A. The "Hearing Officer" shall be appointed by the Commission to receive written complaints of alleged violations of this Ethics Code, and to investigate the complaints within a reasonable amount of time in order to determine whether there is probable cause to believe that a violation of this Code has occurred, all as set forth in PCC 3.12.080.

B. The Hearing Officer shall be selected by the Ethics Commission by majority vote for a one-year contract. The Hearing Officer's contract may be renewed by a majority vote of the Commission. The Hearing Officer shall be a member in good standing with the Washington State Bar Association, shall have been licensed to practice law in the State of Washington for a minimum of five years, and shall have prior investigative or judicial experience. If an individual with prior investigative or judicial experience is unavailable to serve, this requirement may be waived. Because of its sensitive position, the Hearing Officer must avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest. Therefore, the Hearing Officer shall be bound by the same restrictions as are set forth in PCC 3.12.070 for members of the Ethics Commission.

C. The Hearing Officer shall be compensated for the time devoted to the performance of their official duties at a rate to be negotiated between the Ethics Commission and the Hearing Officer, subject to the approval of the Executive. The Hearing Officer shall be reimbursed for reasonable and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their official duties.

D. Whenever a Hearing Officer selected under this Code is either temporarily or permanently unable to perform the duties of this position, or if there exists the appearance of or an actual conflict of interest with the duties, the Commission shall select a temporary replacement or permanent successor in the manner provided for in subsection B.