3.12.060 Hearing Officer.

A. There is established the position of 'Hearing Officer' whose function will be to receive written complaints of alleged violations of this Ethics Code, and to investigate the complaints in order to make an initial threshold determination whether probable cause exists to believe that a violation of this Code has occurred, all as set forth in Section 3.12.080.

B. The Hearing Officer shall be selected by the Ethics Commission by majority vote for a one year contract. The Hearing Officer's contract may be renewed by a majority vote of the Commission. The Hearing Officer shall be a member in good standing with the Washington State Bar Association, shall have been licensed to practice law in the State of Washington for a minimum of five (5) years, and shall have prior judicial experience as a member of the Superior Court or Appellate Court Bench. If an individual with prior judicial experience is unavailable to serve, this requirement may be waived. Because of its sensitive position, the Hearing Officer must avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest. Therefore, the Hearing Officer shall be bound by the same restrictions as are set forth in Section 3.12.070 for members of the Ethics Commission.

C. The Hearing Officer shall be compensated for the time devoted to the performance of his or her official duties at a rate to be negotiated between the Ethics Commission and the Hearing Officer, subject to the approval of the Executive. The Hearing Officer shall be reimbursed for reasonable and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of his or her official duties.

D. Whenever a Hearing Officer selected under this Code is either temporarily or permanently unable to perform the duties of this position, the Commission shall select a temporary replacement or permanent successor in the manner provided for in Subsection B. of this section.