At its Tuesday, Oct. 8 meeting, the Lake County Board passed an overhaul of its Ethics Ordinance, adding new sections and renaming it the Ethics and Conduct Code. The purpose of the ordinance is to provide a framework for the ethical and legal standards that county officers and employees must follow while conducting county business.

The major changes in the ordinance include adding a new conduct section for board members, the addition of an impartial hearing officer to the ethics complaint process, and a provision that requires recusal of a board member named in a complaint from participating in any closed-door sessions about the complaint.