Ethics complaints against elected and appointed officials of the City of Wichita can now be investigated.
The Wichita City Council approved an agreement Tuesday with the Public Policy & Management Center at Wichita State University. The PPMC will develop administrative support functions for implementation of the city's Code of Ethics Policy.
Policy 39 was adopted in May 2021, which created an Ethics Advisory Board. The search began in April for an Ethics Officer but so far, efforts have been unsuccessful. Thanks to the council’s action, the PPMC can now authorize outside counsel to review and investigate complaints received until an Ethics Officer is selected.
During Tuesday's meeting, we learned there are currently 4 ethics complaints outstanding.
If an elected or appointed official is found to have violated the ethics policy, they could face ethics training, be censured, fined, or worst-case, be recommended for removal from office.
The contract for the services with Wichita State will cost the city $24,600.