHICS OF THE CITY OF LANSING 1. Regular meetings of the Board of Ethics, also referred to below as the “Board”, shall be held at 5:30 p.m. on the second Tuesday of every month at a place designated by the Presiding Officer of the Board or by a majority of the voting members of the Board. 2. Special meetings of the Board may be called by the Presiding Officer of the Board or any three voting members of the Board. A written notice of any such special meeting including the time, place and subject matter shall be provided to each member of the Board by one of the following methods: personally serving notice directly to such members of the Board; leaving at the private residence of such members at least twenty-four hours prior to the time of said meeting; by first class mail, postage prepaid and addressed to the home address of each such member with such mailing being made at least five days prior to the time of the meeting; or, if the voting member so designates, transmitting an email or other form of approved electronic communication to the point of contact that the member provides at least three days prior to the time of the meeting. 3. The requirement of proper notice to a member of a special meeting shall be waived by the attendance of such a member at the special meeting. 4. Notice of the time and place of all meetings of the Board shall be posted on the City Hall bulletin board on the first floor of the City Hall. The schedule of the regular meetings shall be posted within ten days after the first meeting in each calendar year. A change in the schedule of regular meetings shall be posted within three days after the meeting at which the change is made and a rescheduled regular or a special meeting shall be posted at least twenty-four (24) hours before the meeting. 5. All meetings shall be open to attendance by members of the public except when the Board enters closed session for a reason for which a closed session is permissible pursuant to the Open Meetings Act of the State of Michigan as it now exists and may be amended in the future. (PA 1976, No. 267, MCL 15.261 et seq.) 6. Each member of the public will have up to a total of three minutes to address the Board. The Presiding Officer may reduce the amount of time allowed for each speaker if the Presiding Officer determines that the number of registered speakers is so numerous that the meeting cannot be concluded timely without a reduction in the time allocated for each speaker. 7. Any voting member of the Board who fails to attend three consecutive meetings of the Board without being excused from attendance [by a vote of majority of the  Board] may be removed from the Board. Such removal may be affected by the majority vote of the remaining voting Board members of the Board. 7.1 Voting Members of the Board shall be residents of the City of Lansing and shall hold no elective public office or other city office or employment. If, during a public member's term on the board such member is elected to public office or becomes a city officer or employee, said member shall immediately upon taking such office or employment be disqualified as a Board member and said position shall be deemed vacant and subject to appointment pursuant to section 5-502.2 of the Lansing City Charter for the unexpired portion of that member's term. 7.2 If an issue before the Board raises a conflict of interest for any member of the board, such member shall announce the conflict and move for recusal on that issue. A motion for recusal shall be determined by a majority of board members present and eligible to vote, excluding the conflicted member. If the motion to recuse passes, then the recused member shall be excused from voting on that issue. Determination of the recusal in question must occur before deliberation on the issue that was originally before the board. 7.3 All voting members of the Board in attendance at a properly convened meeting of the board shall vote on all matters before the board unless excused from voting pursuant to Rule 7.2. 7.4 Except as provided in subsection 7.1 of these rules of procedure, a voting member of the Board shall hold office until a member's successor is appointed, unless that member has resigned or been removed. 8. The officers of the Board shall be the Chairperson, Vice Chairperson and Secretary. 8.1 The Chairperson shall preside over all meetings of the Board . The Chairperson and Vice Chairperson shall be selected annually for a term of one year. The selection shall be made at the first regular meeting in JUNE of each year and their term shall begin on July 1st. They shall be selected by an affirmative vote of a majority of the VOTING members of the Board. Their terms shall expire on June 30th of each year or upon the election of a successor, whichever occurs later; OR upon resignation or removal of that person from the Board.  The Chairperson or Vice Chairperson shall not serve more than two consecutive terms in each respective position. 8.2 The Vice Chairperson shall preside and perform the duties of the Chairperson in the case of absence or inability of the Chairperson to perform their duties. If the Chairperson is unable to complete the term of office, the Vice Chairperson shall assume the duties of the Chairperson. Fulfilling the unexpired term of the Chairperson or Vice Chairperson shall not be considered a term for purposes of computing two consecutive terms under subsection 8.1. 8.3 The Secretary of the Board shall be the City Clerk who shall be responsible for preparing and keeping the minutes and records of the Board and for such other administrative support as may be needed from time to time. The City Clerk shall be an ex officio non-voting member of the board. 8.3 The City Clerk shall be responsible for preparing and keeping the minutes and records of the Board and for such other administrative support as may be needed from time to time. The City Clerk shall be an ex officio non-voting member of the board. 8.4 The City Attorney shall serve.as legal advisor to the Board and shall be an ex officio non-voting member of the board. 