Ethics Commission requests one-time IT upgrades in FY27 budget as staff capacity limits equity work

Council staff told the Government Operations and Fiscal Policy Committee the County Executive’s FY27 recommendation for the Ethics Commission would increase the commission’s operating budget by $312,274 — an 85.36% rise over the FY26 approved budget — primarily to fund a one-time upgrade to three legacy IT systems.

"This $273,000 item provides for upgrades to 3 different systems — 1 for financial disclosures, 1 for outside employment, and 1 for lobbying," council staff said, noting the most recent system was implemented in 2015 and that aging platforms have produced user complaints and filing difficulties.

Staff said $263,000 of the item is one-time implementation funding and $10,000 is intended as an ongoing licensing expense. Council staff recommended placing the item on the reconciliation list for the council president’s budget approach.

Commission participants emphasized operational risk and limited capacity. "We are experiencing increased issues from users and increased complaints," the ethics director said, adding that the county’s electronic financial-disclosure system is required by law and that failures could be "hazardous for the entire county." Ethics Commission chair Beth Keller noted the commission is operating with one staffer and said hiring a second position is necessary before the office can expand equity-focused programming.

The Office of Racial Equity and Social Justice provided an operating-budget equity analysis for the commission, rating it 5 on an 11-point scale and describing the commission as demonstrating an "emergent commitment" to advancing racial equity and social justice while flagging capacity constraints.

Council members praised the commission’s work and urged support for filling staff vacancies and including sufficient context on the reconciliation list about the systems’ last update in 2015.

What’s next: Council staff’s recorded recommendation was to place the IT upgrade on the reconciliation list; the committee discussed but did not record a final vote during this session.