S.L. County gift ban still leaves gray areas

Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon is having an ethical dilemma over a fruit basket.

The token gift has Corroon facing the question of whether such mementos from area programs and resident groups are allowed under a gift ban recently passed by the County Council.

"They've tried to make a black and white line, but there's still some gray area that we need to deal with," he said.

Although Corroon tried to solve his gift basket conundrum by sharing the goods with his office, the hard-line ethical approach has many county employees wondering if the new rules do more harm than good.

Turning down even small gifts puts county officials in an awkward situation, Corroon said, and may even inhibit their ability to do their job. The new ordinance, created as part of a slew of ethics reforms crafted by the county council, prohibits any gifts to county employees not specifically allowed in a short list of exemptions.

Some small tokens like mugs, pencils and meals at widely attended receptions are allowed under the ordinance. Travel and food at educational forums for county business are also exempt.

"As the mayor, I get in these situations as much as anybody. I'm certainly not going to insult anybody by not accepting a gift," Corroon said. "We'll try to work with it as best as possible. We'll try to use a common-sense approach."

But Corroon added that common-sense guideline worked better under the previous ordinance, which allowed council members to take gifts up to a $50 limit. That restriction allowed council members to go out to work lunches with various groups without running up a huge bill while still prohibiting pricier gifts like sports tickets or trips.

Now, Councilman Jim Bradley said he and other council members are in the uncomfortable spot of having to decline a free lunch. The occasional lunch is not likely to sway a council member or curry much favor for a particular group, he said.

"I'm hoping we can find something that is practical and does not put any council people in an awkward position either by taking a gift or by looking so pious by saying I can't accept that Coke from you," Bradley said.

And the tight policy extends to rank and file county employees as well. The no gift rule has left sanitation workers, for example, wondering whether they can accept holiday gifts and cookies from residents, Public Works Director John Patterson said.

"Is that plate of cookies going to cause that driver to do any better picking up their garbage? We'd probably end up offending people by laying that plate of cookies on the park strip," Patterson said.