(1) The Oregon Government Ethics Commission shall estimate in advance the expenses that it will incur during a biennium in carrying out the provisions of ORS § 171.725 to 171.785, 171.992 and 192.610 to 192.705 and this chapter. The commission shall also determine what percentage of the expenses should be borne by the following two groups of public bodies:

Terms Used In Oregon Statutes 244.255

  • local government: means all cities, counties and local service districts located in this state, and all administrative subdivisions of those cities, counties and local service districts. See Oregon Statutes 174.116
  • Person: includes individuals, corporations, associations, firms, partnerships, limited liability companies and joint stock companies. See Oregon Statutes 174.100
  • public body: means state government bodies, local government bodies and special government bodies. See Oregon Statutes 174.109
  • special government body: means any of the following:

    (a) A public corporation created under a statute of this state and specifically designated as a public corporation. See Oregon Statutes 174.117

  • state government: means the executive department, the judicial department and the legislative department. See Oregon Statutes 174.111

(a) Public bodies in state government; and

(b) Local governments, local service districts and special government bodies that are subject to the Municipal Audit Law.

(2) The commission shall charge each public body for the public body’s share of the expenses described in subsection (1) of this section for the biennium. The amount to be charged each public body shall be determined as follows:

(a) The commission shall determine the rate to be charged public bodies in state government. The same rate shall be applied to each public body described in this paragraph. To determine the amount of the charge for each public body, the commission shall multiply the rate determined under this paragraph by the number of public officials serving the public body.

(b) The commission shall set the charge for local governments, local service districts and special government bodies that are subject to the Municipal Audit Law so that each local government, local service district or special government body described in this paragraph pays an amount of the total expenses for the group that bears the same proportion to the total expenses that the amount charged to the local government, local service district or special government body for the municipal audit fee under ORS § 297.485 bears to the total amount assessed for the municipal audit fee.

(3) Each public body shall pay to the credit of the commission the charge described in this section as an administrative expense from funds or appropriations available to the public body in the same manner as other claims against the public body are paid.

(4) All moneys received by the commission under this section shall be credited to the Oregon Government Ethics Commission Account established under ORS § 244.345.

(5) The commission shall adopt rules specifying the methods for calculating and collecting the rates and charges described in this section.

(6) As used in this section:

(a) ‘Local government’ and ‘local service district’ have the meanings given those terms in ORS § 174.116.

(b) ‘Public body’ has the meaning given that term in ORS § 174.109.

(c) ‘Public official,’ notwithstanding ORS § 244.020 (15), means any person who, on the date the commission charges the public body under this section, is serving the public body as an officer or employee.

(d) ‘Special government body’ has the meaning given that term in ORS § 174.117.

(e) ‘State government’ has the meaning given that term in ORS § 174.111. [2007 c.877 § 2; 2009 c.68 § 11; 2015 c.620 § 7; 2023 c.417 § 9]

 

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