City of Laurel Ethics Ordinance

Laurel, Maryland Code of Ordinances; Chapter 2 – Administration; Article IV – Public Ethics: https://library.municode.com/md/laurel/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=CH2AD_ARTIVPUET

Meetings

• Meets annually to review Financial Disclosure Statements and whenever an ethics issue is brought to the attention of the Commission.
• 6:00pm
• Joseph R. Robison Laurel Municipal Center                                                                                               8103 Sandy Spring Road                                                                                                                    Laurel, MD  20707

***Note: Meetings can be held either in-person or via Zoom.***

Agendas & Minutes

View the Clerk's Meeting Agendas and Minutes page for information on how to access current and archived meeting documents.

Overview

History

The City of Laurel Ethics Commission was created and established by Ordinance 1249 and passed by the Mayor and City Council in February 1998. In April 2010, the Mayor and City Council revised and adopted changes in the Ethics Commission in Article IV, 2-51 - 2-72 through Ordinance 1674, and on August 23, 2011, the Ethics Commission passed Ordinance 1722 to align in accordance with the new State Ethics Regulations passed in 2011. Ordinance 1936, Ordinance 1937, and Ordinance 1938 were passed in 2019, to clarify the requirements regarding the filing of Financial Disclosure Statements. The Commission is made up of five citizen members appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the City Council. The Chair of the Commission is elected annually by members of the Commission.

Authority

The Commission is charged with investigating ethics violations within the City and ensuring that all elected and appointed City officials, and all City employees, act in the best interests of the City in the performance of their official duties, and to foster a high level of trust and confidence in the citizenry with regard to the functioning of the City government.

View the Ethics Commission - Rules of Procedures (PDF).

Ethics Commission Complaint Process

A written complaint may be filed, using the form link below, and submitted to the City Administrator, who acts as the Executive Officer of the Ethics Commission. The Executive Officer will forward the Complaint to the Ethics Commission. 

Once received by the Ethics Commission, they shall review the complaint. The Ethics Commission will get back with the complainant if they need further clarification. If the Ethics Commission concludes that the complaint is clear and complete enough to initiate proceedings, and may, if proven, indicate a serious violation of the Ethics Ordinance, a copy of the complaint shall be forwarded, by certified mail and regular mail, to the Respondent named in the complaint.

The Respondent shall then be informed of the provisions of the Ethics Ordinance which they are alleged to have violated. The Respondent shall be given thirty (30) days to respond in writing to the complaint. The Respondent may also provide further information or material they consider relevant to the allegations. They will also answer any specific questions asked by the Ethics Chairman.

Within five (5) days after the Respondent’s response is received by the City Administrator, on behalf of the Ethics Commission, but no more than thirty-five (35) days after written notice of the alleged violation has been given to the Respondent, the case shall go before the Ethics Commission for proceedings in accordance with these rules.

Read here to learn more about the proceedings once it goes to hearing. 

Ethics Commission Complaint Form (Fillable PDF)

2025 Financial Disclosure Forms

• 2025 Financial Disclosure Statement Instructions (PDF)
• 2025 Simplified City of Laurel Financial Disclosure Statement Form (Fillable PDF)
• 2025 Long City of Laurel Financial Disclosure Statement Form (Fillable PDF)
• 2025 Financial Disclosure Long Form Instructions and Q&A Video: