Often referred to as "Financial Disclosure," a term that makes it seem more invasive than it actually is, annual disclosure is an important, but controversial way to get officials and employees to consider their potential conflicts of interest on an annual basis, and to let the public know about such potential conflicts.

Applicant disclosure is the form of disclosure that least often appears in municipal ethics codes, not because it is controversial, but because it is not even discussed (although forms of it might appear in other laws and regulations).

Please share your experiences with applicant disclosure that appears in or outside of ethics codes, and your thoughts about its importance, and form, in ethics codes.

Like penalties, the topic of advisory opinions appears in both the ethics provision and administration sections of the Model Code.

Advisory opinions are the most important of an Ethics Commission's responsibilities, and often the most underutilized. Regular use of this option, and the creation of a body of opinions, can go far to providing concrete guidance to municipal officials and employees. It can also prevent many violations of the ethics code.

This is the place to share opinions about and experiences with waivers and exclusions (or "exemptions"). Waivers can be a controversial topic, so arguments for and against, and especially good and bad experiences with waivers will be helpful to communities considering them. Another important topic is the standards that are set for obtaining waivers.

<h2>102. Exclusions from the Code of Ethics and from Transactional Disclosure.</h2>

The provisions of 100 and 101 of this code do not require recusal or transactional disclosure as a result of:

This is the place to provide opinions and recommendations regarding ethics education. Please suggest alternative language to what is below, and please share your experiences with ethics education, and how such experiences can be included in an ethics code, as well as other means to ensure that effective ethics training is provided. Other issues to discuss include who should receive ethics education, who should provide or be reponsible for the provision of ethics education, and how this education should be funded.

This is the place to discuss the usefulness of annual reports, as well as whether an Ethics Commission should periodically review the code and its rules, regulations, and administrative procedures. Please share your experiences with annual reports and reviews.

This is the place to raise and discuss issues involving the filing of a complaint regarding an alleged violation of the Code, and the ensuing investigation.

This is the place to comment on and discuss the hearing process for proceedings before the Ethics Commission. The assumption here is that such proceedings are public after a finding of probable cause. The discussion of whether or not they should be public is elsewhere.

This is the place to discuss penalties involving contracts. There are two in the Model Code: automatic voiding of contracts upon a finding of a violation of the Code, and debarment of persons and entities from entering into other contracts with the municipality after violating the Code.

Do you think these penalties are too harsh? Are there other appropriate penalties involving contracts? Please share your opinions as well as your experiences with these penalties or experiences where these penalties were not available?

This is the place to share your opinions of and experiences with judicial review of Ethics Commission decisions. For example, who should be able to seek judicial review: complainants, respondents, other interested parties, anyone? Are there situations where judicial review is inappropriate, too expensive (where there is nothing but a reprimand)? Should there be judicial review of alleged procedural irregularities?