N.Y. General Municipal Law § 808: Boards of ethics

§ 808. Boards of ethics. 1. The governing body of any county may

establish a county board of ethics and appropriate moneys for

maintenance and personal services in connection therewith. The members

of such board of ethics shall be appointed by such governing body except

in the case of a county operating under an optional or alternative form

of county government or county charter, in which case the members shall

be appointed by the county executive or county manager, as the case may

be, subject to confirmation by such governing body. Such board of ethics

shall consist of at least three members, a majority of whom shall not be

officers or employees of such county or municipalities wholly or

partially located in such county and at least one of whom shall be an

elected or appointed officer or employee of the county or a municipality

located within such county. The members of such board shall receive no

salary or compensation for their services as members of such board and

shall serve at the pleasure of the appointing authority.

2. The board shall render advisory opinions to officers and employees

of municipalities wholly or partly within the county with respect to

this article and any code of ethics adopted pursuant hereto. Such

advisory opinions shall be rendered pursuant to the written request of

any such officer or employee under such rules and regulations as the

board may prescribe and shall have the advice of counsel employed by the

board, or if none, the county attorney. In addition, it may make

recommendations with respect to the drafting and adoption of a code of

ethics or amendments thereto upon the request of the governing body of

any municipality in the county.

3. The governing body of any municipality other than a county may

establish a local board of ethics and, where such governing body is so

authorized, appropriate moneys for maintenance and personal services in

connection therewith. A local board shall have all the powers and duties

of and shall be governed by the same conditions as a county board of

ethics, except that it shall act only with respect to officers and

employees of the municipality that has established such board or of its

agencies. The members of a local board shall be appointed by such person

or body as may be designated by the governing body of the municipality

to serve at the pleasure of the appointing authority and such board

shall consist of at least three members, a majority of whom are not

otherwise officers or employees of such municipality. Such board shall

include at least one member who is an elected or appointed municipal

officer or employee.

4. The county board of ethics shall not act with respect to the

officers and employees of any municipality located within such county or

agency thereof, where such municipality has established its own board of

ethics, except that the local board may at its option refer matters to

the county board.

5. A board of ethics of a political subdivision (as defined in section

eight hundred ten of this article) and of any other municipality, which

is required by local law, ordinance or resolution to be, or which

pursuant to legal authority, in practice is, the repository for

completed annual statements of financial disclosure shall file a

statement with the clerk of its municipality, that it is the authorized

repository for completed annual statements of financial disclosure.