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Tightening Conflict of Interest Rules for Virginia Beach Development

nao.usace.army.mil

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP) - In an effort to better avoid conflicts of interest, Virginia Beach has revamped a disclosure form used to shed light on transactions involving developers, bankers and contractors.

The Virginian-Pilot reports the change comes in the wake of state and federal probes.

Applicants for a wide variety of items, including rezoning requests, must complete the disclosure. The updated document is now twice as long as the previous version and asks for more details.

Deputy City Attorney Rod Ingram says the revised form provides better transparency for the public, and also helps provide officials with the information they need in order to determine if they have a conflict.

The change took place in March and comes in the aftermath of questions about votes taken by Mayor Will Sessoms.

Don Rush is the News Director at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.