Willow Park commission reviews detailed Board of Ethics proposal for possible charter inclusion

The Home Rule Charter Commission in Willow Park on Dec. 17 reviewed a draft code of ethics and a proposed independent Board of Ethics that would be added as Articles 11 and 12 to the draft charter.

Commissioner Charlie presented an eight-page proposal that would require the city council to adopt a code of ethics and establish a selection commission that, in turn, would appoint a five-member ethics board. "The Code of Ethics shall apply to the mayor, the city council, members of city boards," Charlie said. The draft would also extend coverage to city officers, vendors and contractors and include advisory opinions and periodic ethics training.

The proposal creates a complaint process that requires an affidavit "under oath," and lays out tiered sanctions ranging from technical reprimands to class-three findings that could lead to criminal referral, Charlie said. He framed the document as a safeguard to boost public confidence and guard against frivolous or bad-faith complaints.

Several commissioners expressed support while flagging implementation questions. "It's very directing to the council as to what it shall do," one commissioner said, praising the draft's detail on appointment and removal and the independent selection process; another warned that codes of ethics can be used as political weapons if safeguards are insufficient.

Commissioners asked for clarity on how the independent selection commission would be constituted. Chair noted the draft calls for solicitations or recommendations from institutions — a presiding county judge, bar association and a CPA group were cited in the draft as entities from which recommendations would come — and said the intent is to remove politics from appointments.

Members volunteered to form a subcommittee to consult with other Texas cities that have ethics boards and report back; Chair asked staff to incorporate the draft into Section 9 for public comment and to post the document online so citizens can review and provide input.

The commission did not take a motion to adopt the ethics article at the Dec. 17 meeting, citing the need for legal review and more time to answer operational questions such as whether ethics-board seats would be volunteer or paid. Chair said she would incorporate the draft language into the working document and circulate proposed redlines for the commission to review.

Next steps include legal review from the city attorney's office, a subcommittee meeting with officials from other municipalities to identify best practices, and posting the proposed ethics articles and a FAQ on the project website for public comment.