KING COUNTY BOARD OF ETHICS MEETING NOTICE

When:
Monday, August 18, 2008, 9:30 a.m.

Where:
The Chinook Building
401 Fifth Avenue
1st floor, conference room 118
Seattle, WA 98104

AGENDA

1. Approval of Agenda

2. Approval of Meeting Minutes of June 16, 2008

3. Board Membership.

• Welcome new members Bruce Laing and Gunbjorg Ladstein
• Status review of open position

4. Amended Board of Ethics Rules and Procedures. Review and adoption.

• Procedures for Issuing Advisory Opinions
• Procedures for Meetings of the King County Board of Ethics
• Rules of Procedure for Appeal Hearings
• Rules Related to Filing Statements of Financial and Other Interests

5. 2008 Financial Disclosure Program. Final disposition.

6. Ethics Training and Outreach.

• Ethics for Supervisors
• Board and Commission members

7. Statement of Principles. Status review.

8. Staff Report

• Staff informational response summary
• Campaign activities for employees and board members
• Ethics promotion and measurements through Human Resource Division
• Ninth Annual Board of Ethics Reception
• Staff schedule in September

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

ALTERNATE FORMATS AVAILABLE

Minutes of the August 18, 2008, meeting
of the King County Board of Ethics

The August 18, 2008, meeting of the King County Board of Ethics was called to order by acting Chair Carlson at 9:37 a.m. (In the absence of the chair of the board at a meeting of the Board of Ethics, a majority of the members of the board present at the meeting shall designate an acting chair to serve until the chair of the board is no longer absent. Procedures for Meetings of the Board of Ethics 5.3) Board members in attendance were:

Ron Carlson
Gunbjorg Ladstein
Bruce Laing
Lois Price Spratlen, Ph.D., Chair
Anne J. Watanabe

Others in attendance:
Alan Abrams, Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney and Board Counsel
Catherine A. Clemens, Executive Director, Board of Ethics
Michael Strouse, Administrator, Department of Executive Services

Attendees introduced themselves.

1. Approval of Agenda. Ms. Watanabe moved and Bruce Laing seconded that the board approve the proposed agenda. The board unanimously adopted the motion.

Agenda item 2, approval of meeting minutes of June 16, 2008, was deferred to later in the meeting.

3. Board Membership. The board welcomed new members Bruce Laing and Gunbjorg Ladstein. Members reviewed the related July 29, 2008, news release and discussed membership terms and voting authority in the absence of council confirmation. It was made clear that members who have already been appointed may vote on board actions while awaiting confirmation.

4. Amended Board of Ethics Rules and Procedures. Ms. Clemens briefed the board. During the June 16, 2008, meeting, the Board of Ethics reviewed the schedule for adopting the amended rules and procedures and took the required actions to proceed. Generally, the proposed amendments address information that is out-of-date and revise them so that they are complete and current. The specific documents are Procedures for Issuing Advisory Opinions; Procedures for Meetings for the King County Board of Ethics; Rules of Procedure for Appeal Hearings; and Rules Related to Filing Statements of Financial and Other Interests. The board considered written comments on the rules and procedures, noting that no one attended the meeting to provide oral testimony. Following discussion, and in accordance to K.C.C. Chapter 2.98, Procedures for Adopting Amended Rules and Procedures, it then closed the comment period and made changes it deemed appropriate. Ms. Ladstein moved to adopt the amended rules and procedures; Mr. Laing seconded the motion and the motion passed unanimously.

5. 2008 Financial Disclosure Program. Ms. Clemens briefed the board. With the resolution of the final request for suspension from the filing requirement on July 31, 2008, the 2008 financial disclosure program has been concluded. Ms. Clemens provided the related 2008 suspension request log. All King County employees and board and commission members required to file are now in compliance. She also noted that affected new employees or employees promoted into affected job positions continue to file throughout the year.

6. Ethics Training and Outreach. Ms. Clemens briefed the board with an update on training conducted by the director of the Board of Ethics, specifically for supervisors and board and commission members. Since 2003, the ethics director has provided face-to-face ethics education and training to an average of 1,914 individuals annually. She provided an overview of this training which is also found on the ethics Web site.

Dr. Price Spratlen arrived at 10:16 a.m.

