McAlester, Oklahoma Development News

Ethics Training for McAllister Council Covers Governance, Transparency, and Legal Compliance

The council received ethics training from Christian Reiner of the Oklahoma Municipal League, covering topics such as right vs. wrong, right vs. perceived wrong, right vs. unsure, and right vs. right ethical dilemmas. The training emphasized transparency in governance and open meetings, discussing the purpose of the Open Meeting Act and providing scenarios related to council members discussing municipal business outside of official meetings, including hypothetical situations involving football games and text messages. The importance of attorney general opinions on these matters was highlighted. The session also touched upon executive sessions, with a suggestion to implement confidentiality forms for council members to sign, and stressed that all votes must occur in open session. A hypothetical scenario involving a council member named Jack directing staff and making an informal handshake agreement for a new lifeboat illustrated the limitations of a council member's authority in a council-manager form of government. The training also covered protocols for addressing such unauthorized actions, including potential public censure, and emphasized the role of the city attorney in guiding discussions during public meetings. Furthermore, the training addressed the public perception of governmental actions and the importance of transparency, using examples from other cities regarding public comment management and social media usage by officials, referencing a Supreme Court case on deleting comments from official social media pages. Finally, the session provided an overview of financial reporting, internal controls, competitive bidding processes, conflicts of interest, nepotism, and gift provisions, underscoring the need for council members to understand these laws and consult with their city attorney when in doubt.