Becoming a County of Ethics: First Time Designation as Certified County of Ethics
To earn designation, a County must:
Adopt a resolution establishing the five ethics principles for the conduct of your county's officials.
These principles are designed to guide the elected officials as individuals and as a governing body. These principles are:
- Serve others, not ourselves
- Use resources with efficiency and economy
- Treat all people fairly
- Use the power of our position for the well-being of our constituents
- Create an environment of honesty, openness and integrity
- The adopted resolution must include or at least reference the definitions of these principles. A Sample Resolution is available here. A majority of the county's elected governing body must sign the resolution.
Adopt an ethics ordinance that meets minimum standards approved by the GMA Board.
The ordinance must contain definitions, an enumeration of permissible and impermissible activities by elected officials, due process procedures for elected officials charged with a violation of the ordinance and punishment provisions for those elected officials found in violation of the ordinance.
County officials should consult GMA's Sample Ethics Ordinance (see link at right) when considering provisions to include in a comprehensive codes of ethics. This document is the most recent and most accurately reflects the types of provisions essential to a local ethics ordinance. For general guidance in facing ethical dilemmas on a day-to-day basis and on state ethics laws, see Ethics in Government: Charting the Right Course. Following their adoption, the resolution, ordinance and a $85 application fee should be mailed to:
Georgia Municipal Association
Attention: Gina Gresham
201 Pryor Street, SW
Atlanta, Georgia 30303
The Resolution and Ordinance will be forwarded to the GMA Ethics Certification Committee, which is comprised of the Executive Committee of the GMA City Attorneys Section, for their review. If this panel of attorneys determines that both items meet the established requirements, the county will be designated as a "Certified County of Ethics" and will be recognized during the GMA Annual Convention or Cities United Summit and will receive a plaque and a logo which can be incorporated into organization stationery and other materials at the organization's discretion. In addition, GMA will send a press release to the county for local media notifying them that the county has earned designation as a “Certified County of Ethics" (see submission deadline dates below).
Becoming an Organization of Ethics: Who Can be a Certified Organization of Ethics?
Participation in this program is limited to organizations who have as their mission enhancing the quality of life, the provision of public services or economic development within their community. An organization must also be:
- A public corporation or authority created under a general or local act of the Georgia General Assembly;
- An authority or instrumentality of a Georgia local government;
- Exempt from federal income taxation as a not-for-profit civic league or association under Section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code and headquartered in Georgia; or
- Exempt from federal income taxation as a not-for-profit business league or chamber of commerce under Section 501(c)(6) of the Internal Revenue Code and headquartered in Georgia.
GMA reserves the right to accept or reject any organization for participation in this program for any reason.
First Time Designation as a “Certified Organization of Ethics”
To earn this designation, an organization must:
Adopt a Resolution establishing the five ethics principles for the conduct of your organization’s officials:
Establishing the five ethics principles for the conduct of your organization's officials. These principals are designed to guide the officials as individuals and as a governing body. These principals are:
- Serve others, not ourselves.
- Use resources with efficiency and economy.
- Treat all people fairly.
- Use the power of our position for the well-being of our constituents and our community as a whole.
- Create an environment of honesty, openness and integrity.
A Sample Resolution is attached for reviewed. A majority of the officials comprising the organization’s governing body are required to sign the resolution.
Amend the organization’s by-laws
Amend the organization’s by-laws to enact clear ethics provisions that meet minimum standards approved by the GMA Board. The resolution must contain definitions, an enumeration of permissible and impermissible activities by organization officials, due process procedures for officials charged with a violation of the ethics by-laws, punishment provisions for those officials found in violation of the ethics by-laws and an enforcement provision.
GMA recommends that organizations review the GMA Sample Ethics Ordinance when drafting their by-law amendment.
To the extent that state or federal law impose additional ethical duties on an organization or its officials, these additional duties must be disclosed to GMA and referenced or incorporated into the organization’s by-laws.
In addition to the resolution, the organization will be required to complete and submit a form explaining the organization’s mission and governing structure and identifying a contact person with the organization.
Submit the resolution establishing the ethics principles, amendment of the organization’s by-laws and a one-time $85 application fee, a cover letter (on organization letterhead) addressed to the contact below requesting designation in the program or submit online.
Georgia Municipal Association
Attention: Gina Gresham
201 Pryor Street, SW
Atlanta, Georgia 30303
The above-mentioned documents and completed form will be forwarded to the Ethics Certification Committee, which is comprised of the Executive Committee of the GMA City Attorneys Section, for their review. If this panel of attorneys determines that the organization and resolution meet the established requirements, the organization will be designated as a "Certified Organization of Ethics" and will be recognized during the GMA Annual Convention or Cities United Summit and will receive a plaque and a logo which can be incorporated into organization stationery and other materials at the organization's discretion. In addition, GMA will send press releases to the organization for local media notifying them that the organization has earned designation as a “Certified Organization of Ethics" (see submission deadline dates below).
Recertification
Once designated each organization and county will be required to re-certify in the program every four years. To remain a Certified Organization of Ethics and a Certified County of Ethics, prior to the expiration of the four-year period the organization must submit to GMA for review, a recent adopted Resolution re-adopting the five ethics principles and acknowledging that the members of the organization’s governing body have read and understand the organization’s and county’s ethics requirements in statute and in by-laws. There is no additional fee for recertification and new plaques are not provided upon recertification.
GMA encourages each Certified Organization of Ethics and Certified County of Ethics to periodically train new and existing members of the organization’s governing body on the ethics principles and the ethics requirements imposed on the organization by law and through the organization’s by-laws.
Submission Deadline Dates
The required documents for recognition during the GMA Convention in June must be submitted to the GMA contact for approval by April 30. The required documents for recognition during Cities United Summit in January must be submitted to the GMA contact for approval by November 30.