Dear Grateful for Caffeine,

The Conflict of Interest says that you cannot accept any gift that has a cash equivalent so that includes gift cards of any amount. You can still accept gifts that are not cash or cash equivalent, such as a box of cookies, chocolate or candy canes.

If this amazing member of the public tries to give you a gift card this year, you should thank them and politely indicate that you cannot accept it based on our Conflict of Interest Policy.

Dear Mr. Wrestler,

The revisions to our Conflict of Interest Policy will not affect your lunch meetings, however, it does mean you’ll have to make as assessment about whether having your business associate pay for lunch creates a conflict of interest or a perceived conflict of interest. If paying for lunch could be perceived to influence your objectivity or place you under obligation to them, wrestle a bit harder to pay your portion of the bill. We want to ensure that it doesn’t appear that you are being influenced in any way by external contacts. In this circumstance, this means that as long as you cover the cost of your own meal, you are complying with the Policy. If it’s a business lunch, you can expense your portion of it and be reimbursed.

Dear Recognizable,

Thank you for your question as this may be a common situation – especially for those who wear clothing with City identifiers or who interact with our vendors often. The answer is no, you cannot accept the City discount since this purchase is for your personal use. City employees cannot be perceived to have special privileges because of their role here.

You can say thanks so much for the offer but I need to pay the normal rate based on our Conflict of Interest Policy. If they refuse to treat you like other members of the public, you must decline and possibly take your business to a different retailer.

Dear Coffee Bonus,

Way to go! Yes, the Conflict of Interest Policy does not impact gift cards given from one City employee to another. Time for a coffee!

Dear Baffled,

In this case, as the project is complete and there is no future work planned with the consultant, nor any procurement process you are involved with happening in the near future; feel free to enjoy it and consider sharing it with your colleagues who helped support the project.

Dear Dusty,

The answer is that “it depends.” You will have to make as assessment about whether attending the event creates a perceived or actual conflict of interest. Ask yourself:

• Does accepting this invitation influence your objectivity, or place you under obligation to them in any way?
• Is there an upcoming or active procurement process with them that you are directly involved in?
• Would The City’s reputation be negatively impacted if your attendance at this event was made public?

If so, then you will need to politely decline the invitation. If not, happy Stampeding! We recognize that these situations are often complicated. If you are ever unsure, please discuss the situation with your exempt supervisor.

Dear Lucky,

The answer to this is “it depends.” Are either of you are in a position to influence the other’s career? Do you supervise your significant other or vice versa? Would either of you have opportunity to influence compensation, promotions or the distribution of work? If so, you must disclose this to your leader(s) and step away from these types of decisions. If not, you are okay to continue as is. Should your position within your work area change so that you answer ‘yes’ to any of these questions you must disclose your relationship to your leader.  ​​

Dear Art,

Unfortunately, you cannot. A City employee can only use the assets, tools or equipment that they are given at work to fulfill their role. This is part of the ‘Using City Assets’ section of the Conflict of Interest Policy. You might want to consider using a tool rental business or tool library for a low cost solution for your backyard project.