S Code of ethics for the Board of County Commissioners of Orange County NC - 06-01-2010-7b

Browse Search

any Board or Agency of Orange County. (d) If a board member believes that his or her actions, while legal and ethical, may be misunderstood, he or she should seek the advice of the board's attorney and should consider publicly disclosing the facts of the situation and the steps taken to resolve it, such as consulting with the attorney. (e) Sections 3(b) and 3(c) shall specifically apply to the Board of County Commissioners of Orange County, Board of Adjustment of Orange County, Planning Board of Orange County and Board of Equalization and Review of Orange County and any other advisory boards or committees specifically designated by the Board of County Commissioners except that members of boards other than the Board of County Commissioners shall file the required disclosure within 30 days of their initial and subsequent appointments to said boards. Section 4. Board members should be faithful in the performance of the duties of their offices. They should act as especially responsible citizens whom others can trust and respect. They should set a good example for others in the community, keeping in mind that trust and respect must continually be earned. Board members should faithfully attend and prepare for meetings. They should carefully analyze all credible information that is properly submitted to them, mindful of the need not to engage in communications outside the meeting in quasi-judicial matters. They should demand full accountability from those over whom the board has authority. Board members should be willing to bear their fair share of the board's workload. To the extent appropriate, they should be willing to put the board's interests ahead of their own. Section 5. Elected members of local governing boards should conduct the affairs of their boards in an open and public manner. They should comply with all applicable laws governing open meetings and public records, recognizing that doing so is an important way to be worthy of the public's trust. They should remember when they meet that they are conducting the public's business. They should also remember that the records of their local government belong to the public and not to them or their employees. They should make clear that a climate of openness is to be maintained at all times in their governmental units. In order to ensure strict compliance with the laws governing openness, governing board members should strive to be open. They should prohibit unjustified delay in fulfilling public records requests. They should take deliberate steps to ensure that any closed sessions held