Town of Pittsford Code of Ethics

The first rule of the Pittsford Town Administration is ethical conduct of all officers and employees, from the Supervisor’s office on down.  In our hiring, in addition to qualifications, experience, and the ability to succeed for our residents, we look for people of good character.
 
Pittsford has had a Code of Ethics in placed for many years, formally adopted by the Town Board and with the full force of law. It’s based on the same model Ethics Code used by all of our neighboring Towns in Monroe County and is substantially similar to most of them. It was updated on September 8, 2021.
 
You can view Pittsford’s current Code of Ethics here:
www.townofpittsford.org/files/publications/local_laws/code-of-ethics-pittsford-town.pdf
 
Ethics Code Update Process
Earlier this year Supervisor Smith appointed a bipartisan committee of the Town Board to review the existing Ethics Code and suggest recommendations for revisions. The Committee members were Kate Munzinger (R) and Stephanie Townsend (D). Councilmember Townsend has done extensive research on this subject and has brought that insight to the review. Councilmember Munzinger was for a number of years a Town employee and has brought to the review a close practical understanding of the importance and influence of the Ethics Code on the daily life of Town employees.
 
At the Town Board meeting of August 3, 2021, the Committee reported to the Board its conclusions, outlining their review and the components they recommend to include in a revised form of Ethics Code. They provided a complete revised Ethics Code for consideration by the Town Board and the public.
 
You can see the Committee's presentation to the Board here:
www.townofpittsford.org/files/publications/pittsford-proposed-ethics-code-presentation-08032021.pdf
 
The Town Board discussed the proposed revised Code of Ethics at its public meeting on August 17, 2021, and agreed on several changes to it. At that meeting the Town Board set a public hearing on the Ethics Code for Wednesday, September 8, 2021 at 6:00PM in the Town Board meeting room, at an open public meeting at which members of the public could speak on the subject. In addition to speaking at the hearing on September 8, members of the public could contact the Town Board by email, by phone, by written correspondence or by face-to-face meetings with any member of the Town Board, in advance of the meeting. The updated Town Code of Ethics was approved unanimously by the Town Board at the September 8, 2021 meeting.