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St. Cloud council subpoenas economic development director, schedules department questioning
Summary
St. Cloud City Council voted 4-1 to subpoena Economic Development Director Antoinette Forbes to appear at a special council meeting and agreed to request Parks & Recreation supervisor Erin Jenks to attend voluntarily as the council seeks sworn testimony about department operations before Forbes’ July 4 departure.
The St. Cloud City Council voted 4-1 to subpoena Economic Development Director Antoinette Forbes to appear at a special meeting and agreed to request Parks & Recreation supervisor Erin Jenks to attend voluntarily so council members can question department operations. Mayor Robertson made the motion and Deputy Mayor Gilbert seconded; Council member Fletcher voted no.
Council members said the request is intended to gather sworn testimony and records so the council can review operations and spending before Forbes’ employment ends July 4. Mayor Robertson said the subpoena is to “get her to show up, and get the information.” The council discussed holding the special meeting on the third at 6:30 p.m.
The action follows public comments and council discussion about whether the council has complied with the charter and Sunshine Law in scheduling and decision-making. Public commenter Josh Myers said he believed the council had violated open-meeting requirements “5, maybe 6 times in the last 30 days.”
Why it matters: Council members said they need a shared, on-the-record presentation from department leadership so all members hear the same answers at once rather than receiving piecemeal one-on-one briefings. Several council members said their goal is to ask questions and document responses, not to launch an external contractor investigation.
At the meeting, council members debated whether the charter’s language requires subpoenas and special-meeting procedures for this sort of review. Council member Urban suggested a third party review could be preferable if a formal investigation were warranted; other members said the charter language provides the process for sworn testimony and that subpoenas ensure attendance if an employee departs before a scheduled session.
The council recorded a small administrative cost for subpoenas. The clerk noted that formally preparing and serving subpoenas costs “approximately 150 to $200.” Council members emphasized that the session is intended to be question-and-answer only and not to incur large investigative contracts.
What the council decided: Mayor Robertson moved to subpoena Antoinette Forbes and to ask Erin Jenks to attend; Deputy Mayor Gilbert seconded. The roll call was Deputy Mayor Gilbert: Aye; Council member Fletcher: No; Council member Paul: Aye; Council member Urban: Aye; Mayor Robertson: Aye. The motion carried 4-1.
Discussion versus decision: The council clarified that asking Jenks to appear is a voluntary request to an employee and requires no subpoena; the subpoena is for Forbes because she is leaving employment July 4 and could decline to appear voluntarily. Council members said the session may take as little as a few minutes if questions are answered promptly.
Next steps: Staff will schedule the special meeting and, per the council vote, have the clerk issue the subpoena for Antoinette Forbes and ask Erin Jenks to attend voluntarily. The council indicated the hearing will focus on department operations and financial stewardship and that further follow-up will depend on what is documented during sworn testimony.
