Charter drafters add oath and tighten conflict-of-interest and nepotism language

Charter reviewers proposed several ethics and conflict-of-interest changes intended to increase transparency and avoid perceived nepotism in town governance.

Under proposed language, every municipal official would take and subscribe to the oath no sooner than the first day of the official's term and would attest that they "have read and agree to the Sabattus code of ethics." The group also favored removing the word "substantial" from the conflict-of-interest clause so that officials must disclose any financial interest, direct or indirect, in town contracts or transactions and refrain from participating in related votes.

Commissioners discussed a specific nepotism restriction: no official of the select board, budget committee, planning board or other paid board or committee should have an immediate family member employed by the town in a way that creates supervisory or hiring conflicts. Members proposed defining "immediate family" to include spouse/partner, parent/guardian, child, and sibling, and referred the exact list to the personnel policy and pay plan to ensure administrability. The panel also discussed enforcement options, including removal from boards and referral to the personnel policy, and asked staff to propose enforcement language consistent with the charter's Section 2.7 removal procedures.