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MRSC Insight Blog


Posts for Ethics and Conflicts of Interest

A Gift? For Me? The Basics of Gifts for Municipal Officers and Employees

November 3, 2025  by  Jill Dvorkin
Category:  Ethics and Conflicts of Interest

May a local government officer or employee accept gifts related to their position? What might be the repercussions? What if the gift is under a certain dollar level? In addition to raising concerns about propriety, acceptance of gifts may violate state law or local agency policy.

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Woman gesturing 'no' to her colleague

The Distinction between ‘Legal’ and ‘Ethical’ Behavior

July 9, 2024  by  Steve Gross
Category:  Ethics and Conflicts of Interest

Government officials and staff are scrutinized more closely than the general public. The public expects them to act both legally and ethically. What is the difference and how can agencies provide (and enforce) clear expectations?

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A snow tractor plowing a small town street

New Law Doubles Limits for Municipal Officers’ Beneficial Interest in Contracts with Their Agency

December 11, 2023  by  Linda Gallagher
Category:  Ethics and Conflicts of Interest

A 2023 bill made changes to the state's Code of Ethics for Municipal Officers, doubling the size of allowed contracts for elected officials with certain public agencies while also reducing the population limits for towns and cities from 10,000 to under 5,000.

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Two gold wedding rings on a stack of US $100 dollar bills

Conflict of Interest and the Spouse

April 11, 2023  by  MRSC Insight
Category:  Ethics and Conflicts of Interest

Contractual situations involving spouses or partners of local government officials can present complications that are not immediately apparent, and so elected officials and governing bodies should tread carefully.

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A male conference attendee choosing dessert from a table

But What About Me? Ethics for Local Public Employees

February 13, 2023  by  Steve Gross
Category:  Ethics and Conflicts of Interest

While state law addresses ethics for some kinds of municipal officers, these and other laws help all employees understand how to conduct day-to-day business while avoiding conflicts of interest. 

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Resolving Financial Conflicts of Interest: Is Abstaining from Voting Enough?

February 22, 2022  by  Sarah Doar
Category:  Ethics and Conflicts of Interest

When a governing body votes on contracts, it's important that the individual members not have a conflict of interest in it being awarded to a specific firm. Is it enough for an individual to abstain from voting or should the governing body avoid any chance a conflict may arise?

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Bringing the Family to Work

April 19, 2021  by  Jill Dvorkin
Category:  Recruitment and Hiring ,  Ethics and Conflicts of Interest

This blog looks at nepotism and how it applies to local governments. 

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Ethics Codes for Local Governments, Part 2: Processing Complaints, Imposing Discipline

February 3, 2021  by  Steve Gross
Category:  Ethics and Conflicts of Interest

Part Two of this series on local ethics codes reviews items in a code that help when dealing with a possible violation. 

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Ethics Codes for Local Governments, Part 1: Considerations, Scope, and Applicability

February 1, 2021  by  Steve Gross
Category:  Ethics and Conflicts of Interest

Part One of this two-part blog series looks at why a local government would want to adopt an ethics code, who the code could apply to, and what behavior the code might cover. 

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Let's Talk Winter

December 13, 2018  by  Jill Dvorkin
Category:  Governance ,  Snow and Ice Removal ,  Ethics and Conflicts of Interest

In this blog post, Legal Consultant Jill Dvorkin compiles existing MRSC resources to address some of the challenging issues jurisdictions routinely face during the winter months. 

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Oh Boy! A Gift!

November 26, 2018  by  Paul Sullivan
Category:  Ethics and Conflicts of Interest

With the holidays just around the corner, Legal Consultant Paul Sullivan explores the rules surrounding municipal gift "giving" and "receiving." 

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