§ 2-56. Receipt of complaints.

(a)

All complaints against city council members shall be filed with the ethics committee. The ethics committee may require that oral complaints, and complaints illegibly or informally drawn, be reduced to a memorandum of complaint in such form as may be prescribed by the Cartersville City Council.

(b)

Upon receipt of a complaint in proper form, the ethics committee shall review it to determine whether the complaint is unjustified, frivolous, patently unfounded or fails to state facts sufficient to invoke the disciplinary jurisdiction of the Cartersville City Council. The ethics committee shall be empowered to collect evidence and information concerning any complaint and to add the findings and results of its investigations to the file containing such complaint.

(c)

Upon completion of its investigation of a complaint, the ethics committee shall be empowered to dismiss those complaints which fail to state facts sufficient to invoke the disciplinary jurisdiction of the Cartersville City Council; provided, however, that a rejection of such complaint by the ethics committee shall not deprive the complaining party of any action he might otherwise have at law or in equity against the respondent government servant.

(d)

The ethics committee shall be empowered to conduct probable cause investigations, to take evidence and hold hearings where provided for in the rules.

(e)

The ethics committee shall be empowered to adopt forms for formal complaints, subpoenas, notices, applications for reinstatement and any other written instruments necessary or desirable under these rules.

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