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[ CITY OF BAYTOWN NOTICE OF MEETING BAYTOWN ETHICS COMMISSION MEETING TUESDAY, JULY 29, 2025 4:30 P.M. COUNCIL CHAMBER, CITY HALL 2401 MARKET STREET, BAYTOWN, TEXAS 77520 AGENDA CALL TO ORDER AND ANNOUNCEMENT OF QUORUM]
THIS MEETING TO ORDER THE BAYTOWN ETHICS COM COMMISSION MEETING OF TUESDAY, JULY THE 29TH, 2025 AT 5:30 PM IT IS NOW 5 33.WE ARE IN THE CHAMBER COUNCIL, CHAMBER, CITY HALL, BAYTOWN, TEXAS.
SO I CALLED THIS MEETING TO ORDER AT 5 33.
DID WE HAVE ANYONE SIGN UP FOR CITIZENS' COMMENTS? NO, SIR.
[a. Consider approving the minutes of the Ethics Board meeting held on July 7, 2025. ]
WE'RE GONNA MOVE ON TO ITEM TWO A AND THAT IS GOING TO BE, UH, CONSIDER APPROVING THE MINUTES OF THE ETHICS BOARD MEETING HELD ON JULY THE SEVENTH, 2025.A MOTION, AND I NEED A SECOND.
DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR ANY COMMENTS THAT RELATE TO OUR MEETING FROM JULY THE SEVENTH? NONE.
[a. Review the Ethics Board Rules of Procedure, Sworn Complaint Form, and Code of Ethics.]
THREE, WHICH IS OUR BUSINESS ITEMS FOR THE NIGHT.ITEM TWO, ITEM THREE A IS WE'RE GOING TO REVIEW THE ETHICS BOARD RULES OF PROCEDURES, OUR SWORN COMPLAINT FORM, AS WELL AS THE CODE OF ETHICS.
YOU REMEMBER ME FROM THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT? YES.
I'M AN ASSISTANT CITY ATTORNEY THERE IN THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT.
AND I'M JUST GONNA GO OVER THE ITEMS, UM, AS DESCRIBED ON THE AGENDA TONIGHT.
AND SO WE HAVE, YOU HAVE, SHOULD HAVE IN FRONT OF YOU A COPY OF THE RULES OF PROCEDURE.
YOU SHOULD HAVE A COPY OF THE SWORN COMPLAINT FORM, AND THEN YOU SHOULD ALSO HAVE A COPY OF THE, UH, CODE OF ETHICS.
SO THIS IS THE ORDINANCE THAT WAS RECENTLY, UH, ADOPTED BY THE CITY COUNCIL.
THIS ORDINANCE LAYS OUT THE CODE OF ETHICS AT, AS IT HAS RECENTLY BEEN AMENDED IN JUNE OF THIS YEAR.
AS WE DISCUSSED AT LAST MEETING, THIS IS NOT, UM, IN ACTUAL MUNI CODE.
SO YOU KNOW HOW YOU CAN LOOK AT THE CODE OF ORDINANCES ONLINE.
THIS MAY NOT NECESSARILY BE THERE ONLINE JUST YET.
WE HAVE TO SEND IT OFF AND THE PROCESS HAS TO TAKE PLACE AND IT GETS ADDED ONLINE.
BUT FOR PURPOSES OF OUR MEETING TODAY, I WENT AHEAD AND PRINTED DOWN THE ACTUAL ORDINANCE.
SO THIS TEXT WILL BE INCLUDED IN OUR CODE AND IT WILL BE AVAILABLE ONLINE.
OKAY? SO THIS CODE OF ETHICS, IT'S JUST KIND OF HERE, UM, AND FOR YOU TO REVIEW, UH, AT YOUR LEISURE.
WE'RE NOT GONNA GO TOO MUCH INTO THE CODE OF ETHICS ON TONIGHT.
UH, WE'RE JUST MAINLY GONNA FOCUS ON OUR RULES OF PROCEDURE AND THE SWORN COMPLAINT FORM.
BUT THE CODE OF ETHICS IS KIND OF YOUR GOVERNING LAW FOR CONDUCTING AND PROCESSING AN ETHICS COMPLAINT.
AND SO WE WENT OVER THAT PROCESS IN PRETTY GOOD DETAIL AT THE LAST MEETING.
SO I'M NOT GONNA GO TOO DEEP INTO IT, BUT PLEASE READ THIS.
AND THEN IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, YOU CAN BRING THOSE QUESTIONS WITH YOU, UH, AT YOUR NEXT MEETING.
AND SO WE'LL JUST GO AHEAD AND GET STARTED GOING THROUGH THE RULES OF PROCEDURE.
