Orono committee advances conflict-of-interest rules for quasi-judicial boards

The Nominations, Evaluations, and Council Policies Committee met Thursday, October 8, to review a proposed conflict-of-interest disclosure for quasi-judicial boards, discuss 360-degree survey results, and hear an update on posting town policies online. The committee agreed to seek staff feedback on where the disclosure should appear and to bring the matter back to the full council.

Key points

• The committee finalized updates to its charge after members reviewed the changes individually.
• Members discussed a conflict-of-interest disclosure for quasi-judicial boards such as the Board of Appeals and Planning Board, covering close relationships with specific staff members; no vote was taken.
• The committee agreed the disclosure should be placed early in the application process so candidates know before appointment, rather than at the oath stage.
• Town Manager Clint (last name not clear from transcript) reported that 360-degree surveys for the town manager are complete, with council discussion moved to the next meeting; the council self-survey remains open until the 21st.
• Members noted survey response counts appeared inflated because some respondents logged in more than once.
• Sarah Marks suggested an ethics policy as a possible future committee goal, noting the Maine Municipal Association recommends one and the town does not have one.
• Staff reported progress posting policies online, with more work needed to inventory and reconcile policies, ordinances, and standard operating procedures.

Next steps

• Seek feedback from staff (Amanda) on whether the conflict-of-interest disclosure fits best on the application or as a separate form.
• Bring the conflict-of-interest language back to the full council for review of where the bar is set.
• Revisit the conflict-of-interest discussion at the November meeting, when Marks will not be present.
• Staff to re-verify the inventory of adopted and repealed policies and present an update to the council.
• Consider adding an ethics policy to the committee's goals for the coming year.

Read the full transcript