By Jeff Robinson, City Council President—
MUNCIE, IN– On Monday, April 3rd, City Council will consider a resolution, proposed by City Council President, Jeff Robinson, to create an Ethics Advisory Committee with the charge to define and create an Ethics Commission for the City of Muncie over the next eighteen months. The first of its kind, the resolution is expected to pass with bipartisan support.
The Ethics Advisory Committee is proposed to be a seven-person committee, consisting of a professional in human resources, a certified public accountant, an attorney licensed to practice in the State of Indiana, a representative of the Ball State University Bowen Center for Public Affairs, an ethics professor from Ball State University Department of Philosophy, and two Muncie citizens. The committee will be responsible for establishing standards and guardrails, defining composition, terms, method of appointment, power and authority, and jurisdiction of the City of Muncie Ethics Commission.
“This is an urgent need for our city. The creation of an Ethics Advisory Committee is the first step towards having an accountable, trustworthy, and transparent city government,” said Jeff Robinson, City Council President and Representative of District 2. “I ran for City Council because I wanted to see our city government officials serve as ethical public servants, and I’m proud that this resolution is going before City Council. Over the past few years there’s been a lot of talk about the need for ethical outcomes but to truly achieve ethical results a framework and fully vested and empowered independent body needs to be put in place.”
Additionally, the Ethics Advisory Committee will be responsible for creating an official City of Muncie Code of Ethics to govern the official public conduct and actions of elected officials, appointees to boards and commissions, employees, and individuals and entities that have a business relationship with the City of Muncie. The City of Muncie Code of Ethics shall set forth specific standards governing: nepotism; whistleblower protection; gifts, food, drink, entertainment, and travel expenses; disclosure requirements for entities that do business with the City of Muncie; and other standards to be defined by the Ethics Advisory Committee.
The City Council will vote on the resolution to create the Ethics Advisory Committee at their meeting on Monday, April 3rd.
