The city's ethics board approved new regulations Tuesday for the solicitation of gifts by city employees - an issue raised during Mayor Sheila Dixon's legal troubles.

City officials must now request the permission of the ethics board at least 30 days in advance of a fundraising campaign and must stipulate from whom, when and in what amounts they will seek gifts, said Dana P. Moore, ethics board chair. They must explain the "bona fide city purpose" for which the money will be spent and provide detailed reports during and after the fundraising campaign, she said.

The plan must also be approved by the city's spending board, or another board designated by it, before getting final approval.

Any request to solicit gift cards - a key issue during the criminal trial that led to Dixon's resignation - would likely be denied under the new rules, which go into effect March 1, Moore said.

Also Tuesday, the board denied a request from the mayor's office to exempt a health fundraising campaign from the existing gift-solicitation rules, citing lack of accounting information.