Any officer, agent or employee of the City who executes a contract with the City other than an employment contract, any grant, privilege or franchise from the City, who seeks to acquire any City property or interest therein, who seeks to transfer any property or interest therein to the City by sale, rental, lease or legal process of any kind for compensation from City funds, or who has a direct pecuniary interest in such contract, grant, privilege, franchise, or transfer sought by another, shall be disqualified from participating on behalf of the City in any negotiations and or proceedings relating thereto, and all such negotiations and proceedings shall be carried on by the person who would have acted in such officer's, agent's or employee's stead in their absence. Subject to statutory restrictions and limitations, such contracts, grants, privileges, franchises and transfers made in accordance with the foregoing provisions of this Section shall not be void by reason of such City position, but shall be voidable by the City for cause. If any officer, agent or employee of the City shall fail to disqualify themself as aforesaid, the contract, grant, privilege, franchise or transfer shall be wholly void and unenforceable in the hands of any person other than a bona fide purchaser for value without notice, and the position of such officer, agent or employee shall immediately be forfeited and such position shall be vacant.
For the purpose of this Section, direct pecuniary interest in a contract, grant, privilege, franchise or transfer shall mean any interest in a partnership, any co‑tenancy, a controlling or policy‑determining ownership in or managerial control of an association, firm or corporation or its local office or agency, acting as a promoter of an association, firm or corporation, or any commission or brokerage arrangement with or receiving from the City such contract, grant, privilege, franchise or transfer.
Unless permitted by statute and notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section, no Council member shall enter into any contract with the City, seek any grant, privilege or franchise from the City, acquire any City property or interest therein, or sell or transfer to the City without legal process any property or interest therein for compensation from City funds, or have any direct pecuniary interest in any such matters. No Council member shall have any direct ownership interest in any public utility subject to City regulation; however, this prohibition shall not apply to ownership in another association, firm or corporation which maintains varied investments, provided such other association, firm or corporation does not own a controlling interest in such public utility. If any Council member shall voluntarily acquire any direct pecuniary interest in any of such matters with the City while in office, such office shall at once become vacant. If the Council member shall become so interested otherwise than voluntarily, the Council member shall within ninety (90) days divest themselves of such interest and upon failure to do so, the Council member’s office shall become vacant upon the expiration of the said period of ninety (90) days. Any contract, grant, privilege, franchise or transfer made in violation of this paragraph shall be wholly void, and the City may recover property transferred by it or compensation paid by it and may retain any benefits received by it without right of recovery from it by quantum meruit action or otherwise. [Ch. 1903, sec. 135; rev. 1914, sec. 91; 1928 pub., sec. 91; 1942 recod., sec. 2‑506; rev. Nov. 6, 1962; amended by Ordinance No. 190204, effective December 18, 2020.]