02 February 2024 Final

More documents

Recommendations

Info

LEGAL BRIEFS Timely Reminders As we roll into the second chapter of the new year with our Mid-Winter Conference scheduled for later this month, it is a good time for reminders about this year’s training mandates and certain ethics laws. Plato said it best nearly 2,500 years ago: “The greater part of instruction is being reminded of things you already know.” Each new year ushers in a slew of annual training mandates for municipal officials and employees. Newly elected officials must receive one hour of training on the Code of Governmental Ethics within the first 90 days after taking the oath of office. Thereafter, and for all public servants, the law mandates at least one hour of ethics training each calendar year; and for elected officials, at least one hour of Campaign Finance Disclosure Act training at some point during their term (La. R.S. 42:1170(A) (2)). All ethics training may be completed online at https://ethics.la.gov/, but the LMA also offers such training at our conferences, including Mid-Winter this month. La. R.S. 42:343 requires that every public servant receive at least one hour of training in sexual harassment prevention per calendar year; and further mandates that supervisors and agency designees for reporting and investigation of claims receive “additional education and training” (a.k.a. “supervisor training”). La. R.S. 42:1267 requires that all municipal officials and employees with access to municipal technology systems complete cybersecurity training, an increasingly important topic. Sexual harassment prevention and cybersecurity training are both available anytime for free on our website at https://www.lma.org, and cybersecurity training will also be provided at our Mid-Winter Conference. Plato said it best nearly 2,500 years ago: “The greater part of instruction is being reminded of things you already know.” La. R.S. 29:726 demands that municipal officials designated by parish presidents as essential to emergency preparedness/response attend emergency management training at least annually, such training provided by GOHSEP online at https://gohsep.la.gov/RESOURC- ES/TRAINING-EVENTS-SCHEDULE. Our Mid-Winter Conference provides a perfect opportunity to network with municipal peers and corporate partners. It is important to be mindful that the Code of Governmental Ethics rules govern such events. The Code defines “public servants” as any public official and any public employee, and it prohibits public servants from receiving gifts under certain circumstances. While La. R.S. 42:1115 uses very specific language, with cross-referenced definitions, the general rule is this: whether the municipality already has a financial relationship with an exhibitor, or an exhibitor is seeking to forge such a connection, the ethics laws prohibit officials and employees from accepting any “thing of economic value,” even if the gift is provided pursuant to a raffle or random drawing (since the pool of recipients is comprised of those officials and employees). There are exceptions to the gift prohibition for promotional items having no substantial resale value IF those items have the name and/or logo of the donor imprinted on them. The Board of Ethics has provided guidance that “promotional items” may include cups, hats, pins, pens, and other tradeshow items sporting a company’s logo. The LMA provides this guidance to our corporate collaborators alerting them of this limitation on gifting, but because these ethics prohibitions are highly fact-specific, when in doubt, we recommend erring on the side of caution and declining the gift, or at least contacting the Board of Ethics for oral guidance. Editor’s Note: the information provided in this column is not a replacement for consultation with your own municipal attorney, and it should not be considered legal advice for any particular case or situation. by Karen Day White LMA Executive Counsel White is a member of the LMA Legislative Advocacy Team and can be reached at kwhite@lma.org. Page 22 LMR | FEBRUARY 2024
LOUISIANA MUNICIPAL ADVISORY AND TECHNICAL SERVICES Pineville Standing Tall LaMATS Helps CENLA City Realize Its Growth Potential Pineville’s Mayor Rich Dupree is no seedling city leader. A veteran of municipal government and public service, Dupree served 22 years as Chief of Staff to his predecessor, Clarence Fields, before making his own successful bid for the Mayor’s Office in 2022. With deep roots in Central Louisiana, the Pineville native has long been recognized for his work on behalf of the city and surrounding region, earning nine LMA Community Achievement Awards and numerous certifications from the Louisiana Industrial Development Executives Association. Still, leading this mid-sized Louisiana community has its challenges, says Dupree. “We’re limited in what revenue streams we have coming to us,” he explained. A near neighbor to larger Alexandria, Pineville lacks its own electrical or gas utilities and is limited in growth potential by the Red River and its neighboring communities. “From a revenue standpoint, all we have are sales taxes and property taxes, along with our water and sewer utilities. It’s a challenge for us.” To realize Dupree’s long-term vision for Pineville, he’s taken advantage of sev- Pineville Mayor Rich Dupree leads a tour of Fire Station #1 by 36 Cub Scouts from Pack 21 and their parents. LMR | FEBRUARY 2024 Page 23
Page 1 and 2: 02.24Louisiana Louisiana MUNICIPAL
Page 3 and 4: C O N T E N T S | F E B R U A R Y 2
Page 5 and 6: LMR | FEBRUARY 2024 Page 5
Page 7 and 8: the past 3+ years in my role as Gen
Page 9 and 10: DEPUTY DIRECTOR’S LETTER Leadersh
Page 11 and 12: Attorney General’s Opinions Sales
Page 13 and 14: -REGISTRATION FORM- Louisiana Munic
Page 15 and 16: debts owed up to $5,000.00. The gui
Page 17 and 18: nance violation had to be tried in
Page 19 and 20: Officials will be able to log into
Page 21: LOUISIANA MUNICIPAL MUNICIPAL ACADE
Page 25 and 26: Given the salaries a mid-sized city
Page 31 and 32: 7 - REGISTRATION FORM- L o u i s i

02 February 2024 Final

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?