No officer or employee of the city shall either directly or indirectly, receive any transportation, electric, gas, or telegraph, telephone, or telecommunications service, or other thing or commodity, as a gratuity from any person, firm or corporation, operating under any franchise granted by the city, nor shall he or she receive the same unless he or she pays therefor the same rate as that charged other patrons or consumers similarly situated, except as hereinbefore in this article provided.
Editor's note: This section was amended by the voters of the city on March 26, 1996; this section was further amended by the voters of the city on March 5, 2002.