October 2009 

During this election year PACE reminds City Employees not to use City property, Vehicles, Uniforms or other city restrictions for support of political activities! The endorsement and support of this years Mayoral candidate does not allow PACE to forgo any rules established by the City of Atlanta Government.  Please read the below City of Atlanta ordinance Code Section 2-811 in response to what is considered as “Official City Business.”   

Although city employees have the same political freedoms as other citizens, city law places some restrictions on their political activities while on duty with the City.  The Board of Ethics has jurisdiction over political activities primarily through the code provision that prohibits city officials and employees from using city property for the private advantage of the official or employee.  Section 2-811 states: 

No official or employee shall request, use or permit the use of any publicly owned or publicly supported property, vehicle, equipment, labor or service for the private advantage of such official or employee or any other person or private entity. However, no official or employee is prohibited from requesting, using or permitting the use of any city-owned or city-supported property, vehicle, equipment, material, labor or service which as a matter of city policy is made available to the public at large or which is provided as a matter of stated public policy for the use of officials and employees in the conduct of official city business. 

In addition, the Personnel Code has standards of conduct that govern employees who offer for an elective office and regulate the political activity of employees in the civil service.  See Atlanta, Ga. Code § 114-2. The Board has interpreted “official city business” as excluding political campaign activities or other similar events done solely for the personal benefit of an individual official or employee. 

FAO2004-1 (defining “official city business”).   You can read this message at the City of Atlanta Website at:http://www.atlantaga.gov/government/boards/ethics_fao2008_5_071708.aspx