2007-2008 Ethics Committee
Current Minutes

September 21, 2007

TCMA Ethics Committee
September 21, 2007
3rd Floor Conference Room, Texas Municipal League – Austin

Members of the Committee present were: James Fisher, Chair and City Administrator, Bee Cave; Nick Finan, Assistant City Manager, Pearland; Carol Buttler, Assistant City Manager, Hondo; Tom Muehlenbeck, City Manager, Plano; Lauri Gilliam, Assistant City Manager, Pflugerville; Corby Alexander, City Manager, Bonham. Participating by phone were Gary Brown, City Manager, Floydada; Glen Hackler, City Manager, Andrews; Hugh Walker, Deputy City Manager, Bryan; Dewey Cashwell, Jr., City Manager, South Padre Island; Jack Harper, II, City Manager, Hillsboro; and Christal Kliewer, Assistant to the City Manager, Grand Prairie. TML Staff: Kyle J. Jung.

James Fisher, City Administrator, Bee Cave and committee chair, called the meeting to order at 10:30 a.m. and thanked those in attendance and those participating by conference call.

The Committee reviewed the meeting agenda. James Fisher stated that the online TCMA Ethics Course is in its final stages of development. James Fisher recommended that he and Kyle Jung contact eStrategy Solutions to determine the current status of the course and provide a link to the current version of the materials so the committee members will be able to review the course.

James Fisher presented a revised draft of the TCMA Code of Ethics Rules of Procedure for Enforcement to the committee. The members discussed various items of the revised rules. James Fisher highlighted a new section that pertains to individuals who are both ICMA and TCMA members (Section II Jurisdiction, E. - “Once ICMA has completed its investigation, notice will be sent to the TCMA President and Ethics Committee chair, whereupon the TCMA Board shall accept the decision and actions of ICMA and shall apply the same sanction(s) to the member as TCMA’s action.”). On a motion by Tom Muehlenbeck and a second by Dewey Cashwell, the committee approved the recommendation to forward the revised TCMA Code of Ethics Rules of Procedure for Enforcement to the TCMA Board for approval.

James Fisher raised an issue mentioned to him by other TCMA members, namely how to keep retired city managers involved in TCMA activities while avoiding possible conflicts with the TCMA Code of Ethics. No action was taken on this issue.

Kyle Jung informed the committee of the TCMA dues renewal notices that will be sent out in October instead of January as per the TCMA Board’s direction. A notice is included in the memo reminding the members that the new ethics education requirement will take effect. All TCMA members must satisfy the required ethics training requirement by September 30, 2008 and certify on their 2009 TCMA membership dues renewal form that they completed the required training and note where this training took place.

With nothing else on the agenda, the meeting was adjourned at noon.