§ 313. Conflict of interest; appearance of conflict of interest

(a) Sheriffs and deputy sheriffs are considered public servants for the purposes of 3 V.S.A. § 1202(1). A conflict of interest may also exist when a member of a sheriff’s or deputy sheriff’s immediate family or household, or the sheriff’s or deputy sheriff’s business associate, or an organization with which the sheriff or deputy sheriff is affiliated, interferes with the proper discharge of a lawful duty. A conflict of interest does not include any interest that is not greater than that of other individuals generally affected by the outcome of the matter.

(b) A sheriff or deputy sheriff shall avoid any conflict of interest or the appearance of a conflict of interest. When confronted with a conflict of interest or an appearance of a conflict of interest, a sheriff or deputy sheriff shall disclose the conflict of interest to the Sheriff’s Executive Committee, recuse themselves from the matter, and not take further action on the matter.

(c) The Department of State‘s Attorneys and Sheriffs shall establish procedures for forwarding ethics complaints from any source to the State Ethics Commission based on the procedures set forth in 3 V.S.A. § 1223.

(d) Nothing in this section shall require a sheriff or deputy sheriff to disclose confidential information or information that is otherwise privileged under law. “Confidential information,” as used in this subsection, means information that is exempt from public inspection and copying under 1 V.S.A. § 315 et seq. or is otherwise designated by law as confidential. (Added 2023, No. 30, § 4, eff. May 31, 2023.)