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Oct 16, 2006

KING COUNTY BOARD OF ETHICS MEETING NOTICE

When: Monday, October 16, 2006, 2:00 p.m.
Where: Columbia Center
701 Fifth Avenue, 34th floor
Conference Room, Suite 3460
Seattle, WA 98104

AGENDA

  1. Approval of Agenda

  2. Approval of Meeting Minutes of September 18, 2006

  3. Statement of Principles. Update and discussion.

  4. Staff Report

    • Staff informational response summary
    • Response to Request for Appeal and/or Advisory Opinion
    • Office of Citizen Complaints Triannual Report (attached)

  5. Conflict of Interest. Discussion

  6. Executive Session

Upon advance request, reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities are available by calling 206-296-1586 or TTY Relay: 771

ALTERNATE FORMATS AVAILABLE

King County Board of Ethics
Columbia Center
701 Fifth Avenue, Suite 3460
Seattle, WA 98104 MS BOA-ES-3460
206-296-1586 Fax 206-205-0725
board.ethics@kingcounty.gov
http://www.kingcounty.gov/ethics/

Minutes of the October 16, 2006, Meeting
of the King County Board of Ethics

The October 16, 2006, meeting of the King County Board of Ethics was called to order by Chair Price Spratlen, at 2:01 p.m. Board members in attendance were:

Lois Price Spratlen, Ph.D.
Roland H. Carlson
Margaret T. Gordon, Ph.D.
Rev. Paul F. Pruitt
Jerry Saltzman

Others in attendance:
Catherine A. Clemens, Executive Director, Board of Ethics
Alan Abrams, Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney and Board Counsel
Viviane Diaz, Administrative Specialist, Board of Ethics

  1. Approval of Agenda. With the addition of agenda item #5, Conflict of Interest, Dr. Gordon moved and Rev. Pruitt seconded that the Board approve the proposed agenda. The Board unanimously adopted the motion.

  2. Approval of Meeting Minutes of September 18, 2006. With minor edits, Mr. Saltzman moved and Mr. Carlson seconded that the Board approve the September 18, 2006, meeting minutes. The Board unanimously adopted the motion and the minutes were approved.

  3. Statement of Principles. Ms. Clemens briefed the Board, providing an overview of the current status of the project and plans for oversight and progress reporting. Chair Price Spratlen voiced concern that the annual Board reception was delayed due to the plans for the signing ceremony, and stated that the reception should be kept separate from other activities to ensure that it will take place.

  4. Staff Report. Staff Informational Response Summary. The executive director issued 11 written staff informational responses (SIR) between September 13, 2006, and October 6, 2006, as requested by employees and elected officials of King County. Ethics issues addressed by the responses included: attendance at vendor events (2); gifts to/from visiting governments; use of county funds for personal telecommunication devices; acceptance of donations; nepotism; outside employment; donating county property; use of county email for political purposes; county referral list for the public; and outside employment. Response to request for appeal and/or advisory opinion. Letter to requestor; no action required. Office of Citizen Complaints Triannual Report. Report attached for information; no action required.

  5. Conflict of Interest. Chair Price Spratlen addressed the issue of the recent determination on potential conflict of interest for Board members related to the oversight of University of Washington students working on the Statement of Principles. She suggested that any significant determinations affecting the work of the Board should be made in writing and that the Board should be notified of such determination prior to any related action being taken. Board members indicated agreement. A discussion followed regarding the potential conflict of interest. Dr. Price Spratlen directed Ms. Clemens to set a meeting to discuss this issue with Mr. Buck, Administrative Services Manager, Department of Executive Services, Ms. Clemens, Dr. Gordon, and Dr. Price Spratlen. The meeting is to take place prior to the next regularly scheduled meeting of the Board.

  6. Executive Session. At 2:55 p.m. Chair Price Spratlen requested that the meeting move into executive session for the purpose of discussing Board concerns regarding the clarity of employee reporting relationships. The chair announced that the executive session would conclude in 15 minutes.

    Mr. Abrams, Ms. Diaz and Ms. Clemens left the room. Ms. Clemens rejoined the meeting in executive session at 3:20 p.m.

    At 3:31 p.m., the Board completed the executive session and resumed its regular meeting.

At this time, Dr. Gordon moved and Rev. Pruitt seconded the motion to adjourn the meeting. The Board unanimously approved the motion and the meeting was adjourned at 3:32 p.m.

Approved this —20th day of November, 2006, by the King County Board of Ethics.

Signed for the Board: __________________________________________________

Dr. Lois Price Spratlen, Chair