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Home My WebLink About1998-02-12 Board of Ethics Minutes BOARD OF ETHICS February 12, 1998 � MINUTES A meeting of the Board of Ethics of the City of Bangor was called to order at 6 : 03 p.m. on February 12, 1998 in the Third Floor Conference Room at Bangor City Hall, pursuant to prior public notice. The following Board members were present: Michael Alpert (Chair) Alan Boone Carrie Edwards-Welsh Wayne Mallar Martin Sabol Board members Garth Chandler and David Zelz were absent. The City Solicitor was present. Also present was Bangor Police Department officer Greg Sproul, representing the Bangor Police Athletic League (PAL) . . The City Solicitor informed the Board that minutes of the previous meeting of January 21, 1998 were not yet prepared. A motion to dispense with approval of the previous meeting' s minutes was made and approved. The City Solicitor distributed extracts from materials � provided by Community Counseling Service Co. Inc. , under CCS' s cover letter dated February 6, 1998. The materials provided by CCS consist of a document titled "CASE Campaign Standards" published by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education in April, 1994. The City Solicitor also provided the Board with background materials concerning the Bangor Police Athletic League, including information on PAL' s corporate status, and a copy of the Bangor Police Department' s "Youth Services Directory" describing PAL as a part of the Police Department's "Youth Services Unit. " Officer Grea Sproul, in his capacity as President of PAL, made a presentation concerning PAL' s history and recent fundraising efforts . - The Bangor Police Athletic League was organized as a non- profit corporation in 1989 , and is a legally separate entity from the City of Bangor. PAL elects its own officers, conducts its own programs , and handles its own funds . However, there is a great deal of interaction with the City, as evidenced by PAL' s listing in the Police Department' s Youth Services Directory. All of PAL' s current officers are also officers of the Bangor Police Department. In addition, PAL currently occupies space in the City's Essex Street Recreation Center, and utilizes other City facilities in conducting many of its youth sports programs. � PAL has been involved in a number of fundraising activities that have not been fully satisfactory. PAL' s first fundraising campaign was a direct telephone solicitation effort, conducted by -2- Telco Communicatians of Seekank, Mas�achuset�s , a telemarketing � firm. Of the revenues raised by that effort, only 28a were paid over to PAL. The remaining 72o were retained by Te1co as campen- sa�ion for conducting the campaign. PAL' s next �undraising campaign, several years later, was a benefit wrestling even� also organized by Telca. Only 18n of the total revenues raised �rom that event were received by PAL. �fficer 5proul s�ated that Bangar's DARE program {Drug Abuse Resis�ance Education) also has experienced problems with ou�side fundraisers. In 1997 , PAL hired Mark Plummer of Herman, Maine, �o conduct a fundraising drive. Mr. Flummer is regis�ered with �he Maine Secretary of State as a profe�sional fundrai�er. He typically does fund�aising projects during �he winter manths and d�es cons�ruction work during the summer. Mr. Plummer' S effor�s far PAL cansisted of producing and selling adver�ising in an 80 page Bangor Police Athletic League handbook, a copy of which was provided to the Board. Including its cover, the handboak contains 32 pages of infarmation abaut PAL and its programs, and 48 pages of advertising. Mr. Plummer worked �or a percentage af the funds raised, re�aining 40% of the �otal for expenses and his �ee. A11 donations �or advertisements were paid by check and were rece�pted at. the paint of payment. � Of�icer Sproul s�ated that he was n�t aware of any comp�aints about PAL' s 1997 �undraiser. O�ficer Sproul discussed PAL' s various youth sparts pragrams . PAL was responsible for bringing you�h football back to Bangor. In 1997 , the you�h football grogram had 4d0 kids an 8 separate teams . PAL has expanded into boxing, bicycling, and other sports, as re�lec�ed in �he handbook. PAL will be �aking �ver the entire Essex Street Recreatian Center building in the near future, and will help to re-open �he Essex Street Recrea�ion Area ta the public, In addition ta the Essex Street facility, PAL occupies a boxing gymnasium an the firs� floar af the Police Depar�men�' s building, Offzcer Paul White af the Bangor Police Department does much of PAL' s day-�o-day work, and does some af that work while he i� on du�y with �he Bangor Police Department. Returning to financial issues, Officer Sproul stated that all � of FAL's funds are held in checking and savings accaunts and certificates af deposit with Infinity Federal Credit Unian. The total amount raised for PAL during the 1997 tundraising drive was � approximateZy $14, 000 . 00 . O�ficer Sproul observed �hat the Bangor West Side Little League and other arganiza�ions involved in youth sparts programs -3- � finding it increasingly difficult to raise funds, as traditional venues for fundraising are eliminated. For example, most shopping centers no longer allow direct solicitations of funds by civic organizations, except for the Salvation Army. As a result, many organizations are turning to professional fundraisers . Some fundraising opportunities are available through PAL' s national parent organization. For example, the national organization will sometimes team with M&M or other companies , to make candies or other products available for door-to-door sales . Following Officer Sproul' s presentation, the Board continued its discussion of the materials received to date. The draft "Donor' s Bill of Rights" prepared by the Board Chair and City Solicitor was reviewed with favorable comments . Following several editorial corrections, a motion was made and approved to forward the "Donor' s Bill of Rights" as corrected to the Bangor City Council, with a recommendation for adoption. It was noted that several items in the proposed Donor' s Bill of Rights may require further implementation through amendments to the Code of Ethics or, as to paragraph number 10 , through drafting a set of written guidelines for fundraising by outside organizations. A motion was made and approved to seek the City Council' s guidance as to whether the Board of Ethics should � continue to work on these additional items . There being no further business or discussion, the meeting was adjourned at 7 : 24 p.m. Respectfully submitted, �i'�^�c �� Erik M. Stumpfel City Solicitor tc �