MEMORANDUM

TO: Bowie City Council

FROM: Elissa D. Levan, City Attorney

CC: David J. Deutsch, City Manager

DATE: October 8, 2007

SUBJECT: Ordinance amending Chapter 2 to decrease the time periods for filing financial disclosure forms.

Attached is an ordinance amending the provisions of Chapter of the City Code pertaining to the filing of financial disclosure reports. Each year, there is a certain amount of difficulty with achieving prompt and complete compliance by those subject to the reporting requirements of Section 2-71. In particular with respect to board, committee and commission members, the current ordinance permits them to service almost half a calendar year before being sanctioned for non-compliance. The City Clerk, with the concurrence of the City Manager, believes that tightening these deadlines will result in more efficient enforcement thereof.

Consequently, the proposed ordinance changes the deadline for filing such statements by City officials and employees from March 10 to February 15 and the deadline for filing statements by City board, committee and commission members from June 30 to March 31. The date on which board, committee and commission members may be suspended from their appointed positions for failure to file will be changed from July 31, to April 30.

Attachment: Ordinance O-12-07