Like many other cities, businesses and organizations, the city of Austin may soon have a code of ethics for its officials.

City council, with a 6-1 vote Wednesday, decided to explore the development of such a code. The vote came at council’s annual retreat, which was held Wednesday and Thursday at the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center.

Ardell Brede, the mayor of Rochester and president of the League of Minnesota Cities, was a guest speaker Wednesday and discussed some options for Austin.

Brede, who chairs the LMC’s Ethics Advisory Panel, said many cities look at a model code developed by the League for guidance.

In Rochester, Brede said an advisory panel, which includes some local officials, is in place to investigate possible ethics violations. Such a panel doesn’t necessarily need to be implemented in Austin, Brede said, but it is a possibility.

The Rochester mayor said that while state statutes often cover issues outlined in codes of ethics, it is still a good idea to have them for simplicity’s sake.

Brede also said that ethical violations typically occur unintentionally, such as a council member accidentally sending a mass e-mail to other members, a violation of state open meeting law. This, Brede added, is another reason cities should consider having codes in place.

“It’s a reminder,” Brede said of a city having a code of ethics.

City council members generally seemed quite supportive of the idea, including Dick Pacholl, who said, “I’d agree with having a code of ethics. It only makes sense.”