Lebanon may be unique in a number of ways, but its recent flap about whether relatives should be able to serve in city government together isn't one of them.

Though some Linn cities have no direct rule on the subject - Sweet Home, Brownsville and Harrisburg, for example - at least one spells it out in black and white.

In Tangent, no husband-wife duos or similar configurations are allowed to serve on the city council or planning commission at the same time.

"It hasn't been a problem but people thought it may be in the future," said City Administrator Georgia Edwards.

She said the issue was brought to voters in the early 1990s after a couple began working together on the council. Edwards said she is unaware of any issues with the pair specifically and they no longer serve or even live in Tangent, but a charter amendment was passed anyway.

"Some people thought it was inappropriate," Edwards said of the idea of family members working side by side on the council.

In Brownsville, City Administrator Scott McDowell said there is no rule specifically prohibiting family members from working together on councils, but he believes the state's general policy against nepotism applies to cities' unpaid elected and appointed positions.

As with most cities, Brownsville has a conflict of interest rule that says a married person may not supervise his or her spouse in an employment situation.

McDowell said the issue of family members serving together on volunteer boards has not come up in the 12 years he has worked in Brownsville.

"I would see it as a conflict of interest and recommend to the mayor that it not be allowed if that situation were to arise," he said.

Officials from Sweet Home and Harrisburg said they have similar employment rules. However, most city councils and boards are volunteer positions.

In Jefferson, City Recorder Sarah Jimmerson said a husband and wife currently serve on its planning commission. She said the city consulted its legal counsel before allowing it.

Jefferson has no specific rule against family members serving together.