by Joe Wilhelm Jr.
Staff Writer
Mayor John Peyton stood before City Council about a year ago and asked for support in creating an Ethics Officer that would help facilitate a more accountable government. Members of the Ethics Commission will stand before the Council’s Finance Committee today to request that funding be continued for the office.
Jay Williams, the Ethics Commission chair, said he has discovered that the budget won’t automatically be approved and, in fact, may be in danger of being cut back. He called a special meeting of the commission last week to review the budget process and it was agreed to take whatever steps possible to make sure the office will be funded to the requested level.
“We now have to go back to the Council and reestablish what has been done by the office so it doesn’t lose its funding,” he said.
Salary of the commission’s only staff member makes up most of the budget.
Ethics Officer Carla Miller’s position was created by an executive order from Mayor Peyton in 2007. Prior to that, the office’s only employee was an Ethics Coordinator, who served as an assistant to the commission. The budget was $57,017 with $37,236 designated for the coordinator.
When the ethics officer position was created, the Mayor asked City Council to approve an additional $39,000 to help pay the salary.
He got the money: Miller is paid $85 an hour up to a maximum of $75,000. Now, the commission has to justify it in a tight budget year.
“A legal assistant (such as her predecessor) can’t do the work I do,” said Miller, a former federal prosecutor for the Middle District of Florida. “I’ve worked hard to convince City employees to trust me and trust the ethics hotline and to develop a culture of ethics.”
The addition of the ethics officer increased the approved budget to $96,017 for 2007-08 and the proposed budget asks for a slight increase to $98,579 to cover fees for use of the City’s information services.
“All I can do is put out the annual report and my budget,” said Miller. “I wanted to make sure the budget was beyond reproach and I lived up to my contract.”
Michael Corrigan, chair of the Finance Committee, and Mayor Peyton were not available for comment.
356-2466