Purpose
The Board of County Commissioners, recognizing that our system of representative government is dependent in part upon the people maintaining the highest trust in their public officials and employees, have found and declared that the people have a right to be assured that the impartiality and independent judgment of public officials and employees will be maintained. It is evident that this confidence and trust is eroded when the conduct of the County’s business is subject to improper influence and even the appearance of improper influence. For the purpose of guarding against improper influence, the Board of County Commissioners enacted this law to establish minimum standards for the conduct of County business.

Who is Covered
All Board and Commission members, officials and employees of the Frederick County Government are covered and are subject to the provisions of the Frederick County Ethics Ordinance. The Frederick County Board of Education members and employees, the Frederick County State’s Attorney, the Frederick County Sheriff and the officials and employees of the Courts are not a part of the Frederick County Government and therefore are not covered by this law. All of those persons are covered by similar ethics laws.

The Frederick County Ethics Commission
Members of the Commission are volunteers who serve without compensation. Three regular members and one alternate member are appointed to the Commission by the Board of County Commissioners for terms of three years each. The terms are staggered so that only one member is replaced in any given year. Members elect a chairperson, who presides at the meetings.

The main duties and activities of the Ethics Commission are:

1. To conduct hearings and make determinations on alleged violations of the Ethics Ordinance;
2. To grant or deny requested exemptions in particular cases from the Ethics Ordinance;
3. To give advisory opinions to persons concerning the interpretation and application of the Ethics Ordinance; and
4. To handle all matters concerning the Ethics Ordinance, including making recommendations for changes of the Ethics law to the Board of County Commissioners.

Provisions of the Ethics Commission
Conflicts of Interest
The Frederick County Ethics Ordinance prohibits all covered persons from acting in their County positions in any matter that would have a direct financial impact on them or on a close relative or business associate. The law also prohibits County Government officials and employees from being employed by or having an interest in a company or business that does $1,000.00 worth of business with the County Government or is regulated by their agency. Likewise, it prohibits County officials and employees from soliciting or accepting gifts from anyone who is negotiating a contract with the County Government or is regulated by their agency, with certain nominal exceptions. The law also prohibits former employees or officials from dealing with the County Government for a period of one year following their termination of employment on any matter that they substantially participated in while still with the Government. The law further prohibits officials and employees from using the prestige of their office or from using “insider” information for their own gain or to help another unfairly.

Financial Disclosure
Nearly all Frederick County officials and all of the top supervisory employees of the County Government are required to submit annual limited financial disclosure statements, which are maintained as public documents. They are required to list all of their real estate holdings in Frederick County, any and all businesses doing business in Frederick County in which they have an interest, and any employment by companies doing business in Frederick County.

Lobbying Disclosure
There are provisions in the Ethics Ordinance for lobbyists to register and file disclosure statements with the Ethics Commission. Anyone who expects to spend more than $500.00 a year on food, entertainment, or other gifts in lobbying efforts must register.

Exemptions
The Ethics Ordinance authorizes the Ethics Commission to grant exemptions from the Ordinance for the following:

1. If, in the opinion of the Ethics Commission, there would be an unreasonable invasion of privacy;
2. It would significantly reduce the availability of qualified persons for public service; or
3. It would not be required to preserve the purposes of the Ethics Ordinance.

These exemptions must be applied for either in person or in writing to the Ethics Commission.
Enforcement and Penalties:

The Ethics Ordinance authorizes the Ethics Commission to issue cease and desist orders against violators that are enforceable in Court. Violations of the Ethics Ordinance are punishable by up to six months imprisonment and/or a $1,000.00 fine.

Conclusion
The Frederick County Ethics Ordinance and all of the efforts of the Frederick County Ethics Commission are aimed at preventing conflicts of interest by public officials and employees and assisting those persons who may have inadvertently violated the law into correcting the situation and complying with the law.

Further Questions or More Information
If anyone has any further questions or seeks more information concerning the Ethics Ordinance or its application to a particular situation, one may talk to any of the Ethics Commission members, or may call or write to the Frederick County Attorney’s Office, which by law serves as the legal advisor to the Frederick County Ethics Commission. The address is:  Frederick County Ethics Commission, c/o Frederick County Attorney’s Office, Winchester Hall, 12 E. Church Street, Frederick, Maryland 21701, Ph: (301) 600-2913.

To inspect public records such as financial disclosure statements, lobbyist registrations, and lobbyist activity reports that are not available online, please contact Kim Long at or (301) 600-2913.