Mississippi § 43-35-35 - Interested public officials, commissioners or employees.

§ 43-35-35. Interested public officials, commissioners or employees.

No public official or employee of a municipality, or of any board or commission thereof who exercises any authority with respect to urban renewal projects undertaken pursuant to this article, and no commissioner or employee of a housing authority or urban renewal agency which has been vested by a municipality with urban renewal project powers under Section 43-35-31 shall voluntarily acquire any personal interest, direct or indirect, in any urban renewal project, or in any property included or planned to be included in any urban renewal project of such municipality or in any contract or proposed contract in connection with such urban renewal project. Where such acquisition is not voluntary, the interest acquired shall be immediately disclosed in writing to the local governing body and such disclosure shall be entered upon the minutes of the governing body. If any such official, commissioner or employee presently owns or controls, or owned or controlled within the preceding two (2) years, any interest, direct or indirect, in any property which he knows is included or planned to be included in an urban renewal project, he shall immediately disclose this fact in writing to the local governing body, and such disclosure shall be entered upon the minutes of the governing body, and any such official, commissioner or employee shall not participate in any action by the municipality, or board or commission thereof, housing authority, or urban renewal agency affecting such property. Any disclosure required to be made by this section to the local governing body shall concurrently be made to a housing authority or urban renewal agency which has been vested with urban renewal project powers by the municipality pursuant to the provisions of Section 43-35-31. No commissioner or other officer of any housing authority, urban renewal agency, board or commission exercising powers pursuant to this article shall hold any other public office under the municipality other than his commissionership or office with respect to such housing authority, urban renewal agency, board or commission. Any violation of the provisions of this section shall constitute misconduct in office.