9. The minutes of the Board shall be kept in the office of the City Clerk and shall be available for inspection by members of the public except for the minutes of closed sessions which were closed pursuant to the Open Meetings Act of the State of Michigan. All other records of the Board shall be available for inspection and duplication by the public unless the release of such records to the public is prohibited by law or unless the law permits such records to be withheld from the public and the Board approves the withholding of such records. 10. A majority of the voting members seated on the Board shall constitute a quorum for conducting business at a meeting of the Board. 11. Any action of the Board shall require the concurrence of the majority of the voting members serving on the Board at a duly constituted and convened meeting of the Board. 12. The Board shall consider all requests for opinions at the next meeting following receipt of the request. 12.1 All requests for opinions shall be submitted in writing to the Lansing City Clerk. 12.2 Each request for an opinion shall be signed by the person making the request. 12.3 Upon receipt of a request for an opinion, the Lansing City Clerk shall forthwith forward a copy of such a request to each member of the Board. At the next meeting following receipt of a request for an opinion, the Board shall determine whether or not it will render an opinion in response to the request therefore and whether the opinion will be formal or informal pursuant to the Lansing City Charter and the Lansing Code of Ordinances. 12.4 In the event the Board elects to prepare an advisory opinion in response to a request, the City Attorney shall, prior to the next meeting of the Board after the decision to render the opinion is made, research all legal aspects of the opinion requested and prepare a legal memorandum to all members of the Board setting forth the results of that research and making such recommendations as the City Attorney shall deem advisable. A copy of that memorandum shall be provided to all members of the Board and the City Attorney, or their representative shall be present at said meeting to advise the Board. 12.5 No opinion shall be rendered by the Board unless the substance and final text is debated and agreed to at a duly constituted and convened meeting by a majority of the voting members seated on the Board. 12.6 Preliminary drafts and research memorandums prepared in connection with any request for an opinion shall not constitute the view or position of the Board of the City of Lansing nor shall such memorandum or draft opinions be released to or made available for inspection by the public unless such inspection or release is approved by a majority of the voting members of the Board at a duly constituted and convened meeting or unless such disclosure is ordered by a court of law or administrative agency with competent jurisdiction to make such an order or unless the City Attorney of the City of Lansing advises in writing that the release or inspection of such papers is legally required; provided, however, that once a formal opinion has been approved and released, all Memoranda and written recommendations by the City Attorney's Office shall be available for inspection. 12.7 The approval of an opinion of the Board shall be by roll call vote which  shall be recorded in the minutes of the Board. 12.8 All points of procedure not specifically covered in this document shall be determined by reference to Roberts Rules of Order. 13. On a tie vote a motion is lost and no action of the Board has been taken. 14. Opinions of the Board shall be issued and dealt with in a manner least likely to reveal the identity of the person concerned. Upon receipt of an opinion request the City Clerk may, in their discretion, delete the name of the person involved, substituting therefor any other designation which is not likely to be confused with any other person. 15. At the first meeting of each calendar year, the Board shall request the City Clerk to provide the Board with any documents required to be filed under ordinances adopted by the City of Lansing for the purpose of establishing standards of conduct for officers and employees. Upon receipt of such documents, the Board shall review the same in a timely fashion and may take such action regarding said documents as it deems proper. 16. Nothing contained in these rules of procedure shall alter or amend the duties, functions and authority of the Board as is prescribed in the Lansing City Charter and the Lansing Code of Ordinances. 17. These rules of procedure may be amended by the Board by a majority vote of the voting members serving on the board during any regular meeting, provided that all members were provided three days prior to said meeting with the full text of proposed amendment. As set forth in the City Charter, revised rules of procedure shall be submitted to the City Attorney for approval as to form. The rules shall then be submitted to the City Clerk for transmission to the City Council. The rules shall be effective at the conclusion of the Council meeting at which they are received unless the Council directs otherwise. April 24, 2025 To City of Lansing Employees & Officials: Everyone working in public service, whether as an elected or appointed official or as a City employee, is an important part of our community. We each play a role and have a duty to serve the public fairly and without self-interest. In our daily tasks, we also have an opportunity to establish the trust and respect with residents and visitors that is the best of our profession. In the mid-1990’s, Lansing voters amended the Lansing City Charter regarding the standards of conduct for elected officials and employees of the City. The City Council adopted an Ethics Ordinance to put these changes into effect. The Lansing Board of Ethics plays an important role in ensuring our City’s elected leaders, officers, and city employees operate transparently or with transparency. This manual fulfills the requirements of the Charter to provide information to City officers and employees about standards of conduct, protection of the public interest, and conflicts of interest. It also explains how an officer or employee can receive assistance from the Board of Ethics. With the information provided here, officials and employees together can provide quality service at the highest ethical standards that enable us and all Lansing residents to be proud of our City Government. Thank you for being part of the Lansing team and for the work you do. Andy Schor Mayor