Policies Without Accountability That Lean Toward Control

In mid-October, the previous Town Council unanimously repealed Chapter 31 of the ordinances and approved an employee manual, without comment, that includes several provisions that I believe warrant further review. These are a couple of the most concerning to me:

The manual instructs employees who feel harassed to “confront the harasser and ask them to stop.” It also states that “the employer has the right to perform a wellness check” on absent employees without defining who conducts these checks or how they’re monitored. A potential violation of privacy rights.

It further imposes an unwarranted and potentially unlawful time limit on filing grievances: “The aggrieved may, within ten (10) working days, file a written grievance to the Department Head or designee.” Even more concerning, it provides no process for filing grievances against the Town Manager or department heads. In fact, it declares that “in all cases, the decision of the Town Manager or designee will be final and binding.” That’s a clear conflict of interest and a potential violation of due process.

Odd to me is the fact that the phrase “Town Manager or designee” is mentioned over 75 times in the 64-page document while the term “HR” is mentioned just 5-times. The word designee is not defined.

Lastly, it is not clear whether Town Council approval is required in order to update/change/modify the manual – whereas the previous manual was a part of the ordinances, this manual does not appear to be an ordinance. Although the note on page 105 indicates it is intended to replace Chapter 31, since there was no public hearing as would normally be required by the Town Charter in order to adopt an ordinance, I am not sure this manual is in-fact an ordinance or just an administrative policy document.

This, to me, is another example where accountability has been lost.

All this is to say: I wouldn’t want to work at Town Hall under these conditions, and no one should have to. Town Hall should operate in a way that protects the rights of employees and the public alike.

Accountability must extend from the bottom all the way to the top. I intend to address this policy with the new Town Council and will push to make our Town Hall a place where people feel safe, respected, and proud to work.

Find the policy beginning on page 105 here: TC 10.14.25 Packet.pdf