City Begins Discussion About Ethics Board Creation

Marshfield (OnFocus) – At Tuesday’s meeting, Marshfield’s Finance, Budget, and Personnel Committee began discussions about the possible creation of an ethics committee. Presented by Chairperson Ed Wagner, the draft ordinance would propose establishing an Ethics Board.

“Over the past 7-8 months, I’ve been hearing a lot about the need for an ethics ordinance,” said Wagner, adding that the City does have an existing generic ordinance. “What we didn’t have is an enforcement mechanism or some way or process by which claims of unethical behavior could be adjudicated.”

According to the agenda packet, the purpose of the Ethics Board would be to “provide a means to manage administration of the City’s Codes of Conduct and Ethics, and resolve complaints alleging violation of those policies in a fair, equitable, and just manner for the City of Marshfield, thereby maintaining citizen confidence in the transparency, accountability, and integrity of the City in all its dealings.”

“We want to make sure that the public believes that we’re being very transparent about our dealings and that we have a way of dealing with transgressions,” added Wagner.

Currently, the City listens to the concerns, looks into the situation, and works with the appropriate group depending on which department is involved.

“We want to take it out of the hands of the Council and put it into the hands of an independent body,” said Wagner.

The proposed board, according to the packet, would consist of three members, two of which would be nominated by members of the Common Council and selected by secret ballot after nominated publicly by the Council. The third member would be a member of the bar, nominated by the County Bar Association. All members would be citizens of Marshfield, unless specifically exempted by Council.

The committee will review the materials and discuss the creation of an Ethics Board at their next meeting in two weeks.

We welcome your stories! Contact us at [email protected]!