Without an inspector general or ethics officer employed by the City government, the City Ethics Commission hopes to work quickly to put the latter back on the payroll to maintain oversight and transparency in City government.
The inspector general position was eliminated because of budget cuts and the ethics officer awaits a transition from the “old” ethics office to the new Office of Ethics Compliance and Oversight that was added to the City Charter by City Council in 2010. Implementing legislation was passed in 2011.
According to the City’s website, the inspector general and the City’s ethics officer both worked on oversight issues.
The website posts: “The Ethics Office and its Ethics Hotline (904) 630-1015 is the best place to report issues of misconduct or violations of the City’s Ethics Code. If the ethics officer believes a matter within the executive branch warrants an investigation or an audit, the matter is forwarded to the inspector general.”
When asked recently about the lack of an inspector general or ethics officer, Mayor Alvin Brown said he was comfortable with the current level of transparency and accountability.
“Oversight takes place every day, accountable and responsible to the mayor,” said Brown.
While the ethics compliance and oversight office is a part of the City Charter, the mayor explained that the City’s ethics program continues to develop.
“Council has ideas on it, the auditor has some ideas on that and you had someone who appointed someone (as director of the office) without the mayor’s input, so there’s a lot going on there,” said Brown.
“What I try to do is understand the past, but move to the future. The future is making sure we have a government of checks and balances and that’s going to happen,” he said.
According to Ordinance 2011-197, “(the director) shall be appointed for a term of three (3) years by the Jacksonville Ethics Commission, and the appointment shall be confirmed by Council.”
The ordinance was a part of the implementing legislation passed in June.
The Ethics Commission, which consists of volunteers, met Jan. 4 and decided to contact Brown to see if a resolution could be reached regarding the funding for the ethics compliance and oversight office.
Commission Chairman Braxton Gillam sent a letter to Brown notifying him of the appointment of Carla Miller as the first director of the office and requesting his assistance for funding the position.
“It was intended that when this new office was created, the old ‘Ethics Office,’ (Part 11 of the Ethics Code) would be eliminated as unnecessary and that the budget approved for ethics would transfer to the new Charter Ethics Office,” said Gillam in the letter.
“We learned from the General Counsel’s office this week that the 2011-12 budget requires further administrative action on behalf of the Mayor to effectuate this funding,” said Gillam.
The letter was drawn up after the commission consulted with the Office of General Counsel.
“I believe, in the budget, there is an ethics office budgetary item,” said Jason Gabriel, assistant general counsel. “And, as of today (Jan. 4), we filed the necessary resolution with Council to appoint Carla (to the director’s position), so that will be making its way.”
Gabriel directed the commission to choose a representative to initiate a discussion with the mayor to transfer appropriate funds.
Previous budgets for the ethics office have been $93,225 in 2010 and $83,076 in 2011.
The director’s responsibilities include developing policies, programs and strategies to deal with all ethics-related matters; developing training and education programs with assistance of the general counsel and City training personnel; organizing a citywide Ethics Coordination Council with a representative from the executive branch, the legislative branch, each constitutional officer and each independent agency, with the purpose of avoiding duplication of ethics resources, sharing best practices and training, evaluating risk areas and devising plans to eliminate any City fraud, waste or corruption; administering a confidential hotline for the discovery of government waste, fraud and ethics violations; responding to requests for assistance from all public officers and employees subject to the Ethics Code; and serving as the executive officer of the Jacksonville Ethics Commission, responsible for its administration and operation.
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