IN THE COUNTY LEGISLATURE OF JACKSON COUNTY, MISSOURI
Title
AN ORDINANCE prohibiting County employees from knowingly making false material statements to the County Legislature by amending Chapter 74 and incorporating such prohibition into the Jackson County Code of Conduct.
Intro
ORDINANCE NO. 6016, August 25, 2025
INTRODUCED BY Sean E. Smith, County Legislator
Body
WHEREAS, the purpose of this ordinance is to preserve the integrity of legislative proceedings and ensure the accuracy of information provided to the County Legislature; and,
WHEREAS, a clear outline of expectations and the importance of transparent proceedings shall be clearly outlined in the County’s ethics code as well as Human Resource policy, including clear consequences for providing misleading or false information to legislators or their committees; and,
WHEREAS, this ordinance is pursuant to Article II of the Jackson County Charter and in accordance with the county’s general powers; and,
WHEREAS, it shall be unlawful for any County Employee, in connection with any legislative proceeding, to knowingly make false statements to the County Legislature, the Legislature’s committees or legislative staff; and,
WHEREAS, it shall be unlawful for any County Employee, in connection with any legislative proceeding, to submit any written false statement, report or document to the County Legislature, the Legislature’s committees or legislative staff; and,
WHEREAS, a violation of this ordinance shall result in immediate disciplinary action up to and including termination; and,
WHEREAS, any violation of this ordinance will be immediately reported to the County Prosecutor’s office; and,
WHEREAS, the Jackson County Ethics Commission, through the Office of the Ethics, Human Relations & Citizen Complaints department, shall have authority to investigate alleged violations of this ordinance and recommend appropriate action; and,
WHEREAS, Chapter 74 of the Jackson County Code is hereby amended to add the following subsection: It shall be a violation of this Code of Ethics for any county employee or official, in the course of any Legislative Proceeding, to knowingly make a material false statement, whether oral or written, or to knowingly omit a material fact that renders a statement misleading, to the County Legislature, its committees or legislative staff; and,
WHEREAS, the Jackson County Code of Conduct is hereby amended to include the following language under Standards of Honesty and Integrity: (Title): Truthfulness in Legislative Proceedings (Body): Employees must be truthful and accurate in all communications with the County Legislature, its committees, and legislative staff. Knowingly providing false information, omitting material facts or submitting misleading documents in the course of any legislative proceeding is strictly prohibited and may result in disciplinary action up to and including termination, in addition to penalties under the Jackson County Code of Ethics and applicable law; now therefore,
BE IT ORDAINED that the Jackson County Legislature shall adopt these policy changes, including the Jackson County Code of Ethics as well as the Jackson County Code of Conduct.
Enacted and Approved
Effective Date: This ordinance shall be effective immediately upon its signature by the County Executive.
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
Unsigned to by the County Counselor
______________________________
County Counselor
I hereby certify that the attached ordinance, Ordinance No. 6016 introduced on August 25, 2025, was duly passed on __________________________, 2025 by the Jackson County Legislature. The votes thereon were as follows:
Yeas _______________ Nays _____________
Abstaining ___________ Absent ____________
This Ordinance is hereby transmitted to the County Executive for his signature.
____________________ ____________________________
Date Mary Jo Spino, Clerk of Legislature
I hereby approve the attached Ordinance No. 6016.
____________________ _______________________________
Date Phil LeVota, County Executive