Village of Buffalo Grove Ethics Commission met Oct. 27.
Here are the minutes provided by the commission:
CALL TO ORDER
Chair Rybarczyk called the meeting to order at 7:03P.M. This meeting was held at Village Hall, 50 Raupp Boulevard, Buffalo Grove
ROLL CALL
Voice vote indicated all commissioners were present: Chair Rybarczyk, Commissioners Scott, Abella, Hughes and also present were Dane Bragg, Village Manager, and Patrick Brankin, Village Attorney. Commissioner Patel arrived at 7:10 p.m. Trustee Joanne Johnson and Commissioner Yang was absent.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Chair Rybarczyk made a motion to approve the minutes of August 24, 2022. Second by Commissioner Hughes. Motion approved by voice vote. Commissioner Hughes Abstained.
NEW BUSINESS
Work Group Reports
Procurement Policies Review– led by Chair Rybarczyk and Commissioner Scott. Commissioners met with Brett Robinson and had a thorough conversation. Commissioners do not believe that any changes are necessary as they follow the state regulations and are very thorough. Recommendation by Dane Bragg to have Brett Robinson come to the Ethics Commission and give a brief (10 minute) overview at a future meeting. This was agreed upon.
Conflict of Interest and Economic Interest Statement of Review – led by Commissioners Hughes and Yang. Commisioners Hughes and Yang have been working with the Village Manager with the assistance of Attorney Brankin to review the conflict-of-interest documents including everyone who is required to file under Cook County regulations and all of the appointed commissioners of the Village. Currently the appointed commissioners who are exempt from the Cook County regulations are volunteer committees without any involvement in contracts or making financial commitments for the Village. Those required to submit disclosure to Cook County are being asked to submit more detailed information under those requirements as compared to the Village. There is overlap in the conflict-of-interest and the statement of economic interest currently being used by Buffalo Grove.
The recommendation is that new modified conflict-of-interest disclaimer would be created and approved. Additionally: 1. Require local conflict of interest disclosure at the time of appointment for new volunteers or upon a change in information presented in that document a. Mandated reporting of any changes to the conflict of-interest disclosure incumbent upon the volunteer. b. Eliminate annual disclosure. c. Modify Section 2.48.030 of the Municipal Code consistent with the attached revised form. d. Capture conflict of interest disclosure through electronic form submission, eliminate paper forms.
Regarding the Economic Interest Disclosure, the Cook County SEI filing requirements would be adopted by ordinance. Modify Section 2.48.020 of the Municipal Code to create an annual required filers list, maintained by the Village Clerk, for Cook County SEI disclosures. i. Add Ethics Commission volunteers to the covered individuals list ii. Eliminate Health Commission, Farmers Market, Transportation Commission, Rick Kahen Commission for Residents with Disabilities and Buffalo Grove Days Committee volunteers from required SEI disclosure.
Finally, regarding the filing education it is recommended that an educational campaign using email be developed that synthesizes who is required to file, filing deadlines and how to file. Distribute annually. Recommend including FOIA officer, OMA training, etc. requirements to streamline filing compliance by volunteers. Included would be a reminder that if you had a change in your conflict-of-interest you would need to amend it. Commissioner Hughes also stated that the gift ban would remain in place. Commissioners unanimously agreed to move forward with these recommendations.
Educating Boards, Commission and Committees Review – led by Commissioners Patel and Abella. The commissioners and Patrick Brankin have communicated via email and will now take the information discussed by the ethics commission and develop power point presentations for the various commissions. Subcommittee would develop a list of order of priority for the commissions. The Ethics commission will coordinate with the Village Clerk’s office to ensure that information is consistent and coordinated.
Proposed Amendments to Chapter 2 of the Municipal Code – Ethics Commission Functions and Duties. Attorney Brankin and Village Manager Bragg will develop and clarify proposed Amendments to Chapter 2 based upon the information discussed in this meeting. They will circulate to this commission and will review the information at the next meeting. The plan is to bring these amendments to the Village Board in December 2022.
The commission set its next meeting date to occur on Wednesday, November 16 at 7:00 PM.
QUESTIONS FROM THE AUDIENCE
No members of the public were in attendance.
ADJOURNMENT
Moved by Commissioner Scott seconded by Commissioner Abella, to adjourn the meeting. Upon voice vote, the vote was unanimous.
Motion declared carried.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:52 P.M.
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