Steering committee advances proposal to standardize discipline and remove council sign-off for personnel actions

A steering-committee discussion on the charter’s disciplinary rules produced a multi-part proposal to standardize how city employees are disciplined and removed.

Victor Kesler, Commissioner, presented the draft revision to C26.1, saying the measure would “ensure everyone should be subject to the same procedures,” replacing inconsistent, position-by-position listings with a single rule that applies to department heads, deputy/assistant department heads and other positions not covered by civil-service or a collective-bargaining agreement. He said the change would also “clarify that the direct supervisor is the person who does the discipline and removal stuff,” with department heads disciplined by the city manager and deputies disciplined by their department heads.

The proposal would remove a longstanding requirement that common council approve disciplinary actions for certain listed positions. Kesler argued the council sign-off is a historical holdover from mayoral administration and risks injecting politics into personnel decisions, warning it “introduces the possibility of political shenanigans.”

Commissioners stressed exceptions. The draft preserves existing state civil-service protections and any rights established by collective-bargaining agreements. Multiple members emphasized that personnel covered by separate statutory schemes or contracts would not be affected.

The steering committee agreed to place the revision on the full commission agenda as a discussion item so all commissioners can review, amend and vote on final language. The city attorney will review the drafting to make sure legal exceptions and contract interactions are preserved.