(a) No official or employee shall make or participate in the making of any governmental decision with respect to any matter in which he has any financial interest distinguishable from that of the general public, 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) (1) With regard to any matter pending before the City Council or any City Council Committee, any member of the City Council who has any financial interest that is either (1) distinguishable from that of the general public or all aldermen, or (2) from which the member has derived any income or compensation during the preceding twelve months or from which the member reasonably expects to derive any income or compensation in the following twelve months shall publicly disclose in detail the nature and extent of such interest, including when such interest commenced, on the records of proceedings of the City Council and City Council Committee, and shall also notify, with the same detail, the Board of Ethics of such interest within 96 hours of delivery by the Clerk to the member, of the introduction of any ordinance, resolution, order or other matter in the City Council, or as soon thereafter as the member is or should be aware of such potential conflict of interest. If a disclosing member believes that disclosure of any required detail is prohibited by applicable privacy law or a confidentiality requirement, that member shall include a statement of the pertinent basis for non-disclosure, and otherwise disclose fully. The Board of Ethics shall review any disclosure made under this subsection and shall determine whether the member has provided sufficient detail regarding the conflict of interest, and may request more detail if it deems that is necessary. The Board of Ethics shall give the member one opportunity to correct the defect in the disclosure within seven days from the date of such request. The Board of Ethics shall post such disclosures, including any additional detail submitted by the member, on the Board of Ethics website, in a searchable format, immediately upon receipt. The member shall abstain from participating in any discussion concerning and voting on the matter, but shall be counted present for purposes of a quorum. The obligation to report a potential conflict of interest under this subsection arises as soon as the member of the City Council is or should be aware of such potential conflict.
(2) To avoid even an appearance of impropriety, any elected official who has any business relationship with a person or entity with a matter pending before the City Council or any City Council Committee: (i) that creates a financial interest on the part of such elected official, or the domestic partner or spouse of such elected official, or (ii) from whom or which the elected official, or the domestic partner or spouse of such elected official, has derived any income or compensation during the preceding twelve months or from whom or which the elected official or the domestic partner or spouse of such elected official reasonably expects to derive any income or compensation in the following twelve months, shall publicly disclose in detail the nature of such business relationship or income or compensation, including when such relationship commenced, on the records of proceedings of the City Council and the City Council Committee, and shall also notify, with the same detail, the Board of Ethics of such relationship within 96 hours of delivery by the Clerk to the elected official, of the introduction of any ordinance, resolution, order or other matter in the City Council, or as soon thereafter as the elected official is or should be aware of such potential conflict of interest. If a disclosing elected official believes that disclosure of any required detail is prohibited by applicable privacy law or a confidentiality requirement, that elected official shall include a statement of the pertinent basis for non-disclosure, and otherwise disclose fully. The Board of Ethics shall review any disclosure made under this subsection and shall determine whether the elected official has provided sufficient detail regarding the business relationship, and may request more detail if it deems that is necessary. The Board of Ethics shall give the elected official one opportunity to correct the defect in the disclosure within seven days from the date of such request. The Board of Ethics shall post such disclosures, including any additional detail submitted by the elected official, on the Board of Ethics website, in a searchable format, as soon as practicable after receipt. The elected official shall abstain from participating in any discussion concerning and voting on the matter but shall be counted present for purposes of a quorum. The obligation to report a potential conflict of interest under this subsection arises as soon as the elected official of the City Council is or should be aware of such potential conflict. For purposes of this subsection (ii) only: "matter pending before the City Council or any City Council Committee" shall refer to City Council action involving the award of loan funds, grant funds or bond proceeds, bond inducement ordinances, leases, land sales, zoning matters, the creation of tax increment financing districts, concession agreements or the establishment of a Class 6(b) Cook County property tax classification.
(3) Any Chairman of a City Council Committee who makes, pursuant to subsection (b)(1) or (b)(2) of this section, more than three conflict of interest disclosures within a 12-month period pertaining to distinct matters before or reported by that Committee, shall eliminate the conflict of interest or terminate the business relationship that caused such member to make such disclosures, or resign from serving as the Chairman of the Committee.
(4) Any member who fails to provide additional details regarding a disclosed conflict of interest or business relationship if requested by the Board of Ethics, or who otherwise violates this subsection, in addition to any other applicable penalty, shall be subject to a fine of not less than $500.00 and not more than $2,000.00 for each offense. Each day that a violation continues shall constitute a separate and distinct offense to which a separate fine shall apply.
(c) Any official or employee who has a financial interest in any matter pending before any city agency shall disclose the nature of such interest to the board of ethics and, if the matter is pending in his own agency, to the head of the agency, except as provided by subsection (b). The obligation to report under this subsection arises as soon as the official or employee is or should be aware of the pendency of the matter. This subsection does not apply to applications for health, disability or workers’ compensation benefits.
(Prior code § 26.2-8; Added Coun. J. 5-16-90, p. 16204; Amend Coun. J. 7-30-97, p. 50892; Amend Coun. J. 12-10-97, p. 58942; Amend Coun. J. 4-29-98, p. 66709; Amend Coun. J. 12-2-98, p. 86542; Amend Coun. J. 6-23-04, p. 26935, § 4; Amend Coun. J. 7-25-12, p. 31123, § 1; Amend Coun. J. 11-26-13, p. 67481, Art. II, § 5; Amend Coun. J. 4-10-19, p. 98807, § 1; Amend Coun. J. 7-20-22, p. 50671, § 1)