[Archived] Alexandria City Council to Hold Public Hearing on Code of Conduct

For Immediate Release: December 10, 2018

As part of its regular meeting on December 15, 2018, the Alexandria City Council will hold a public hearing on the effectiveness of its Code of Ethics and Conduct and Ethics Pledge. The meeting will begin at 9:30 a.m., in the City Council Chamber on the second floor of City Hall (301 King St.). Check the meeting docket to see when the public hearing will take place among the other scheduled docket items.  

In 2016, City Council created an Ad Hoc Code of Conduct Review Committee to make recommendations on matters related to ethics. On the basis of the Committee’s recommendations, City Council adopted a voluntary code of conduct to make ethical commitments above and beyond the many federal, state and local laws that govern transparency, conflicts of interest, procurement, personnel, and other ethical standards. In conjunction with these steps, City Council also lowered the percentage of ownership in a project necessary to trigger public disclosure requirements for developers seeking to do business with the City or making campaign contributions to candidates. City Council also adopted an ethics pledge for use by future City Council members, which will be taken by those beginning their terms in 2019.

In addition to actions taken by City Council, City staff have implemented voluntary ethical standards beyond those required by law. These include a staff Code of Ethics; an anonymous ethics and fraud hotline for employees and the public administered by a third party; a robust internal auditing office (in addition to regular external audits); and a discussion of ethics as part of the orientation program for new employees.

For more information about City Council’s Code of Ethics and Conduct and Ethics Pledge, see the docket memo and attachments for the December 15 public hearing.

For media inquiries, contact Craig Fifer, Director of Communications and Public Information, at craig.fifer@alexandriava.gov or 703.746.3965.