The City Council discussed a staff proposal to create a departmental accident‑review committee — called DARC in the draft — to review fleet vehicle accidents, equipment damage and some job‑related injuries.

Staff said DARC would be composed of employees (not administration) and would review whether an employee’s act or failure to act was a contributing factor in fleet accidents or incidents that damaged city property. The draft policy would also direct the committee to review job‑related injuries that result in one or more lost workdays.

Council members sought clarity on scope and process. Questions included whether the committee would function across all departments or within each department, how members would be selected for specific occurrences, and how the committee’s review would interact with civil‑service rules for police and fire employees. Staff said the committee was intended to operate across departments but could draw members from the affected department; the chief’s input was not present at the meeting and staff suggested deferring detailed design until the chief could attend.

Several council members raised process and liability concerns. One council member warned that managers and directors should not be shielded from responsibility by a committee and urged clear accountability. Another council member asked whether committee records could be discoverable in litigation; the member said that if committee findings were subject to subpoena they could be used against the city in lawsuits. Staff said the chief had discussed the committee with legal staff and that civil‑service rules allow department‑level review but that officers serving on municipal civil‑service panels could not sit on the DARC for matters under civil‑service review.

Employees and residents who spoke during public comment urged the council to craft clear criteria for preventable versus non‑preventable incidents and recommended procedures such as drug testing for accidents that meet a stated threshold. A council member suggested the committee be referred to the employee committee or discussed again when the chief is able to be present for a fuller briefing.

No ordinance or policy was adopted at the meeting; staff proposed returning the matter to a future briefing when the chief and labor counsel could participate.