AND I KNOW THOSE RULES WERE, UH, EMAILED OUT TO YOU.
I HOPE THAT YOU HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW THEM PRIOR TO THE MEETING.
UH, SO WE'RE NOT GONNA, I'M NOT GONNA READ TO YOU WORD FOR WORD.
I DON'T THINK THAT WOULD BE A GOOD USE OF OUR TIME TOGETHER TODAY, BUT I AM GONNA JUST KIND OF DO A HIGH LEVEL OVERVIEW AND THEN, UH, IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR ANYTHING THAT YOU WANT TO, UH, POINT OUT WITH REGARD TO THE RULES, WE'LL TAKE THOSE UP AT THE END OF THE DISCUSSION TODAY.
THE CITY COUNCIL'S RULES PROVIDE THAT EACH COMMITTEE OF THE CITY SHALL ADOPT RULES OF PROCEDURE CONSISTENT WITH THE RULES OF THE CITY COUNCIL.
SO THAT IS WHY WE ARE HERE TODAY WITH THE RULE PROPOSED RULES OF PROCEDURE.
THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT HAS DRAFTED THESE AS PROPOSED.
THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA, IF YOU ALL ARE IN AGREEMENT WITH THESE RULES, WOULD BE FOR YOU TO FORMALLY ADOPT THEM AS YOUR RULES OF PROCEDURE.
SO I WILL GO OVER SOME OF THE GENERAL REQUIREMENTS AND THE RULES OF PROCEDURE.
SO IT'S REQUIRED THAT THERE BE A QUORUM, A QUORUM OF YOUR BODY HERE PRESENT TO MAKE ANY SORT OF DECISIONS, UH, THAT THE BOARD WOULD BE ABLE TO MAKE.
AND IT HAS TO BE A MAJORITY VOTE OF THE QUORUM.
OF COURSE, THERE WILL BE MEETING, UH, MINUTES KEPT OF ALL OF YOUR MEETINGS.
UM, THOSE MEETINGS, AS YOU SAW ON THE AGENDA, THIS MOR THIS AFTERNOON, WILL BE APPROVED AT THE FOLLOWING MEETING.
UM, SO THE QUESTIONS, ANY QUESTIONS THAT ARE PRESENTED TO THIS BOARD SHOULD BE CONTAINED TO ONE SUBJECT.
ULTIMATELY, YOU KNOW WHAT YOUR QUESTIONS WILL BE MOST OF THE TIME, UH, WILL BE CONSIDERING MAKING A DETERMINATION, UH, WITH REGARD TO, UM, ANY SORT OF FORMAL DISCIPLINE OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
OR IF YOU'RE DOING A PRELIMINARY HEARING TYPE MATTER.
THOSE QUESTIONS SHALL BE CONTAINED TO ONE SUBJECT, RIGHT,
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UM, RIGHT TO THE FLOOR.SO THAT BASICALLY MEANS THAT ANY BOARD MEMBER DE DESIRING TO SPEAK SHALL BE RECOGNIZED BY THE PRESIDING OFFICER.
HE SHALL CONFINE HIS OR HER REMARKS TO THE SUBJECT UNDER CONSIDERATION OR TO BE CONSIDERED, YOU WILL HAVE YOUR STAFF LIAISON PERSON APPOINTED.
AND ALSO, I'M SORRY, THERE IS NO STAFF LIAISON FOR THIS BOARD.
UH, PLEASE DISREGARD THAT ONE.
SHE'S BEEN ALSO ALREADY BEEN APPOINTED AT THE LAST MEETING AS YOUR SECRETARY FOR THE BOARD SUSPENSION OF THE RULES.
SO THAT'S BASICALLY SAYING THAT IF THERE'S ANY PART OF THESE RULES OF PROCEDURE THAT YOU GUYS WANT TO SUSPEND FOR ANY MATTER THAT PERTAINS TO YOUR OFFICIAL BUSINESS AS THIS BOARD, YOU CAN SUSPEND THE RULES, BUT IT HAS TO BE AFFIRMATIVELY VOTED ON BY A MAJORITY OF YOUR BOARD.
OKAY? AND THEN OBVIOUSLY, AMENDMENT OF THE RULES.
THAT'S JUST SAYING THAT AT ANY TIME YOU ALL CAN VOTE TO FORMALLY AMEND THE RULES AND IT WILL FOLLOW A PROCEDURE, MUCH LIKE THIS PROCEDURE.
SO IF YOU WANTED TO AMEND THE RULES, YOU WANTED TO CALL SOMETHING INTO QUESTION, OBVIOUSLY YOU WOULD LET YOUR COUNSEL KNOW.
