§ 811. Promulgation of form of annual statement of financial disclosure; authority of governing body with respect to persons subject thereto. 1. (a) The governing body of each political subdivision may, not later than January first, nineteen hundred ninety-one, and the governing body of any other municipality may at any time subsequent to the effective date of this section, adopt a local law, ordinance, or resolution: (i) wherein it promulgates a form of annual statement of financial disclosure which is designed to assure disclosure by municipal officers and employees, which for the purposes of this section, the definition for which shall be modified so as to also include a city with a population of one million or more, and (in the case of a political subdivision or any other county, city, town or village) which is designed to assure disclosure by local elected officials and/or by local political party officials of such financial information as is determined necessary by the governing body, or (ii) wherein it resolves to continue the use of an authorized form of annual statement of financial disclosure in use on the date such local law, ordinance or resolution is adopted. In either event, such local law, ordinance or resolution if and when adopted shall specify by name of office or by title or classification those municipal officers and employees and (in the case of a political subdivision or any other county, city, town or village) those local elected officials and/or those local political party officials which shall be required to complete and file such annual statement.

Ask a legal question, get an answer ASAP!
Click here to chat with a lawyer about your rights.

(a-1) In a city with a population of one million or more, such local law, ordinance or resolution shall require, on two or more types of forms for annual statements of financial disclosure, disclosure of information that could reveal potential conflicts of interest as defined by chapter sixty-eight of the New York city charter.

(i) The disclosure required by such law, ordinance or resolution of such city shall, at a minimum, include information about any non-city employment or interests that may give rise to a conflict of interest, including, but not limited to, interests of the filer and his or her spouse or registered domestic partner, and unemancipated children, in: (A) real property located in such city, and (B) positions or business dealings with, financial interests in, or gifts from, any persons or firms or entities engaged in business dealings with such city.

(ii) In any such city, local elected officials and compensated local officers and employees, as defined in subdivisions two and three, respectively, of section eight hundred ten of this article, shall, at a minimum, disclose in addition to the information required by subparagraph (i) of this paragraph: (A) interests in a firm where the value of the interest is ten thousand dollars or more; (B) where the official, officer, or employee holds a policy-making position with such city, membership in the national or state committee of a political party or service as assembly district leader of a political party or service as the chair or as an officer of the county committee or county executive committee of a political party; (C) the names and positions of any spouse or registered domestic partner, child, stepchild, brother, sister, parent or stepparent holding a position with any such city; (D) each volunteer office or position held by the filer or his or her spouse or registered domestic partner with any not-for-profit organization engaged in business dealings with such city, except where the person volunteers only in a non-policymaking, non-administrative capacity; and (E) agreements between the filer and any person or firm or entity engaged in business dealings with such city for future payment to or employment of the filer.

(iii) For purposes of this paragraph, the term "firm" shall have the same meaning as set forth in subdivision eleven of section twenty-six hundred one of the New York city charter.

(b) The governing body of a political subdivision or any other county, city, town or village, which requires the completion and filing of either of such forms of annual statements of financial disclosure by local or municipal officers and employees and/or by local elected officials shall have the power, if it so chooses, to require the completion and filing of such annual statements of financial disclosure by local political party officials as if such officials were officers or employees of such county, city, town or village, provided however, that a person who is subject to the filing requirements of both subdivision two of § 73-a of the public officers law and of this subdivision may satisfy the requirements of this subdivision by filing a copy of the statement filed pursuant to § 73-a of the public officers law with the appropriate body, as defined in section eight hundred ten of this article, on or before the filing deadline provided in such section seventy-three-a, notwithstanding the filing deadline otherwise imposed by this subdivision.

(c) The governing body of a political subdivision or any other county, city, town or village which requires any local or municipal officer or employee or any local elected official or any local political party official to complete and file either of such annual statements of financial disclosure shall have, possess, exercise and enjoy all the rights, powers and privileges attendant thereto which are necessary and proper to the enforcement of such requirement, including but not limited to, the promulgation of rules and regulations pursuant to local law, ordinance or resolution, which rules or regulations may provide for the public availability of items of information to be contained on such form of statement of financial disclosure, the determination of penalties for violation of such rules or regulations, and such other powers as are warranted under the circumstances existing in its county, city, town or village.

(d) The local law, ordinance or resolution, if and when adopted, shall provide for the annual filing of completed statements with the board of ethics of the political subdivision or other municipality and shall contain the procedure for filing such statements and the date by which such filing shall be required. If the board of ethics is designated as the appropriate body, then such local law, ordinance or resolution shall confer upon the board appropriate authority to enforce such filing requirement, including the authority to promulgate rules and regulations. Any such local law, ordinance or resolution shall authorize exceptions with respect to complying with timely filing of such disclosure statements due to justifiable cause or undue hardship. The appropriate body shall prescribe rules and regulations related to such exceptions with respect to extensions and additional periods of time within which to file such statement including the imposition of a time limitation upon such extensions.

(e) Nothing herein shall be construed to prohibit a political subdivision or other municipality from promulgating the form of annual financial disclosure statement set forth in section eight hundred twelve of this article. Promulgation of the same form of annual financial disclosure statement set forth in section eight hundred twelve of this article shall not be deemed an automatic election to be subject to the provisions of such section.

2. In the event that a political subdivision fails by January first, nineteen hundred ninety-one to promulgate, or fails by such date to elect to continue using, a form of annual statement of financial disclosure in the manner authorized in subdivision one of this section then the provisions of section eight hundred twelve of this article shall apply on and after such date to any such political subdivision subject to the provisions of subdivision three of such section eight hundred twelve.