2007-02-14 Board of Ethics Minutes Regular Session

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Board of Ethics Minutes of Regular Session February 14, 2007 you for three years after you file. I don't think you should have something dangling over your head forever. Those are my thoughts and the board can make some kind of recommendation and we can formalize it and send it to the committee. AL: Do you think that just in six years with continuing employees? BLT: Yeah, the disclosure should be kept for six years. Once someone has left county government, I think three years after they have left their records should be destroyed. The purpose of the financial disclosure is to insure that in your actions as a county officer or employee you don't improperly approve something, do some action that benefits you or a family member. If you are no longer an officer or county employee, you are no longer in a position to do that. The post - employment restrictions only apply for 12 months after you have left county government. Other than keeping it in case some claim came up, there really isn't much of a purpose in keeping it. The reason you are keeping it, at least one year, is in case someone is saying "Hey, they are doing something that they had knowledge of while they were a county employee, or they benefited somehow, from some transaction" and you want that 12 -month window. I thought three years is more than enough time to retain those records. Once you have filed, after three years the IRS doesn't go back to look at your stuff, unless you have had fraud or something. WJ: Shall we look at this on our next agenda? BLT: It would give people time to think about it. WJ: This would give us an opportunity to think. AL: Yeah, this should be for the next agenda, it makes a lot of sense. WJ: Then we should discuss this more. KS: Would that then be folded into our vision of our rules? BLT: Yes. KS: Okay. 5. NEW BUSINESS There was no new business. 5