The Fishkill Town Board has approved a new financial disclosure law for elected officials, department heads and other employees.
The measure, adopted Aug. 29, calls for required disclosure of “financial or other interests that may influence or be perceived to influence actions of town officers and employees.”
Supervisor Joan A. Pagones said the law would help to identify “potential conflicts of interest or ethical issues on the part of officials and employees concerning town business.”
Highlights of this local regulation for transparency in government are:
• Disclosure of outside employment
• Disclosure of outside interests in a business
• Agreements for compensation after leaving public service
• Compensation from business activities with contacts to Fishkill
• Affiliation with organizations which do business with the town
• Affiliation with organizations that require town approvals
• Land developers would be required, at the beginning of a project in the town, to report any public servant who has a relationship with the developer or the developer’s affiliate companies.
The law would be enforced by the Town Board. An “additional layer of efficiency,” Pagones said, would take the form of a three-person committee to assist public officials in completing the disclosure forms and similar matters. The panel would include the deputy supervisor and two appointed Fishkill residents.
Pagones said the measure will “enhance the public trust” in the town and its officials by “pinpointing possible or perceived problems.”
Pagones, Deputy Supervisor Steve Ferguson and Councilwoman Heather Malvarosa co-sponsored the legislation.
8/18/2011