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Council adopts complaint-resolution 590-25; members ask for stronger council/staff complaint rules and whistleblower clarity
Summary
Depot Bay adopted Resolution 590-25 to formalize the public complaint process for routine citizen complaints. Council members said the resolution does not address whistleblower protections or complaints about councilors and staff and asked for a separate policy and revisions to council rules.
The Depot Bay City Council voted to adopt Resolution 590-25, a policy intended to standardize how the city receives and processes routine public complaints such as code-enforcement or neighbor disputes. "This is problem 1. This is for the general public," a council member said while explaining the resolution's scope.
Council discussion highlighted two gaps. Several members noted that complaints sent directly to individual councilors remain subject to public-record requirements under the ORS (Oregon Revised Statutes), and that complaints about staff or councilors themselves should be handled under separate processes. A councilor said the city’s employee handbook already contains whistleblower protections for staff, but council members agreed the council rules and complaint processes need more robust guidance for complaints about elected officials and employees.
Council moved to adopt the resolution; the motion passed with an affirmative vote. Council members directed staff to draft additional procedures and to return with a proposal addressing complaints about council members and staff, and to consider integrating whistleblower guidance into council rules or a separate policy.
Why it matters: The resolution clarifies how ordinary public complaints will be processed, but council members flagged the need for distinct, transparent procedures when complaints involve staff conduct or allegations against elected officials. Those procedures can affect transparency and legal risk for the city.
Next steps: Staff to draft a supplemental policy or amendments to council rules addressing complaints about council members and staff and to present samples for council review.
