Applicants

to Peachtree City's ethics board will now be held to a higher level of

accountability: a criminal background check.

The new requirement

was approved 4-1 at Thursday's City Council meeting, representing the

first initiative from new Mayor Steve Brown that passed muster. Councilwoman

Annie McMenamin, who said she was concerned about the potential embarrassment

to applicants, was the dissenting vote.

Brown said

he just wanted to make sure that future ethics board members don't have

"any major felonies" in their past that could bring embarrassment

to the city.

"I sort

of feel it's a personal invasion of their privacy," McMenamin said.

She recalled an instance when a citizen was embarrassed when a background

check for an alcohol license revealed a criminal accusation against him

that occurred when he was younger, and he was eventually exonerated.

Although McMenamin

said she appreciates the importance of the ethics board, "I just

have a problem with an invasion of privacy for a volunteer-type board."

McMenamin also

pointed out that those background checks would become public records.

But Councilman Dan Tennant pointed out that applicants would be made aware

of the requirement and could choose not to apply for an ethics board position.

New Councilman

Murray Weed said even if something comes up on an applicant's background

check, the City Council has the ability to "forgive" that person

if warranted.

"This

doesn't say if you've got a felony that you are no longer an appropriate

candidate or an appropriate applicant," Weed said.

Council also

unanimously passed a requirement for individuals named to the ethics board

to attend a workshop on the city's ethics ordinance once they are informed

of their appointment to the board.

The mayor and

each council member are responsible for appointing two citizens each to

the ethics board in the January following each municipal election. That

creates a pool of 10 board members, although only five are chosen to hear

any given ethics complaint.

The five members

are chosen to serve on a panel along with two alternates in a random drawing

that takes place at the first public meeting following the receipt of

the ethics complaint, according to the city ethics ordinance.

The ordinance

empowers the ethics board to hear and investigate any ethics complaint

filed against a city official or employee. If the board determines that

the ordinance was violated, it can issue one of three reprimands:

An admonishment

not to violate the ethics code in the future;

A formal reprimand;

or

Public censure

and/or recommendation to the City Council for removal from office.

The board also

can choose to dismiss a complaint or recommend changes to city policies

and practices so the ethics ordinance's standards may be met.