MR. LAMONT WILL BE COUNSEL FOR THIS BOARD.
HE'S, HE'S RUNNING A LITTLE BIT BEHIND, BUT HE'LL BE COUNSEL FOR THIS BOARD.
LEGAL WOULD DRAFT THOSE SORTS OF REVISIONS AND BRING THEM BACK TO YOU FOR A FORMAL VOTE IF YOU EVER WANTED TO AMEND YOUR RULES AND JUST FOR YOU FOLLOWING ALONG ON YOUR PAPER.
SO I'M GOING KIND OF QUICKLY, BUT I'M JUST GOING DOWN THE ORDER HERE IF YOU'RE FOLLOWING ON THE RULES.
AND THEN THE NEXT PART IS THE CODE OF CONDUCT.
AND SO THE CODE OF CONDUCT APPLIES TO BOARD MEMBERS, IT APPLIES TO THE ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF AND IT APPLIES TO THE PUBLIC.
SO THESE ARE CODE OF CONDUCTS WITH REGARD TO YOUR RULES OF PROCEDURE, NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH THE CODE OF ETHICS, WHICH GOVERN CITY OFFICIALS THAT ARE ACTUALLY FOUND IN THE CODE OF ORDINANCES.
SO SIMILAR BUT TWO SEPARATE THINGS, RIGHT? SO THE CODE OF CONDUCT AS THEY PERTAIN TO YOUR RULES OR PROCEDURE IS WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT HERE CURRENTLY.
AND THAT PERTAINS TO BOARD MEMBERS.
AND SO ONE THING I WANT TO POINT OUT WITH REGARD TO YOUR DUTY OF FAIRNESS AND IMPARTIALITY.
AND SO THAT IS UN UNDER SECTION 3.1 OF THE RULES.
AND IF YOU WANNA READ ALONG, IT'S ON PAGE TWO, SECTION 3.1.
AND IT SAYS, BOARD MEMBERS SHALL BE ABOVE EVEN THE PARENT APPEARANCE OF BEING PARTIAL, ENSURING THAT DECISIONS ARE BASED UPON FACT AND EVIDENCE RATHER THAN PERSONAL OPINIONS OR BIAS.
AND SO THAT IS A PROPOSED LANGUAGE FOR YOUR RULES OF PROCEDURE.
SO BASICALLY, AS FACT FINDERS IN THESE TYPES OF PROCEEDINGS, YOU ARE TO REMAIN FAIR AND IMPARTIAL.
MEANING, YOU KNOW, NO PUBLIC COMMENTS, NO SHOULDN'T BE HAVING YOUR MIND MADE UP BEFORE YOU HAVE RECEIVED ANY SORT OF EVIDENCE.
YOUR DUTY IS TO BE THE FACT FINDER AND YOU SHOULD BE FAIR AND IMPARTIAL.
SO THAT'S SOMETHING IMPORTANT THAT I WANTED TO POINT OUT IN YOUR PROPOSED RULES.
UM, SO, AND THEN THIS JUST ALSO TALKS ABOUT JUST THE GENERAL DECORUM OF BOARD MEMBERS DURING OUR GENERAL, DURING OUR MEETINGS AND OUR SESSIONS.
I DON'T THINK WE'LL HAVE ANY PROBLEMS WITH THAT.
EVERYONE KNOWS THAT YOU HAVE TO PRESERVE ORDER AND DECORUM IN THE MEETINGS.
OBVIOUSLY NO MATTER HOW INTENSE OR HOW HEATED YOU FEEL ABOUT THE SUBJECT MATTER THAT IS BEING PRESENTED, WE STILL HAVE TO REMAIN, REMAIN AND PRESERVE DECORUM.
YOU SHOULD NOT BE INTERRUPTING, YOU KNOW, ANYONE UNLESS RECOGNIZED BY THE PRESIDING, UM, OFFICER BEFORE YOU SPEAK OR MAKE ANY SORT OF COMMENTS.
AND SO, UM, THE BOARD AND THE PRESIDING OFFICER MAY ALSO PRESENT A MOTION TO REQUIRE ENFORCEMENT OF ANY OF THESE RULES DURING THE, UM, DURING THE SESSION.
OKAY? AND THEN ALSO ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF THAT IS ASSOCIATED WITH YOUR BOARD WILL BE SUBJECT TO THE RULES OF PROCEDURE AND THE CODE OF CONDUCT HERE IN, UH, LAID OUT IN THE RULES OF PROCEDURE.
OBVIOUSLY IF THERE'S ANYTHING ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF WANT TO.