Ethics for County Commissioners (On Demand Webinar)

This On Demand webinar is for all local elected officials of North Carolina cities, counties, unified governments, sanitary districts, and consolidated city-counties.

In 2009 the North Carolina General Assembly passed legislation that requires local governing boards to adopt a code of ethics and requires board members to receive 2 clock hours of ethics training within 12 months of each election and re election, as well as appointment and reappointment, to local office. 

The School of Government is offering this On Demand webinar as an easy way for elected officials to fulfill this legal requirement. All you need is a computer with internet access.

For other ethics training opportunities for local elected officials, visit The School of Government ethics website at the following link www.sog.unc.edu/programs/ethics where you will find: 

Training opportunities
Related statutes
Frequently asked questions,
Model codes of ethics
Relevent blog posts and publications
Links to contacts at the School of Government

A note to boards- Boards are advised to give special meeting notice for ethics training sessions if a majority of the board might be in attendance at the event. This is in keeping with the spirit of the ethics law, and out of an abundance of caution concerning the legal requirements for board meetings.

Who is NOT covered by this ethics training:
For individuals covered under the State Government Ethics Act (SGEA), including local officials who serve on a RPO or MPO, this SOG ethics-training program does NOT satisfy the mandatory ethics training required under SGEA, and the SGEA ethics program does NOT satisfy the local elected official ethics-training requirement.  Consequently, local elected officials who are also covered by the SGEA, including those who serve on a RPO or MPO, must take both training programs.  Covered persons needing to complete SGEA training should:

• Contact their ethics liaison for training, or
• Complete the online training available on State Ethic Commission website: (http://www.ethicscommission.nc.gov/education/default.aspx)
   

         It is highly recommended that you read the below    
            information PRIOR to purchasing this webinar.
 

                                     Ways to purchase the webinar:

For an individual:
Click on the purchase button and proceed with online registration- If you need a receipt, print the confirmation page at the end of your online registration. If you have problems with the registration process, email the registration department directly at registration@sog.unc.edu. Shortly after you complete your registration, you will receive an auto generated email confirmation with the access link. If you do not receive this auto email right away, check your spam and junk folder. Auto emails sometimes go straight to junk or spam folders. This email will only be sent to the email that was used to log in the registration system. If you have issues with the registration process or need assistance, it’s best to email registration@sog.unc.edu. You are more likely to get a faster response this way.

For a group showing:
You can purchase the webinar once and show to a group of people. 
It is best that one person purchase the webinar for the group. It’s best that the person coordinating the group event use their name/email to purchase the webinar. The reason is that the access link sent after the purchase is auto generated to the email that was used to purchase it. If you need a receipt, you should print the confirmation page at the end of the online registration process.  

Attorneys and CLE Credit:
This webinar is approved for 2 hours of general CLE credit (not professional responsibility credit). The attorney must do 2 things:  purchase the webinar separately in their own name in order for the Bar to consider credit. Must download the CLE form at the end of the webinar and mail your completed form and payment of $6 to THE NORTH CAROLINA STATE BAR BOARD OF CONTINUING LEGAL EDUCATION, 208 FAYETTETILLE ST. PO BOX 26148, RALEIGH, NC  27611. PHONE NUMBER 919.733.0123 within 30 days of viewing the on demand webinar.  If you need a purchase receipt, you should print the confirmation page at the end of the online registration process.

                                    After you purchase the webinar

Make sure you receive the auto email with the Webinar access link: 

Shortly after purchase, an email with the access link with be auto generated to the email address used to purchase the webinar. This email will include: 

• the webinar access link 
• the link back to this page for checking equipment and software, getting materials and further instructions.  

If you do not receive this email shortly after purchase, check your spam and junk folders before contacting us. Sometimes auto emails end up in these folders. If you check your spam and junk folders and you still cannot find your email, contact Susan at smhutch@sog.unc.edu. 

Check your equipment:

This webinar will be broadcast over the Internet. It's easy to participate—all you need is a computer, Acrobat Adobe Reader, a hard line high-speed Internet connection (wireless internet is NOT recommended), speakers, and Adobe Flash Media Player and a printer to print the verification forms. Wireless is not recommended for several reasons, but mostly because of speed plus the sound can be slow with wireless too. 

Equipment for Group Viewing:
We recommend using a projector, speakers and a screen (or blank wall) in a larger room. We also recommend connecting and testing the speakers to ensure you have enough volume in a larger room. 

Run the two recommended software diagnostic tests below: 
1. Software test for the actual webinar. Visit https://unc.ncgovconnect.com/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm to ensure that your computer has the software versions and connection speed necessary to participate in the webinar. This is a quick and easy process. It is recommended that you run this test in advance so you can troubleshoot any issues.
2. Software test to access the course materials below and to open the verification form at the end of the webinar. Visit http://www.sog.unc.edu/node/3246 to ensure you have Adobe Acrobat Reader. 

 Print the Course Materials below: 

• PDF of the Presentation 
• Legal Requirements 
• Ethics Voting Guide

Read the FAQ’s below of common problems you may experience:
http://www.sog.unc.edu/node/1493. 

Where are the ethics verification and CLE forms?
These forms are only accessible during the webinar. 
The links to these forms are imbedded in the webinar. The School of Government does not have these forms.

You must be present during the webinar to access these forms. During the webinar, you will receive instructions on how to save and print these forms. If you exit out of the webinar before saving your forms, you will not be able to access them again.

Who is responsible for what in regards to verification forms:
The clerk to each governing board must maintain a record verifying receipt of the ethics education by each board member.  The obligation to take the training and obtain verification of compliance with the law rests with the board member. These forms will only be available during the actual webinar.

                                      Logging in to Watch the Webinar

Logging in:
Remember that this is an On Demand webinar and is not interactive. 
An access link was sent to the person who purchased the webinar.  If someone purchased the webinar for you, please contact that person for the access link. If you are the person who purchased the webinar and you did not receive an email shortly after purchase, contact Susan at smhutch@sog.unc.edu. 

Refer to the below link for possible technical issues and how to correct them. 
Detailed technical troubleshooting can be found on our webinar support website at http://www.sog.unc.edu/node/1493. 

• If you continue experiencing technical difficulties, call the School of Government helpdesk at 919.962.5487.

Where are the verification and CLE forms?
These forms are only accessible during the webinar, NOT ON THE COURSE PAGE. You will receive instructions towards the end of the webinar on how to click on the links, open the forms and save them to your computer to print. This is your only opportunity to access these forms. So, If you exit the webinar room before the end of the session you will NOT be able to access the forms. 

 What to do after I save the forms and print them? 

• Ethics Verification Form- the elected official fills out the top and bottom portion. One part goes to the clerk for record keeping and the other part stays with the elected official.  Do Not Send this form to the School of Government. 
• CLE Form-This course has been pre approved for 2 hours of general CLE credit (not Professional Responsibility credit). Mail your completed form and payment of $6 to THE NORTH CAROLINA STATE BAR BOARD OF CONTINUING LEGAL EDUCATION, 208 FAYETTETILLE ST. PO BOX 26148, RALEIGH, NC  27611. PHONE NUMBER 919.733.0123 within 30 days of viewing the on demand webinar.