Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Dallas City Council strengthens its ethics code

New rules affect tickets, gifts, travel, and honoraria

By Pegasus News wire

DALLAS — Wednesday the city council took another important step to strengthen the city’s ethics code. The vote established new policies for accepting gifts, tickets, travel, lodging, entertainment and honoraria.

“This policy strengthens substantially what was in place,” said Mayor Leppert.

The biggest clarifications came in the area of tickets. It spells out when it is permissible for council members to accept tickets for programs or functions at city-owned facilities or city sponsored events.

“Councilmembers clearly have the obligation to make sure our city-owned venues are being run in an efficient and professional way,” said Mayor Leppert. “This allows them to do that.”

Under the new rules:

Councilmembers are able to accept tickets to events when they are attending in their official capacity. They can also accept tickets to charity or fundraising events that benefit city facilities and programs.

Councilmembers are able to accept tickets to programs at city-owned facilities operated by not-for-profit organizations.

The city owns and manages numerous venues, and councilmembers have oversight responsibilities. They are expected and encouraged to attend events to make sure those venues are being operated in an efficient and a customer-friendly manner. In these venues:

The number of tickets is limited to 4 per event and either the councilmember, his or her spouse, domestic partner or significant other must be present.

Tickets cannot be sold.

Tickets cannot be transferred except to other councilmembers or commission or board members with oversight responsibilities related to the event or facility.

Councilmembers can accept blocks of promotional complimentary tickets for distribution under certain circumstances.

In venues where the council does not have oversight responsibilities, such as the American Airlines Center and Superpages.com Center, councilmembers can purchase tickets at face value, but complimentary tickets are not allowed.

Gifts and complimentary tickets over $250 must be reported and disclosed.

“The new rules bring clarity, consistency and transparency,” said Councilmember Pauline Medrano, who headed up the Council task force that drew up the new rules.

To support the changes to the Ethics Code, City Manager Mary Suhm is doing an administrative review of staff procedures and practices to make sure they are in accord with the new rules.

Source: City of Dallas

Related stories

• Free-ticket rules trickle down to Dallas city board and commission members (Sept. 18, 2008)
• Pegasus News Week in View: Friday the 13th Father’s Day Edition (June 12, 2008)

See more stories in:

• Politics and Government > City Government > Dallas > Dallas City Hall