The Vermont State Ethics Commission wants to hear from YOU on municipal ethics.
Several years ago, Vermont received an “F” grade from the Center for Public Integrity for governmental ethics enforcement and accountability. In response, the General Assembly established the Vermont State Ethics Commission. Since that time the State Ethics Commission has been working to build an ethics framework in Vermont that incorporates ethics accountability, training, and advice for public servants.
We’ve had some success. Once one of only 4 states without code of ethics for State public servants, in 2022 Vermont achieved a first: a statutory code of ethics addressing the important basics of governmental ethics. The ethics code defines and prohibits conflicts of interest; details acceptable and unacceptable gifts to public servants; prohibits the misuse of government resources; offers “whistleblower” protection for public servants who report waste, fraud, abuse of authority, or violations of law; and requires ethics training for all State of Vermont public servants. Anyone covered by the code can ask the Ethics Commission for confidential ethics advice. And, both members of the public and State public servants can reach out to the Commission to discuss filing a complaint if they think they’ve seen conduct that violates the state code of ethics.
While the recently adopted code of ethics covers public servants in the three branches of state government, including elected and appointed state officials, legislators, state employees, and members of state boards and commissions, it does not apply to other categories of government employees, including municipal officials. This means that there is currently no uniform code of ethics for municipal officials and the Ethics Commission cannot provide valuable services – like ethics training, advice, and guidance – to municipalities.
The legislature has asked the Ethics Commission to provide recommendations on how to improve the municipal ethics framework in Vermont. But, we need your help. On November7, 21, and 28, 2023 the Commission is holding virtual listening sessions to receive public comments, recommendations, and suggestions from all interested persons regarding municipal ethics in Vermont.
These sessions will be held remotely via Zoom on the following dates:
- November 7, 2023, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Eastern Time (for members of the public)
- November 21, 2023, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., Eastern Time (for municipal officials)
- November 28, 2023, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Eastern Time (additional evening session for those who are unable to attend the previous sessions)
We ask people to consider the following questions in the comments you share with us:
- Are there clear standards for ethical conduct in your municipality? What topics do they cover? How are they applied? Are they working?
- If there are clear standards for ethical conduct for your municipality, do you think there are ways they could be improved? If so, how and why?
- How do you feel about the current approach to municipal ethics in Vermont? Would it be helpful if the ethical standards for municipalities were the same for all municipalities? Why or why not?
- How can the State Ethics Commission best assist municipalities when it comes to governmental ethics?
- Do you have any experiences with municipal ethics you’d like to share with us?
Anyone wishing to reserve time for an oral comment (of 3 minutes maximum) at one of the listening sessions, time permitting, should submit a written request to the Commission at ethicscommission@vermont.gov. The request should include your name and organizational affiliation (if any), a brief overview of your proposed presentation, and any documents you want to be shared on screen while you are speaking.
If you can’t make one of the sessions, we still want to hear your thoughts on municipal ethics. You are encouraged to submit written comments to the State Ethics Commission at ethicscommission@vermont.gov by December 10th, 2023.
We look forward to hearing from you!