(A) The City Council shall act in all matters as a body as permitted by the Illinois Municipal Code. No member of the City Council shall seek to intimidate or threaten any public officer or employee, offer any gift or other valuable consideration intended to influence any public officer or employee in the performance of an official act, or interfere in any way with the performance of the duties of an officer or employee. As permitted by law, the foregoing provisions of this section shall not prevent the City Council from:
(1) Appointing all or any one of its members to any board, committee, or commission; or
(2) Appointing any of its members to act as a liaison to any board, committee or commission, organization, group of individuals or other governmental body or agency.
(B) City Council members and employees may engage in informal social discussions that do not pertain to a specific condition of employment involving either the employee or another employee. No members of the City Council, other than the Mayor, shall initiate discussions, conversations, or written or oral communications with any employee of the city, other than the City Administrator or the Mayor, concerning conditions of employment, as defined herein. Whenever any employee, other than the City Administrator, initiates any discussions, conversations or written or oral communications with any member of the City Council, other than the Mayor, concerning conditions of employment, as defined herein, such member shall refer the employee or such written communication to the City Administrator or the Mayor, as the Council member may determine to be appropriate. Upon receipt of any such matter by the City Administrator, or the Mayor, either in conjunction with the City Administrator and/or the City Attorney, or alone as the Mayor determines it to be appropriate in his discretion, shall address the matter with the employee and report to the member of the City Council who referred the employee to the City Administrator that the matter has been addressed. Nothing in this paragraph shall prevent an employee from reporting a serious concern regarding conditions of employment, as defined herein, to the Mayor. Nothing in this paragraph shall prevent an employee from reporting a reasonable suspicion that an unlawful act has been or will be committed. In such case, the Alderman shall report such suspicion directly to the City Administrator or, if the City Administrator is alleged to be the one who has or will commit such an act, to the Mayor.
(C) Nothing contained herein shall prevent any member of the City Council from requesting from the City Administrator or from the City Council meeting as a body, such information as may be proper and necessary to the performance of official duties, whether acting as a member of the City Council, as a liaison, or as a member of any board, committee or commission. Nothing contained herein shall prevent members of the City Council, when acting in their official capacity at a regular, special or emergency City Council meeting, or as a member of any committee or commission, from engaging in discussion with any employee concerning conditions of employment.
(Ord. 01-48, passed 2-12-02; Am. Ord. 08-2, passed 5-13-08; Am. Ord. 14-16, passed 4-8-14)