Code of Conduct Council - Internal Procedures

📌 Policies and Templates Internal Operating Procedures
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Important Links
Notion

All reports will be received using the following forms:

  1. Token House CoC Report
  2. Grant Recipient CoC Report

How can you communicate with the Code of Conduct Council?
Discord: #codeofconduct channel
Forum communication thread
Email: codeofconduct@optimism.io
Office Hours will be accessible in the Public Governance Calendar.

Disclaimer
Council members aren’t allowed to respond from personal accounts to any inquiries or issues involving the Council, only using their accounts in Discord, publicly in the Code of Council channel. The only email through the one we will communicate is codeofoconduct@optimism.io,

NOTE: This was V1, please see the updated Internal Procedures in the post below.

What happens once we receive a report?

1. Notification Period: The Council will notify a maximum of three (3) days after the report has been received, the existence of the report to the parties involved.

2. Investigative Phase: When required and decided by the Council, it will approach the parties privately via the Council account, to gather more information related to each case, and to nurture the decision-making process when required. In this case, information about the report will be made public to the individuals or groups being reported, and five (5) days will be given to present any additional information they consider relevant for the evaluation of the Report.

3. Alternative Dispute Resolution: In case the CoC Council determines the Report is suitable to proceed with alternative dispute resolution methods, and the parties approve adhering to them, the CoC will proceed with this. This would pause any further evaluation or decision from the CoCC.

4. Evaluation Period and Voting Period: Seven (7) before the Decision Period, described below, members of the CoCC will evaluate all the information of the open reports, and each member will present an anonymous written evaluation together with their anonymous vote.

  • The consensus of the Council in every decision is achieved by a simple majority. The Lead should not be a voting member but can exercise decision-making authority if the Council cannot come to a consensus.

5. Decision Period: Three (3) days before the end of the Review Period the CoCC will finalize all Reports made during the period before. This report will be posted as an “Optimistic Vote” for the Token House. That means the Token House may veto any enforcement actions taken.

  • During this period, a general document together with the resolution will be published for the parties involved in each report. Certain information will be made public to the general public through the Forum, always maintaining the confidentiality of the parties and the situations when required.

If due to the terms of any of the previous phases, a Report cannot be processed before the end of a Review Period, the CoCC will do so before the end of the next review period.

What happens if a member declares themselves not in a position to vote?
Members can declare a conflict and recuse themselves from any decision, but conflicts must be disclosed immediately and will be documented in this case, the rest of the members of the Council will vote, and quorum is a simple majority.

Documentation
All reports, emails, and other documentation of claims and enforcement decisions must be persistently documented, only the non-confidential information and public resolutions will be communicated in the communication thread in the Forum.

What are the obligations of the members?

  1. Members of the Council must participate in >70% of the votes.
  2. The Lead must i)Facilitate coordination of review and host regular Council meetings, which should occur at least once per Voting Cycle in which reports are filed. ii) Exercise decision-making authority if the Council cannot come to a consensus on an administrative or operational matter (ie. act as a tiebreaker)
  3. Members are also obliged to all the additional actions determined in these internal procedures, or criteria established by the foundation at the time of their selection.

Retrospective must be conducted at the end of the Season, and all documentation must be up to date for the newly selected members.

Keeping the CoCC Accountable
Meeting minutes will be made available to the community via our forum communication thread. The CoCC will publish a summary of any enforcement decisions made during the Voting Cycle to the Forum by the end of the review period of each voting cycle. This report will be added to the Voting Roundup and optimistically approved. In this context, optimistic approval means the Council’s decisions are assumed to be approved unless the Token House explicitly vetoes an enforcement action. If any of the enforcements receive >12% of the votable supply in no votes, that enforcement action will go to a full Token House vote in the next Voting Cycle and no enforcement action should be taken in the interim.

How can modifications to the internal procedures be made?
All modifications made to these internal Procedures need to be approved by the majority plus one of the members of the CoCC. No more than one modification can be made per Season. All amendments will be made public through the Forum.

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Hello Optimists!

Thanks everyone for your Feedback, and please find our amendment to the Internal Procedures for the CoCC below:

Key points when addressing a Report

  1. Upon receipt of a report, the Code of Conduct Council (CoCC) will notify the involved parties of the report’s existence to ensure transparency and fairness in the process.

  2. Then the CoCC will engage with the involved parties confidentially through the Council’s official account to gather comprehensive information pertinent to each case. This step is crucial for an informed decision-making process.

  3. The individuals or groups reported will be informed about the specifics of the report and will be able to submit any additional evidence or information they deem relevant for the assessment of the report.

  4. The CoCC members will independently review the details of the open reports. Each member will contribute to a shared Report Evaluation Document and cast an anonymous vote.

  5. Decisions within the CoCC will be reached by a simple majority.

  6. The Lead of the CoCC, while not a voting member, shall possess the authority to make decisive calls in the event of a deadlock among the Council members.

  7. The CoCC’s voting will focus on two key aspects: the occurrence of a violation and the severity of the said violation.

  8. The CoCC will finalize the evaluation of all reports received during the said period. The findings will be presented as an “Optimistic Vote” to the Token House, allowing for a potential veto of any enforcement actions proposed by the CoCC. A comprehensive document detailing the resolution of each report, along with relevant non-confidential information, will be published for the involved parties and the broader community, maintaining the confidentiality of specific details as required.

  9. As per the Token House Code of Conduct Council Charter where a report cannot be addressed within the current Review Period due to it being submitted less than 3 days before the end of the Review Period, the CoCC will ensure its resolution before the conclusion of the subsequent Review Period.

Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR): Should the CoCC ascertain that the report is amenable to ADR methods and the involved parties consent to this approach, the CoCC will facilitate this process. This will suspend any further evaluation or decision-making by the CoCC, and a designated lead from the CoCC will oversee the ADR process.

In the event of a Voting Conflict: Council members are required to disclose any conflicts of interest immediately and recuse themselves from the decision-making process regarding the report in question. The remaining Council members will proceed with the vote, with a simple majority constituting a quorum.

Subsequent Violations: Should the reported parties persist in their problematic behavior following a decision and the imposition of an enforcement action, it is imperative to report this continued misconduct to the CoCC through a new report.

Documentation and Accountability

All claims, reports, and enforcement decisions must be thoroughly documented, with non-confidential information and public resolutions being communicated through the community forum.

Council Members’ Obligations: Council members are expected to participate in over 70% of the votes. The Lead is responsible for coordinating the review process, convening regular Council meetings (at least once per Voting Cycle), and acting as a tiebreaker in the event of a deadlock on administrative or operational matters. A retrospective analysis will be conducted at the end of each Season to ensure all documentation is current for incoming Council members.

Maintaining CoCC Transparency: At the end of each Review Period, the CoCC will publish a summary of enforcement decisions made during the Voting Cycle. These decisions are subject to optimistic approval, meaning they are deemed approved unless explicitly vetoed by the Token House. Should any enforcement action garner more than 12% of “no” votes from the votable supply, it will be escalated to a full Token House vote in the subsequent Voting Cycle, and no enforcement action will be taken in the interim.

Modifications to Internal Procedures: Any amendments to these internal procedures require approval by a majority plus one of the CoCC members, always taking into consideration the Charter.

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