On March 9, 2007, Jackson County Executive Michael Sanders established an Ethics Task Force for the purpose of developing a comprehensive Code of Ethics for Jackson County officials and employees. The Code is to be presented to the Jackson County Legislature for enactment.

The Ethics Task Force has carefully prepared a Working Draft modeled after a suggested code prepared by the International Municipal Lawyers Association. After multiple meetings and numerous hours of careful study, debate, deliberation, and legal review, this Working Draft is ready to present to the citizens of Jackson County.

In his public statements and in his appointment letter to each task force member, Mike Sanders made it a priority to propose adopting a comprehensive code of ethics. This Working Draft is a significant step in that direction. Although the real purpose of any Ethics Code is to focus on attitudes and behavior, that focus must be directed by a technical legal system. Because of this, the Ethics Code is a technical legal document, so to help make examination of the Code easier, the Task Force has provided a Summary. The plan calls for a proposed Ethics Code to be presented to the Jackson County Legislature for action later this fall. However, it is very important that the citizens of Jackson County participate in this process. Just as citizens are offered the chance to comment on certain federal rules, the Ethics Task Force is eager to hear and consider your comments. The Task Force will review all comments before the Ethics Code is presented to the Legislature for deliberation and action. The success of our efforts depends on the willingness of citizens to participate in the process. We look forward to your comments.

William G. Eckhardt
Chair Ethics Task Force