×
×
homepage logo
SUBSCRIBE

Vineyard City Council meets in special session to discuss proposed code of conduct, tables vote

By Jacob Nielson - | Jan 15, 2025

Jacob Nielson, Daily Herald

The Vineyard City Council meets during a special session at Vineyard City Hall on Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2025.

The Vineyard City Council tabled a vote on whether to adopt a city code of conduct during a special session at the Vineyard City Hall on Tuesday evening.

The drafting of a code of conduct, which as stated would apply to “all members of the city council, boards, committees, and commissions in the City of Vineyard,” was requested by Mayor Julie Fullmer, according to City Attorney Jayme Blakesley, and was presented to the council by Blakesley.

The council did not reach a point to vote on the code because multiple members expressed concerns about what they believed was the subjective nature of certain rules.

The discussion was postponed until Jan. 29, and Fullmer nominated a subcommittee of Councilmen Jacob Holdaway and Brett Clawson to take a closer look at the document and report to the council their suggested revisions.

The special session was called on Monday, at which time some City Council members said they learned of the proposed code.

The nine-page document included a number of standards and violations, including rules for interpersonal conduct with colleagues that laid out the following:

  • “Engage in civil and respectful discourse during meetings and in public statements.”
  • “Avoid personal attacks, bullying, blackmail, or coercive behavior.”
  • “Refrain from spreading rumors, sharing untrue or untimely information, engaging in private discourse that distracts from Council business, or visiting colleagues’ private residences uninvited.”

Several council members expressed their support for implementing a code of conduct but said they felt it had to be workshopped more before voting on it.

“I would rather not people bring up personal attacks and rather people not bully me. … But I think we have to be careful, because it’s just so subjective,” Councilwoman Mardi Sifuentes said during the meeting. “I don’t feel like it’s bad. I just think more than anything, we’ve only had about 24 hours to digest it. The public has seemed to be really upset.”

The meeting came a month after The New York Times and Salt Lake Tribune published a story in which sources questioned Fullmer’s transparency and accused her of prioritizing developers over the town’s citizens, among other allegations.

Holdaway was a key source in the story and is an outspoken adversary to the mayor who has accused her of deception and has been critical of the city’s lack of transparency and fiscal responsibility.

In a response to the story, Fullmer accused Holdaway of being “notorious for bullying and spreading falsehoods about me, the city of Vineyard, and anyone he views as political or professional rivals.”

At Tuesday’s special session, which appeared well-attended by Vineyard citizens and city staff, Blakesley presented on the Open and Public Meetings Act, conducted an ethics training, then discussed the proposed code of conduct.

The proposed document differentiated minor and serious violations of the code.

A handful of the nine listed minor violations include the following:

  • “Speaking out of turn or interrupting others” during meetings.
  • “Inappropriate tone or dismissive comments during discussions.”
  • “Mild breaches of etiquette, such as public disagreements with the Chair’s decisions or failing to follow procedural rules.”

The listed consequences for minor violations were: verbal reprimand in an open meeting; formal public letter of censure by mayor, chair or majority of the council or body; loss of committee or board assignments; or loss of ability to meet or liaise with staff.

Among the 16 serious violations presented in the code were the following:

  • “Personal attacks, bullying, or blackmail toward colleagues, staff, or the public.”
  • “Sharing private, protected, or sensitive information obtained through the Council role.”
  • “Using platforms to incite hostility, attack individuals, or misrepresent Council actions maliciously.”
  • “Persistent and intentional disruption of meetings, derailing agenda progress, or refusing to adhere to the Chair’s rulings.”

Printed consequences for serious violations were: formal censure; suspension from leadership roles; removal from meetings; or restriction on privileges.

Blakesley said the enforcement of violations would have to be done in a public setting.

“You may impose violation; you’re not required to impose violations,” he said. “For minor violations, it would be by a majority vote. For a serious violation, that would have a little more severe consequence. It would require a two-thirds vote.”

Councilwoman Sara Cameron expressed support for implementing a code of conduct but questioned the broadness of statements such as “personal attack” and how they could be interpreted.

Holdaway was critical of the timing of the special session and called the 24 hours’ notice “not good government practice.”

“I’m very concerned that none of us were involved in the drafting of the individual things. … Since this is a legislative process of what our code is or not, I just feel very uncomfortable being thrown at it,” he said.

Fullmer responded to Holdaway’s comments by insisting she wanted to make sure the process of approving the code was done right.

“This is something that we should be able to take on and assure our residents that we are professional, transparent and ethical,” Fullmer said. “And I feel like anybody that would sign that is displaying good leadership. And so if you have something today that you want to change or you want to review it longer, I think that request is satisfactory.”

The council unanimously agreed to a motion to move the discussion to Jan. 29, then moved into a closed session.