Audit committee plans redline of ethics ordinance and explores anonymous reporting link to state comptroller

The Jackson City Audit Committee discussed proposed amendments to the city’s ethics ordinance, options for anonymous reporting, and steps to reactivate an ethics committee that now has six active members.

Attorney Teresa Luna noted three proposed changes from the audit committee to the ethics ordinance and said the first would expand covered relationships to include grandchildren; she said the two other proposed changes had already been addressed in the ethics committee's policy and procedures. Luna also reminded the committee that "the current ethics ordinance does not permit anonymity in the complaint process." She said enabling anonymity would require a formal recommendation to the City Council to amend the ordinance and that the committee had agreed to defer a final decision until the ethics committee is reactivated.

Committee members said they would redline the existing ordinance language and meet with the ethics committee once its membership is in place. The audit committee was told that four ethics‑committee terms had expired and three members wanted reappointment; "Campbell voted on today," and staff said the action left six members with active terms while one member, Tranetta Atwater, has indicated she wants to roll off when a replacement is found.

Kelsey, a human resources staff member who briefed the committee on employee complaint processes, told the committee that HR handles complaints such as discrimination, harassment, policy violations, attendance and performance issues. She said HR conducts a preliminary screening to determine if a complaint is valid, identifies the appropriate investigator, conducts interviews, gathers documentation and makes an appropriate response; HR retains records and monitors for retaliation. Kelsey noted the department "does not have a process" for anonymous internal complaints and that legally she cannot promise anonymity in many cases but will share information "to the appropriate parties."

Chelsea pointed the committee to the Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury’s fraud, waste and abuse reporting page as a practical option for anonymous reporting. She described the comptroller’s online form, which allows submitters to provide details and upload documents without supplying a name or contact information. Committee members discussed the link as a possible "missing middle" between HR complaints and ethics complaints: it could allow completely anonymous reports of fraud, waste or abuse that are outside HR processes while the formal ethics process would remain for conflicts of interest and elected‑official matters.

Committee members asked staff to draft redlines of the ethics ordinance and to schedule a joint discussion with the ethics committee. Staff also recommended adding a centralized link on the city website to guide employees and citizens to HR, the ethics committee and, if desired, the comptroller’s anonymous reporting form. The committee scheduled a work session to review proposed ordinance changes and to develop recommendations for how anonymous reporting should be handled going forward.