Mission Statement

The Ethics Commission exercises authorities granted to it under the Public Ethics Law to promote the public's trust of County government and to ensure the impartiality of County employees, including elected officials, in the execution of their responsibilities.

Budget Overview

The total recommended FY27 Operating Budget for the Ethics Commission is $678,092, an increase of $312,274 or 85.36 percent from the FY26 Approved Budget of $365,818. Personnel Costs comprise 54.00 percent of the budget for two full-time position(s) and no part-time position(s), and a total of 2.00 FTEs. Total FTEs may include seasonal or temporary positions and may also reflect workforce charged to or from other departments or funds. Operating Expenses account for the remaining 46.00 percent of the FY27 budget.

County Priority Outcomes

While this program area supports all eight of the County Result Areas, the following is emphasized:

• Effective, Sustainable Government

Program Performance Measures

Performance measures for this department are included below (where applicable). The FY26 estimates reflect funding based on the FY26 approved budget. The FY27 and FY28 figures are performance targets based on the FY27 recommended budget and funding for comparable service levels in FY28.

Initiatives

• In partnership with TEBS, update the electronic systems associated with the County's ethics programs of financial disclosure, outside employment, and lobbying registration and reporting.

Innovations and Productivity Improvements

• Began working with leadership in individual departments to make ethics training more widely available beyond those employees currently mandated to receive ethics training. In the year ahead, Commission staff will continue seeking out partnerships with County leaders in an effort to bring ethics training to the full County workforce.

Program Descriptions

  Ethics Program Compliance

Financial Disclosure: The Public Ethics Law requires filing of financial disclosure reports by certain County employees. The Ethics Commission administers the electronic filing system for reporting and coordinates with the Office of Human Resources and all County agencies regarding the status of filers. It resolves all anomalous circumstances and questions...