Code of Ethics

Public employment is a public trust. It is the policy of the Town of Little Elm to promote and balance the objectives of protecting government integrity and facilitating the recruitment and retention of personnel needed by the Town of Little Elm. Such policy is implemented by prescribing essential standards of ethical conduct without creating unnecessary obstacles to entering public service.

Public employees must discharge their duties impartially so as to assure fair competitive access to governmental procurement by responsible contractors. They should conduct themselves in a manner as to foster public confidence in the integrity of the Town of Little Elm Purchasing Division.

To achieve this purpose, it is essential that those doing business with the Town of Little Elm also observe the ethical standards prescribed herein.

It shall be a breach of ethics to:

• Attempt to realize personal gain through public employment with the Town of Little Elm by any conduct inconsistent with the proper discharge of the employee’s duties.
• Attempt to influence any public employee of the Town of Little Elm to breach the standards of ethical conduct set forth in this code.
• For any employee of the Town of Little Elm to participate directly or indirectly in procurement when the employee knows that:
  • The employee or any member of the employee’s immediate family has a financial interest pertaining to the procurement;
  • A business or organization in which the employee, or any member of the employee’s immediate family, has a financial interest pertaining to the procurement;
  • Any other person, business, or organization with whom the employee or any member of the employee’s immediate family is negotiating or has an arrangement concerning prospective employment is involved in the procurement.
• Offer, give, or agree to give any current or former employee of the Town of Little Elm, or for any current or former employee of the Town of Little Elm to solicit, demand, accept, or agree to accept from another person, a gratuity or an offer of employment in connection with any decision, approval, disapproval, recommendation, or preparation of any part of a program requirement or purchase request, influencing the content of any specification or procurement standard, rendering of advice, investigation, auditing, or in any other advisory capacity in any preceding or application, request for ruling, determination, claim or controversy, or other particular matter pertaining to any program requirement of a contract or subcontract, or to any solicitation or proposal therefore pending before this government.
• For any payment, gratuity, or offer of employment to be made by or on behalf of a subcontractor under a contract to the prime contractor or higher tier subcontractor for any contract for the Town of Little Elm, or any person associated therewith, as an inducement for the award of a subcontract or order. The prohibition against gratuities and kickbacks prescribed above shall be conspicuously set forth in every contract and solicitation therefore.
• For any current or former employee of the Town of Little Elm to knowingly use confidential information for actual or anticipated personal gain, or for the actual or anticipated gain of any person.