(A) Declaration of policy.
(1) The public judges its government by the way public officials and employees conduct themselves in the posts to which they are elected or appointed.
(2) The people have a right to expect that every public official and employee will conduct himself or herself in a manner that will tend to preserve public confidence in and respect for the government he or she represents. Such confidence and respect can best be promoted if every public official and employee, whether paid or unpaid, and whether elected or appointed, will uniformly:
(a) Treat all citizens with courtesy, impartiality, fairness and equality under the law; and
(b) Avoid both actual and potential conflicts between their private self-interest and the public interest.
(B) Definitions. For the purpose of this section, the following definitions shall apply unless the context clearly indicates or requires a different meaning.
FINANCIAL INTEREST. Any interest which shall yield, directly or indirectly, a monetary or other material benefit (other than the duly authorized salary or compensation for his or her services to the city) to the official or employee or to any person employing or retaining services of the official or employee.
OFFICIAL or EMPLOYEE. Any person elected or appointed to, employed or retained by, any public office or public body of the city whether paid or unpaid and whether part-time or full-time.
PERSON. Any person, firm, association, group, partnership or corporation, or any combination thereof.
PERSONAL INTEREST. Any interest arising from blood or marriage relationships or from close business or political association whether or not any financial interest is involved.
PUBLIC BODY. Any agency, board, body, commission, committee, department or office of the city.
(C) Fair and equal treatment.
(1) Impartiality. No official or employee shall grant or make available to any person any consideration, treatment, advantage or favor beyond that which is the general practice to grant or make available to the public at large.
(2) Use of public property. No official or employee shall request, use or permit the use of any publicly-owned or publicly-supported property, vehicle, equipment, labor or service for the personal convenience or the private advantage of himself or herself or any other person. This rule shall not be deemed to prohibit an official or employee from requesting, using or permitting the use of publicly-owned or publicly-supported property, vehicle, equipment, material, labor or service which it is the general practice to make available to the public at large or which are provided as a matter of stated public policy for the use of public officials and employees in the conduct of official business.
(D) Conflict of interest.
(1) Public disclosure of financial or personal interest.
(a) No official or employee, either on his or her own behalf or any other person, shall have any financial or public interest in any business or transaction with any public body unless he or she shall first make full public disclosures of the nature and extent of such interest.
(b) Whenever the performance of official duties shall require any official or employee to deliberate and vote on any matter involving his or her financial or personal interest, he or she shall publicly disclose the nature and extent of such interest and disqualify himself or herself from participating in the deliberation as well as in the voting.
(c) No official or employee shall engage in private employment with, or render services for, any private person who has business transactions with any public body unless he or she shall first make full public disclosure of the nature and extent of such employment or services.
(2) Representation of private persons. No official or employee shall appear on behalf of any private person, other than himself or herself, before any public body in the city.
(3) Receiving gifts. No official or employee shall accept any gift, whether in the form of money, thing, favor, loan or promise, that would not be offered or given to him or her if he or she were not an official or employee.
(4) Disclosing confidential information. No official or employee shall, without prior formal authorization of the public body having jurisdiction, disclose any confidential information concerning any other official or employee, or any other person, or any property or governmental affairs of the city.
(5) Nepotism. No elected official shall appoint or vote for appointment any person related to him or her by blood or marriage to any clerkship, office, position, employment or duty when the salary, wages, pay or compensation is to be paid out of public funds as provided in Idaho Code 18-1359e.
(Prior Code, § 1-7-5)