HRAR-11.02 - Prohibited Conduct

Prohibited Conduct

City employees should avoid even the appearance of impropriety at all times. The following conduct is expressly prohibited.

• Employees shall not use their employment in any way to obtain financial gain or avoid financial detriment for the employee, their household or family members. Employees shall not use their employment in any way to obtain financial gain or avoid financial detriment for any business, not for-profit organization, or other separate legal entity, excluding government entities, with which the employee or a member of the employee’s household or family is associated. “Associated” means that the employee or member of the employee’s household or family is:
  1. A director, officer, owner or employee of a private business or closely held corporation, or someone who owns or has owned stock or has stock options, another form of equity interest or debt instruments worth $1,000 or more at any point in the preceding calendar year in a private business or closely held corporation;
  2. A director, officer, owner or employee of a publicly-held corporation or someone who owns or has owned $100,000 or more in stock or other form or equity interest, stock options or debt instruments in the corporation at any point in the preceding calendar year; or
  3. An employee of a not-for-profit organization, or someone who otherwise receives remuneration from the organization. “Associated” does not mean holding the position of a nonremunerated board member or volunteer of a not-for-profit organization. However, for transparency, employees must notify their bureau director and immediate supervisor, or for Council action, state on the record, if their work duties require them to take an action that affects a not-for-profit organization on which they or a household or family member serves on the board or for which they volunteer.
• Employees shall not use their employment in any way to obtain financial gain or avoid financial detriment for the employee, their household or family members or for any business, not-for-profit organization, or other separate legal entity, which the employee or a member of the employee’s household or family is associated.
• Employees shall not award business to a member of their household or family regardless of the mechanism used to provide that business. This prohibition includes the use of limited purchase orders or procurement cards to provide business to a household or family member.
• Employees shall not take any official action, the effect of which would be to the employee’s private financial gain or loss, without first notifying their bureau director and immediate supervisor in writing of the actual or potential conflict of interest and obtaining approval prior to taking such action. Nor shall an employee allow the purchase by the City of any goods and services from a business with which the employee is associated, except when the purchase is expressly authorized by ordinance, or as otherwise provided by City Code 5.33.070.
• Employees shall not solicit private business from fellow employees or from citizens while on duty and/or in uniform or otherwise readily identifiable as a City employee, such as while in a city vehicle.
• Employees shall not use information received because of City employment for private gain or to avoid financial detriment if the information is confidential or not readily available to the public. Information that is public may not be readily available to the public if a special request is required to obtain the information or, special knowledge, such as that acquired as a City employee, is needed to take advantage of the information.
• No employee may solicit or receive any gift in anticipation of official action to be taken by the employee in the course of employment.
• Receipt of gifts by employees is restricted by state law and these administrative rules. See HR Administrative Rule 4.07 Awards, Gifts, Prizes, and Promotional Items.

No employee may directly supervise an employee who is a member of their household or an employee with whom they are romantically involved. It shall be the responsibility of the supervisor or manager to promptly disclose, in writing, the existence of the relationship to their bureau director or to the Elected Official in charge in order to resolve the conflict.