Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Employment Termination Settlement topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Former city clerk alleges termination after raising performance-pay concerns; council authorizes settlement offer after executive session
Summary
A former senior staffer said she was fired after raising concerns about evaluation scores and a memo of understanding; the council held an executive session on potential litigation and then authorized the city manager to make a settlement offer as recommended by outside counsel.
Krista Kilsmeier, a former city employee and past city clerk, told the Sammamish City Council on Sept. 16 that she was terminated last week after raising concerns about the city's memorandum of understanding on performance pay.
Kilsmeier said supervisors had pressured staff to assign "meets expectations" ratings and that when she raised the issue at a racial equity team meeting in August 2025 she was reported to the city manager and then fired. Reading from a termination notice, she said: "particularly concerning was your assertion that you do not report to the city manager's office or to the council. You said you were accountable only to the community." Kilsmeier said she had not stated she answered only to the community and that she attached an organizational chart to her rebuttal.
The council moved the public meeting into an executive session to discuss "legal counsel potential of litigation pursuant to RCW 42.30.110(1)(i)," the city announced at the meeting, and returned to open session at the time noted on the agenda.
After the executive session, Council Member Kent Sid Gupta moved "to authorize the city manager to make a written offer of settlement in the amount recommended by outside legal Ditcomb and Lindy Behringer as required by RCW 8.25.070 per n 1 per n a." The motion was seconded and carried; the presiding mayor called for the vote and the motion passed.
The council did not disclose settlement figures or terms in open session; the motion language attributed the recommendation to outside counsel and referenced statutory authority noted during the meeting. Kilsmeier provided documentation during public comment and said she has attached her rebuttal and the termination notice for the public record.
