Memorandum
REPORT TO:
Board of Ethics
FROM:
Greg Sullivan, City Attorney
Jennifer Giuttari, Assistant City Attorney
SUBJECT:
Review the City's Annual Staff Ethics Training Curriculum (2026)
MEETING DATE:
October 23, 2026
AGENDA ITEM TYPE:
Administration
RECOMMENDATION:
I move to approve the City's annual staff ethics training curriculum in
accordance with the City's Charter.
STRATEGIC PLAN:
BACKGROUND:
The City's Charter requires an annual ethics training of all city employees. This year's staff ethics training will take place starting November 9, and there will be approximately 30 sessions held. Prior the training, the Board of Ethics must approve the ethics curriculum.
After last year’s annual ethics training, the Ethics Steering Committee, led by the City Attorney and the HR Director, took a new approach in receiving feedback on the effectiveness of the 2025 Ethics Training. This new approach included two targeted, debriefing sessions held: one with the 2025 volunteer ethics trainers, and the second with the Director and Management Team. As a result of the feedback received in these sessions, the Ethics Steering Committee decided to create a new format for the 2026 Ethics Training.
Instead of only using a small group format, this year’s Ethics Training will be a mix of large and small group work, and a short quiz. After introductions and sharing ground rules for the training, the attendees will break out into small groups. The first small group discussion will focus on two key questions:
1. As members of this community, what do you expect of your local government, including its employees and officials, in regards to ethical conduct?; and
2. As a public employee, what are your ethical obligations to the community?
After 15 minutes of small group discussion, the groups will report back to the entire group about their discussion. After each small group share, a word or words will be selected that best summarizes that group's discussion. The trainers will write all of these summary words in real time on an easel. At the end of all the 2026 training sessions, all the words collected from all of the training sessions will be made into an e-word cloud and shared with the entire organization.
After the first small group discussion, the trainers will provide educational background on the ethics program and its key provisions, with a focus on the Charter’s prohibition of “the use of public office for private gain.” Trainers will also share information about the Board of Ethics and its role, as well as resources for employees.
Next, the attendees will again break up into small groups to discuss one ethics scenario. After discussing the scenario for 15 minutes, the small groups will report back to the larger group and summarize their discussion.
Finally, the ethics training will conclude with a short, fun quiz.
Along with this new format, the Ethics Steering Committee is working on revising and updating the PowerPoint that will be used for the educational background of the training.
UNRESOLVED ISSUES:
None identified.
ALTERNATIVES:
None suggested.
FISCAL EFFECTS:
None.