Page City Council to Reconsider Ethics Code
Councilor Calls Previous Vote "Terrible," Seeks Stronger Enforcement
By Bob Hembree
The Page City Council will revisit establishing a Council Code of Ethics after Councilor David Auge successfully lobbied for reconsideration during Wednesday's council meeting, citing disappointment with the body's previous rejection of ethical standards.
"Yes, I think it was terrible that we voted down five to two on the prior one," Auge told his fellow council members during the potential future agenda items portion of the meeting. The previous ethics code was rejected by a 5-2 margin, but Wednesday's show of hands revealed shifting sentiment, with five council members now expressing interest in reconsidering the issue.
Previous Code Lacked Enforcement Mechanisms
Auge acknowledged that the earlier version of the ethics code had significant weaknesses that may have contributed to its rejection. "I understand that it didn't have much teeth to it, but are there any teeth to it?" he said, referring to the lack of enforcement mechanisms in the previous proposal.
The councilor made clear his desire for a more robust version with meaningful consequences, albeit in characteristically colorful language. "I'd actually like to see it where the person is rode out of town on a rail or tarred and feathered. But we need to make something that's more humane," Auge said.
Despite the hyperbolic rhetoric, his underlying message focused on creating effective accountability measures. "But we just need to revisit this and come up with a good code that most of us can abide by," he concluded.
Council Shows Renewed Interest in Ethics Standards
When Mayor Kidman called for a show of hands to gauge support for placing the ethics code on a future agenda, five council members indicated their interest in moving forward with the discussion. This represents a potential shift from the previous 5-2 rejection, suggesting that at least some council members have reconsidered their positions. Only Councilors Debra Roundtree and Amanda Hammond opposed putting the ethics code measure on a future agenda.
The renewed interest comes at a time when questions about municipal governance and public trust have been prominent in city discussions, including concerns raised during recent controversial zoning decisions.
City Attorney Outlines Development Process
City Attorney Josh provided guidance on how the council should approach crafting a new ethics code, emphasizing that staff would not attempt to guess what provisions the council desires.
"Council's already pretty familiar with what we had before," Josh noted. "I don't know how fruitful it would be for staff to try to guess what you want in it. I think the future agenda item would be the time for you to give us direction as to what you want and to have that conversation."
This approach means the upcoming discussion will be primarily policy-focused, with council members needing to specify exactly what ethical standards, enforcement mechanisms, and consequences they want included in any new code.
Broader Context of Governance Concerns
The push for ethics code reinstatement occurs amid various governance challenges facing Page, including interim city management, multiple vacant positions, and ongoing development controversies that have raised questions about transparency and public trust.
Earlier in the same meeting, concerns about behind-the-scenes dealings emerged during a contentious debate over the Frost Park rezoning. Councilor Roundtree expressed frustration about the process, stating, "The citizens need to trust this council that when they make an anonymous direction that those things happen and not these types of deals behind the table."
Path Forward Requires Consensus Building
The council's next challenge will be crafting an ethics code that can achieve broader consensus than the previous version. With the earlier proposal failing by a three-vote margin, supporters will need to address the concerns that led to its rejection while creating meaningful standards for conduct.
The upcoming discussion will require the council to define specific ethical standards, establish enforcement mechanisms, determine appropriate consequences for violations, and create processes for investigating potential ethics violations.
Success will likely depend on the council's ability to balance meaningful ethical standards with practical enforceability while building support among members who were previously divided on the issue.
The ethics code discussion represents part of ongoing efforts to enhance public accountability and restore citizen confidence in local government operations, though the timeline for when this item will appear on a future agenda has not yet been determined.