(a) No official or employee shall make, participate in making or in any way attempt to use his position to influence any city governmental decision or action in which he knows or has reason to know that he has any financial interest distinguishable from its effect on the public generally, or from which he has derived any income or compensation during the preceding twelve months or from which he reasonably expects to derive any income or compensation in the following twelve months.
(b) No elected official, or any person acting at the direction of such elected official, shall contact either orally or in writing any other City official or employee with respect to any matter involving any person with whom the elected official has any business relationship that creates a financial interest on the part of the elected official, or the domestic partner or spouse of the elected official, or from whom or which the elected official or the elected official's domestic partner or spouse has derived any income or compensation during the preceding twelve months or from whom or which the elected official or the elected official's domestic partner or spouse reasonably expects to derive any income or compensation in the following twelve months. In addition, no elected official may preside over or participate in any discussion in any City Council Committee hearing or, or participate in any discussion in any City Council meeting or vote on any matter involving a the person with whom the elected official or the elected official's domestic partner or spouse has any business relationship that creates a financial interest on the part of the elected official, or the domestic partner or spouse of the elected official, or from whom or which the elected official or the elected official's domestic partner or spouse has derived any income or compensation during the preceding twelve months or from whom or which the elected official or the elected official's domestic partner or spouse reasonably expects to derive any income or compensation in the following twelve months; provided, that any elected official recusing themselves under this subsection (b) shall be counted present for purposes of a quorum.
With regard to any such matter involving any person with whom the elected official has any business relationship that creates a financial interest on the part of the elected official or the elected official's domestic partner or spouse, or from whom either the elected official or the elected official's domestic partner or spouse has derived any income or compensation in the previous or following twelve months, the elected official shall disclose in writing to the Board of Ethics within 24 hours of any such person who requests that the elected official contact, either orally or in writing, any other City official or employee with respect to any matter involving the person. Such disclosure shall state the name of the person and the nature of the business relationship that creates a financial interest on the part of the elected official, spouse or domestic partner, or the nature of compensation or income derived in the previous or following twelve-month period. The Board of Ethics shall review any disclosure made under this subsection and shall determine whether the elected official has provided sufficient details regarding the conflict of interest, and may request more detail if it deems that is necessary, and shall post such disclosures, including any additional detail submitted by the elected official, on the Board of Ethics website, in a searchable format, upon receipt.
(Prior code § 26.2-3; Added Coun. J. 5-16-90, p. 16204; Amend Coun. J. 12-2-98, p. 86542; Amend Coun. J. 7-25-12, p. 31123, § 1; Amend Coun. J. 4-10-19, p. 98807, § 1; Amend Coun. J. 7-20-22, p. 50671, § 1)