Members of the Safety and Loss Control Committee (“Committee”) may be removed for cause by the City Manager, including violation of the rules stated below.
(A) Faithful attendance at all Committee meetings and conscientious performance of the duties required of Committee members shall be considered a prerequisite of continuing membership on the Committee.
(B) Each member of the Committee shall be familiar with all statutes, laws, ordinances and rules of procedure relating to the Committee as time and circumstances permit.
(C) It shall be the duty of every committee member to avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest. Therefore, no member shall vote on, discuss, debate, advocate, influence, or otherwise participate before the committee in any matter that would substantially affect, directly or indirectly, his or her personal interests or the financial interests of a member of his or her household. This prohibition includes formal or informal consideration of the matter by the committee, whether conducted in public or private. This provision does not prohibit participation in advisory decisions in which the personal interest is so insignificant or remote that it is unlikely to affect the member’s official action in any way. In applying this rule the following procedure shall govern:
(1) A member who has a conflict of interest shall disqualify himself or herself and withdraw from participation in the matter. The member shall not sit with the Committee during the consideration and discussion of that matter;
(2) Withdrawal from participation in any matter is necessary only in those specific cases in which a conflict arises. There shall be no attempt to exclude entire categories of consideration because of the department/division with which a member is associated;
(3) Any committee member may seek an opinion from the Staff/City Attorney as to the applicability of this section to a particular decision or set of facts. The response to such a request shall be made to the member making the request, and a copy shall be provided to the chairman of the committee and the City Manager; and
(4) If an opinion is received from the Staff/City Attorney that a member has an impermissible conflict of interest pursuant to a particular decision or set of facts and the member does not disqualify himself or herself, the Committee may by majority vote (not considering the vote of the member with the alleged conflict) disqualify that member from all participation in the matter involved.
(D) Members of the Committee shall not commit themselves on any question scheduled to be considered by the committee prior to the consideration of the matter at a duly authorized meeting. Members shall use discretion in discussing with individuals scheduled agenda items which are later to be voted on by the Committee.
(Ord. passed 2-18-03; Am. Ord. passed 8-29-09; Am. Ord. passed 6-21-11)