Metro Tip Line Opens Thursday

An ethics tip line for reporting alleged wrongdoing in Metro Government goes online tomorrow Thursday.The toll-free line is operated by a third party, which maintains anonymity and files regular reports to Metro Government.The tip line cost about 25 thousand dollars to set up and will cost about 20 thousand dollars each year to maintain. It's the result of one of the two reform ordinances passed by the Metro Council in April. The other was e-transparency legislation to put city documents and spending reports online.Metro Councilman Kevin Kramer sponsored the tip line legislation. He says Mayor Jerry Abramson's office fought him on the ordinance at first."We were told by the administration that this really wasn't necessary," says Kramer. "We insisted on moving forward with it, pointed out the problems with the opportunities that supposedly people could've called in the information and pointed to times when the tip line would've been effective."Kramer says his next goal is to pass a revised ethics code for government employees."We still need to do some work, truthfully, on the ethics ordinance itself so that the public is more aware of what the expectation is of those who are elected and those who work for city government," he says.Republican Metro Councilman Ken Fleming is currently working on an ethics ordinance.The tip line's number is 1-888-226-2264.Previously on WFPL: Group starts alternative tip line