Commissioners formalize ethics rules for Monroe County officials, employees

During their meeting Wednesday, the commissioners approved creating a new chapter in county code called “Monroe County Code of Ethics.”

County Attorney David Schilling said the move was sparked by action of the federal government, which started creating new standards regarding gifts and conflicts of interest in 2015. Those changes have slowly trickled down to the county level.

Both federal and state agencies prohibit their employees from soliciting or receiving gifts from consulting firms working on federal aid projects. Additionally, counties that receive federal funding for projects must follow similar rules. He said a gift is considered to be something of value that is extended to a government officer or employee, but not a donation that would go into a public fund.

He said while federal and state employees or officers are not allowed to accept any amount of gifts, in the federal aid context they could accept a political contribution.

“So they can give you $2,000 for your political campaign, but they couldn’t buy you a cheeseburger,” Schilling said.