Our agency recently was criticized in the press because our elected officials receive season tickets to our local sports venue, which our agency owns but is operated by a private contractor. No laws have been broken because the operator of the facility provides these passes to the agency. Our attorney has advised us this means that the passes do not need to be reported under the gift rules and are not subject to the gift limits. This explanation did not satisfy the press. Our insistence that such practices are entirely proper has prompted the local newspaper to launch an investigation of all benefits local officials and staff receive from the agency. The reporter wants to know what kinds of "special perks" officials and employees receive, including free or reduced rates at agency facilities and exemptions from rules with which the public must comply. This is uncomfortable because our agency does try to boost staff morale with certain perks, and we recognize our elected officials do not receive nearly enough compensation for the many hours they devote to serving the community. Are we missing something here?
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