No official or employee shall encourage, make or accept any ex parte or other unilateral application or communication that excludes the interests of other parties in a matter under consideration when such application or communication is designed to influence the official decision or conduct of the official or other officials, employees or agencies in order to obtain a more favored treatment or special consideration to advance the personal or private interests of him/herself or others. The purpose of this provision is to guarantee that all interested parties to any matter shall have equal opportunity to express and represent their interests.
Any written ex parte communication received by an official or employee in matters where all interested parties should have an equal opportunity for a hearing shall be made a part of the record by the recipient.
Any oral ex parte communication received under such conditions should be written down in substance by the recipient and also be made a part of the record.
A communication concerning only the status of a pending matter shall not be regarded as an ex parte communication.
(§ 1, Ord. 868-NS, eff. September 18, 1984)