On July 14, all county staff liaisons to boards and commissions received a communication from Ms. Clemens about the newly revised member brochure with sample brochure provided. In addition, she reviewed with the board the packet of materials provided to supervisors at the half-day seminar conducted approximately seven times each year. The board discussed the Code of Ethics enclosed in the packets and whether or not extensive knowledge of the code is required by members. Generally, members should be aware of the provisions of the code; however, for any matters that come before the board, the executive director provides briefings that include legal and policy references. In addition, board counsel is available for advice and interpretation. The board also discussed the importance of education and training and the support the board has gained from the executive and County Council through outreach conducted by the board members. Ms. Clemens noted that all training and awareness efforts underscore the belief that those who are informed of the Code of Ethics will be much less likely to inadvertently violate its provisions.

Mr. Carlson turned the meeting over to Chair Price Spratlen and she returned the meeting to agenda item #2.

2. Approval of Meeting Minutes of June 16, 2008. Ms. Watanabe moved and Mr. Carlson seconded that the board approve the June 16, 2008, meeting minutes. The board unanimously adopted the motion and the minutes were approved.

7. Statement of Principles. Ms. Clemens briefed the board on the status of the statement of principles. On July 8, 2008, Jim Buck, CAO and Director of the Department of Executive Service, and executive director met with Deborah Wilke, executive director, and Christina Bridston, deputy director, of Washington Association of County Officials (WACO). The goals were to share information and to plan future activities in support of the Statement of Principles. As a result of that meeting, Mr. Buck and the director attended the WACO board meeting on the morning of July 24 to make a presentation regarding the statement. Coincidentally, the WACO board was in the process of reviewing its own ethics code for amendment. Following questions and discussion, the WACO board determined that it would form a working group of four members that would draft a combination of the Statement of Principles and the proposed amended WACO Code of Ethics. The resulting draft document shall be presented to the WACO affiliates for vote during its annual conference to be held October 6 - 8. The affiliates will have a number of options, including voting to disregard the statement or incorporating the statement into its own code. The ethics office will remain in touch with WACO staff for further developments. In the meantime, Mr. Buck will contact the Washington State Association of Counties (WSAC) staff. In June, 2007, Councilmember Jane Hague presented the Statement of Principles to the WSAC board which approved its content and moved to forward it to the membership. Due to staff change, that step was never completed, and Mr. Buck will work to restart the process. The board discussed the history of the statement and its future – to promote ethics throughout the state and nation.

8. Staff Report. Staff informational response summary. The executive director issued 39 written staff informational responses (SIR) between June 9 and August 7, 2008, as requested by employees and elected officials of King County. Ethics issues addressed by the responses include: discounts for county employees (3); vendor promotional gift; use of position (3); campaign activities in the workplace (2); jurisdictional issues – matters referred (4); use of county resources (adding personal phone line); use of county resources (business card for drawing); use of county resources (Wellness Initiative) (3); use of county resources (solicitation) (7); contracting; solicitation by employees to businesses (2); board and commission potential conflict (4); nepotism; testimonials and referrals; honorarium (2); acceptance of meals; and duty to notify supervisor (2).

Mr. Abrams left the meeting at 10:47 am.

Campaign activities for employees and board members. The board determined that the matter would be deferred until the next board meeting. Ethics promotion and measurements through Human Resources Division. Ms. Clemens briefed the board on the progress made related to the ethics promotion and measurement initiatives between the Human Resources Division and office of the Board of Ethics to achieve four goals: (1) ensure the on-going ethics requirement for filing disclosure statements; (2) add an ethics component in annual evaluations; (3) include an ethics interview question for promotions and new positions; and (4) ensure ethical conduct through annual reporting on ethics violations. The board approved of these efforts and Ms. Clemens will report back as information becomes available. Ninth Annual Board Reception. Ms. Clemens updated the board on the plans for the reception scheduled for Tuesday, September 9, 2008. Discussion on awards followed. Staff schedule in September. It was determined that due to staff out-of-office schedules and due to the reception, no meeting will be held in September. The next regularly scheduled meeting will be held on October 20.

Mr. Carlson moved and Mr. Laing seconded the motion to adjourn the meeting. The board unanimously approved the motion and the meeting was adjourned at 11:12 a.m.

Signed for the Board:__________________________________________________
Dr. Lois Price Spratlen, Chair