Attachment A - Handout Submitted by Tamara Weaver_12.3.25.pdf

Attachment A

3.4 Outlook

7 er 2025 DEE

CITIZEN PETITION REQUEST CH Bt: 40
ee _ 7 _ _ Ity Cte

From Tamara Weaver <tamara.weaver@stetsonvalleyoa.com> K OEPT.

Date Wed 12/3/2025 1:37 PM =

To Council Packet Mailbox CLK <council.packet.mailbox@phoenix.gov>

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Citizens’ Petition Request to the Mayor and City Council For the Promotion of an Equitable,
Accessible, and Transparent Municipal Ethics Complaint Process

To the Mayor and Members of the City Council:

We, the undersigned residents and taxpayers of the City, respectfully submit this petition and
request that it be entered into the official record of a regular Council meeting and that the
Council take formal action to address the serious deficiencies in the current ethics inquiry
process administered by the City’s Ethics Commission and City Clerk.

At the most recent meeting of the Ethics Commission, twenty-one (21) ethics inquiry requests
submitted by members of the public were summarily tabled—not on the merits of the
allegations contained therein, but solely because the submissions lacked notarization.

Prior to that meeting, neither the official ethics inquiry form available on the City’s website nor
any accompanying instructions indicated that notarization was required. No space was provided
for a notary’s signature or seal. Only after these 21 inquiries were rejected on procedural
grounds did a revised form—dated November 25—suddenly appear on the City's website, now
containing a notary block.

Furthermore, the City Clerk has stated that the completed, notarized form must be physically
delivered in person to City Hall during regular business hours (8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday
through Friday). This requirement imposes an insurmountable barrier for the many residents
who work during those hours or who rely on public transportation, have childcare
responsibilities, or face mobility challenges.

Compounding these obstacles, the new form contains language warning citizens that they may
be assessed a penalty in excess of $500 if their complaint is later deemed “frivolous.” According
to recent Federal Reserve data, approximately one-third of American adults would be unable to

cover an unexpected $400 expense without borrowing or selling something. The mere threat of
such a financial penalty has a chilling effect and will predictably deter legitimate reports of
misconduct, particularly from lower- and moderate-income residents.

Taken together, these policies and practices—notarization without prior notice, mandatory in-
person delivery during standard working hours, and the prospect of substantial monetary
sanctions—create a system that is neither equitable nor accessible. Rather than encouraging
public oversight of government ethics, the current process erects procedural and financial
hurdles that disproportionately burden ordinary residents while shielding public officials and
employees from legitimate scrutiny.

A credible ethics process must be straightforward, safe, and genuinely available to every
member of the community it serves. When procedural requirements and threatening language
combine to discourage participation, the process ceases to protect the public and instead
protects the institution from accountability.

Therefore, we petition the Mayor and City Council to:

1. Immediately suspend the notarization requirement for ethics inquiries until such time as clear
public notice and reasonable alternatives (such as electronic notarization or a sworn declaration
under penalty of perjury) are implemented;

2. Eliminate the requirement of in-person, daytime-only delivery and permit submission by an
online portal;

3. Remove or substantially revise all language threatening financial penalties for complaints later
determined to be without merit, replacing it with language that encourages good-faith
reporting;

4. Direct the City Clerk and Ethics Commission to conduct a comprehensive review of the ethics
complaint process with meaningful public input and to propose revisions that prioritize
accessibility, equity, and public trust; and

5. Report back to the public within fifteen (15) days on actions taken to implement these
reforms.

The residents of this City deserve an ethics oversight system that welcomes, rather than repels,
citizen participation. We urge the Council to act swiftly to restore confidence in the integrity and
fairness of our local government.

Respectfully submitted this 3rd day of December, 2025,

Stetson Valley Residents

We request that this petition be formally received and that the Council place this matter on an
upcoming agenda for discussion and action.

Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter of public trust and democratic accountability.