Low chuckles could be heard in the town board room when town commissioners were reminded at a recent board meeting that the General Assembly had enacted a law requiring all of them to take a two-hour training course in ethics.

But Town Manager Andy Hedrick was serious. Board members must take the course before the end of the calendar year.

The new law also requires all local governing bodies, in addition to taking the ethics training, to adopt a code of ethics to guide the actions of members in the performance of their duties.

According to a memorandum issued by the N.C. League of Municipalities, the areas the code must address include obeying applicable laws, upholding the integrity of the office, avoiding impropriety, faithfully performing the duties of the office and conducting the board’s business in an open and public manner.

Hedrick proposed offering the required two hours of instruction by arranging for the commissioners to participate in a Webinar in the council chamber on March 25 from 4 until 6 p.m. At that time the town board members will be able to observe the presentation as it is being televised and interact with the presenters. The town plans to archive the session for future use. Cost to the town will be $95.

The course will be presented at various locations across the state during the year. The closest one to Fuquay-Varina would be in Smithfield.

Commissioner Charlie Adcock asked, with a grin, “What happens if we don’t take it?”

Said Town Attorney Mark Cumalander, with a straight face, “The town manager goes to jail.”

The School of Government at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill is planning the Webinar, and a task force has been created to assist in drafting model ethics code provisions. The N. C. League of Municipalities is assisting in getting the word out.

Clerks to all affected boards are to be responsible for verifying each member’s attendance at one of the ethics seminars.