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Board of Ethics


Selection Process

The members of the Board of Ethics are appointed by the mayor from a slate of candidates proposed by the City Council member who represents the district from which the board member is to be selected. A City Council member may decline to provide a slate of candidates, in which case the mayor may appoint a member of the Board of Ethics at his or her discretion. Appointments must be approved by the City Council.

Membership

The Board of Ethics consists of seven voting members. The members shall have resided in the City of Memphis for five years. Members are selected from each of the seven City Council districts, with one member being selected from each district. Each member shall be a resident of the district he or she represents. Members are elected for six-year terms.

The chair of the Board of Ethics shall be a retired judicial officer, who during his or her tenure presided over a Tennessee chancery, circuit, criminal, general sessions, juvenile, or probate court, or served as a federal judicial officer in a court with jurisdiction over the city, and who retired or left office in good standing. Said judicial officer shall not be a voting member of the board and shall preside over all meetings of the board. In the event no judicial officer is appointed to the board, the Council may appoint by a majority vote a retired attorney in good standing with the Tennessee Bar Association or any other member deemed capable to serve as chair by the Board.

Function and authority

The Board of Ethics has jurisdiction of all ethics complaints lodged against all full-time and part-time elected or appointed officers and employees, whether compensated or not, including those of any separate board, commission, committee, authority, corporation, or other instrumentality appointed or created by the City.

See Meeting Schedule & Agendas

Should you have an inquiry or concern you wish to address, please contact Monika Johnson, Chief Ethics Officer. Please provide your inquiry or a brief statement of your concern, along with your contact information and she will respond to you within a reasonable amount of time.

Ethics Department
Code Of Ethics for City Officials Chapter 2-10
Ordinance, Amd. 1 & 2
Mayor’s Executive Order
Complaint Form
Request For Opinion (For City Employees / Officials Only)

Ethics Opinions

Formal Ethics Opinion 19-02
Formal Ethics Opinion 19-01
Advisory Ethics Opinion 19-01 
Advisory Ethics Opinion 17-02
Advisory Ethics Opinion 17-01
Advisory Ethics Opinion 16-01
Advisory Ethics Opinion 15-01
Advisory Ethics Opinion 14.01
Formal Ethics Opinion 13.01
Advisory Ethics Opinion 12-03
Advisory Ethics Opinion 11-04

Decisions

AUGUST 14, 2019B

AUGUST 14, 2019C

CONTACT US

City of Memphis Chief Ethics Officer     
Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library                                         
3030 Poplar Avenue, L-38  
Memphis, TN 38111   
(901) 415-2788  
Monika.Johnson@memphistn.gov