FAIRHOPE, Ala. - You often see them in front of private homes or at private events, dressed in police uniforms, standing next to Fairhope police cars, blue lights flashing.

Those police officers are not on the city payroll at that time, but are working off-duty and being paid by the host of the private party, or sponsors of the event.

That issue of off-duty employment and how officers working privately are paid will be the subject of a June 1 hearing before the Alabama Ethics Commission in Montgomery.

Several city officials and employees have received letters requesting their attendance at what will be a hearing in private before the ethics commission next month, which will then make its decision in an open meeting.

The commission will decide whether probable cause exists to refer the case, which purportedly alleges the use of public office for private gain, to a local district attorney or the state attorney general.

“We haven’t taken, nor has one person taken one penny of anybody’s money,” Police Chief Bill Press said Wednesday. “My books are open to anybody and everyone.”

An ethics complaint, regarding how the payment of those officers was being handled through a private bank account, was filed against Press by Mayor Tim Kant.

The mayor said he was advised to send a letter about his concerns to the ethics commission by attorney David Whetstone, whom he retained in March 2010 for advice on the subject.

Kant declined to provide a copy of the letter he sent to the ethics commission, on the request of the commission, he said.

The mayor said he had received a request to appear at the June 1 hearing, as did the city clerk and police chief. Others who have been requested to appear include the city treasurer, city attorney and the police chief’s executive assistant, according to published reports this week.

“There were no subpoenas issued, it was a letter request,” Press stated, referring to media accounts about the ethics commission requests to appear that were sent to the officials and staff within the past month or so. “We saw a definite problem with the way business had been conducted in the past and we wanted total transparency, which is what I promised everybody when I got appointed to this police department.”