§ 2-53. Guidelines.

(a)

Financial interests of members. City council members may not:

(1)

Have direct or indirect financial interests that conflict substantially with their responsibilities and duties as government servants; or

(2)

Engage in, directly or indirectly, financial transactions as a result of, or primarily relying upon, information obtained from their office. Aside from these restrictions, city council members are free to engage in lawful financial transactions to the same extent as private citizens.

(b)

Use of public property. A city council member shall not use government property of any kind for other than officially approved activities, nor shall he or she direct employees to use such property for these purposes.

(c)

Use of confidential information. A city council member shall not directly or indirectly, make use of, or permit others to make use of, for the purpose of furthering a private interest, official information not made available to the general public.

(d)

Coercion by council members. A city council member shall not use his position in any way to coerce, or give the appearance of coercing, another person to provide any financial benefit to him or persons within his immediate family, or those with whom a council member has business or financial ties.

(e)

Voting in matters of personal interest. A council member shall not vote on an ordinance or amendment in a city council meeting that would directly affect his or her private business.

(f)

Unauthorized purchases. A city council member shall not order any goods and services for the City of Cartersville without prior official authorization for such an expenditure.

(g)

Meetings of the council. Meetings of the council shall be conducted in accordance with OCGA, tit. 50, ch. 14, as amended, and OCGA, tit. 36, ch. 80, § 1, as amended, as it applies to municipalities, and all applicable ordinances of the City of Cartersville.

(h)

City attorneys used for private business. A city council member shall not use the attorney or attorneys who are under retainer by the City of Cartersville for personal or private business without paying just compensation.

(i)

Unauthorized use of public employees. A city council member shall not use his superior position to request or require an employee to:

(1)

Do clerical work on behalf of his family, business, social, church or fraternal interests;

(2)

Purchase goods and services to be used for personal, business, or political purposes; and

(3)

Work for him personally without offering just compensation.

(j)

Travel expenses. A city council member shall not draw per diem or expense monies from the City of Cartersville to attend a seminar, convention, or conference and then fail to attend the seminar, convention, or conference without refunding the pro-rata unused per diem or expense monies to the city.

(Ord. No. 57-99, 12-16-99)