Ann Arbor Council Ethics Education: Postponed

The Ann Arbor city council has postponed a resolution that would have directed the city attorney and city administrator to establish an educational effort on Public Act 317 of 1968, which is the state’s conflict-of-interest statute. The postponement came at the council’s Nov. 7, 2013 meeting.

A final “resolved” clause of the resolution would direct the council’s rules committee to draft standards of conduct for local officials based on Public Act 196 of 1973, which applies to state employees of the executive branch and appointees of the governor.

The final resolved clause – if it’s approved, and if the council adopts a standard for itself (the legislative branch) that’s recommended by the council rules committee, and it’s strictly followed – could lead to an end to any unauthorized leaks of information from the city government. That’s based on the statutory language: “A public officer or employee shall not divulge to an unauthorized person, confidential information acquired in the course of employment in advance of the time prescribed for its authorized release to the public.”

This brief was filed from the city council’s chambers on the second floor of city hall, located at 301 E. Huron. A more detailed report will follow.