KC’s City Council reforms its ethics policy. A little
The Kansas City, Missouri, City Council spent two years working on ethics legislation, but you wouldn’t have guessed it based on what passed May 30.
The new ethics ordinance says no city employee or official can accept gifts worth more than $1,000 from someone with a “substantial interest in any legislative or administrative action of the city.” That means such largesse can’t come from a person or organization that’s regulated by the city, gets paid for services by the city, is looking for a job from the city or will be affected by laws considered by the city.
Fair enough. Kansas Citians might be surprised to know that before this new law, city employees and officials could accept gifts of unlimited value, just as long as they reported it once a year.
