(A) Conduct of officials. All elected and appointed Trustees shall adhere, as best as is practicable and while carrying out their duties as elected representatives, to the following rules of conduct:
(1) Shall conduct themselves at public meetings in a manner consistent with the highest standards of profession conduct, personal integrity, and honesty;
(2) Shall undertake their duties in a fair and impartial manner, refraining at all times from discrimination or the dispensation of special privileges;
(3) Shall respect that the village maintains a workplace that facilitates the growth and performance of its officers and employees;
(4) Shall insure that the workplace is free from hostility or harassment in any form and that the workplace is conducive to the provision of services in an efficient and effective manner;
(5) Shall refrain from utilizing, or attempting to utilize their elected position to threaten or intimate any employee of the village, officer of the village or resident;
(6) Shall conduct themselves in a manner consistent with the Illinois Open Meetings Act and all other applicable statutory mandates for elected officials, including refraining from any criminal or quasi-criminal conduct related to the elected position;
(7) Shall refrain from any conduct toward other board members, residents or village employees which is derogatory or harassing;
(8) Shall not take action contrary to the Trustee’s actual authority and shall refrain from taking action contrary to decisions and approvals made by the Board of Trustees; and
(9) Shall conduct themselves in public, while acting as a public official, and while at village sponsored events, in a respectful appropriate manner befitting a public representative.
(B) Enforcement and penalty. The Board of Trustees, upon receiving a written complaint from any resident, employee, officer or other elected or appointed representative of the village, shall conduct an impromptu investigation into such allegation. Upon a finding of facts supporting such allegation, the Board shall allow the accused Trustee an opportunity to respond to the allegations in written form or at any public meeting of the Board.
(1) First offense. After the response by the accused, the Board may, after any necessary deliberation, move to publicly censure the accused trustee with the approval of not less than two-thirds vote of the Board.
(2) Second offense. Any trustee who has been publicly censured by the Board of Trustees under this section, who then commits a second violation of this section which is subsequently supported by not less than two-thirds approval of the Board of Trustees, shall forfeit their meeting pay for the next following meeting. Upon the event that the Trustees are paid monthly, said amount equivalent to the pay attributable to one meeting shall be withheld from the check to said Trustee.
(3) Third and subsequent offenses. Upon the approval of two-thirds vote of the Trustees for a third or subsequent violation of this section, the Board may, by the same two-thirds vote, approve fines of not less than $500 nor more than $750 per violation.
Nothing contained herein shall prohibit the Board of Trustees from seeking the removal of any trustee who habitually violates this section by order of the Circuit Court.
(Ord. 13-O-01, passed 1-10-2013; Ord. 13-O-18, passed 7-11-2013)