Mayor: Council’s personal use of city iPads may violate ethics ordinance

Bardstown Mayor John Royalty said Thursday that the council’s personal use of their city-issued iPads appears to violate the city’s ethics ordinance.

By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette / WBRT Radio

Thursday, Nov. 3, 2016, 2 p.m. — Bardstown Mayor John Royalty said Thursday that the lack of a definitive city policy doesn’t resolve the issue of the council’s private use of the city-owned iPads issued to each member of the city council.

Royalty pointed to the joint city-county ethics ordinance, which he said appears to address private use of items owned by the city or county governments.

§ 43.13 USE OF CITY/COUNTY PROPERTY, EQUIPMENT AND PERSONNEL.

No officer or employee of the city/county shall use or permit the
use of any city/county time, funds, personnel, equipment, or other
personal or real property for the private use of any person, unless:

(A) The use is specifically authorized by a stated city/county
policy.

(B) The use is available to the general public, and then only to
the extent and upon the terms that such use is available to the general
public.

(Ord. 571, passed 1-19-95; Am. Ord. B2011-04, passed 4-12-11)

Royalty said that the lack of a specific policy allowing personal use of the iPads means that potentially — according to the ordinance — all of the council members who have use the iPads for personal use are in violation of city’s ethics ordinance.

To his knowledge, only he and Councilman Bill Buckman have not used their city iPads for personal use.

He stopped short of saying he would refer the matter to the joint city-county ethics board or file a specific complaint.

“At this time ethics ordinance 43.13 appears to have been violated and that is ongoing. At this time I’m continuing to look for a solution.

“We’re all on a learning curve when it comes to technology,” he added.

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