A code of conduct for council might bring repercussions to actions both in and out of council.
A draft of that code was reviewed on April 24 during a council and staff working meeting.
Town manager Lisa Hass said she first looked at codes of conduct in various places.?Some were fairly simple, while others were very detailed,? she said.
?A code of conduct is important as it provides clear direction to council members as to how they are to behave and act in various situations.?
Some of the topics in a code include: rules and obligations, confidential information, use of town property or services, work of a political or personal nature, conduct at council meetings, media coverage, and representing the town.
She explained much of the template was based on the codes used by Vaughn, Parry Sound and Puslinch Township.
?They all have the same items I have put in these.?
Councillor Barb Tocher asked about implementation.
Hass said she had not drafted anything regarding implementation or the complaint process. She said some places have an integrity commissioner while in other municipalities, the chief administrative officer does it.
Much of that would be involved with the complaints process but it could also determine if training sessions are needed, Hass said. Other issues would be the manner in which complaints would be dealt with, and who would do that work.
?There are a whole range of issues,? she said.
Tocher agreed there is a big difference between council and staff complaints.
Hass said this was a code of conduct for council. She anticipated a code for staff would be presented at a later meeting.
Maieron said, ?Although this is a good guideline,? he unsure it would cover certain situations.
?I?ve been told if you come out of [a closed meeting] and then go tell everything – there?s nothing can be done to you – although the rest of your councillors may be very annoyed with you.?
That said, Maieron added he is not 100 per cent certain of the truth of what he had been told.
Tocher said she had already seen something similar when a councillor spoke about the salary of a staff member that was discussed in a closed session.
If it is spelled out, the code of conduct can implement what happens as a result of infractions; it could mean the loss of an honorarium for a few months or something else.
?They could take you in the town square and publicly flog you,? Tocher laughed.
That is where the implementation process comes into play, said Hass.
An integrity officer would implement the code of conduct as adopted, Hass said.
Tocher compared the code of conduct to the Building Code, in that while there are certain guidelines in place, the municipality is allowed to make certain enhancements at a local level.
?In order to have repercussions, they have to be included in the code of conduct.?
Following a brief discussion on the validity of such repercussions, Tocher asked how many municipalities do have codes of conducts that include punitive measures.
Hass said it varies among municipalities.
?Vaughn?s is very detailed.?
Maieron remained concerned with the potential of the proposal creating additional problems.
Hass asked if council has issues with what was presented.
?I?m not crazy about it because it seems to be looking for issues which may not exist,? Maieron said. ?I guess we need to be contemporary, like everyone else,? he said.
