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Commission hears that investigator position remained unposted amid repeated HR delays
Summary
Commission members and the director reported repeated delays and limited responsiveness from city human resources, saying an investigator position approved for two hires was not posted and related documentation has not been produced by stated deadlines.
At a Davenport City commission meeting, the commission’s director reported repeated delays from the city human resources office that have left an investigator position unposted and stalled other personnel actions.
The director, identified in the meeting as Director Lacey, told commissioners she had submitted “the commitment request for the balance of the data for the investigation related position to HR with a requested response date of January 30, 2025, and that information has not been received.” She said HR informed her that it would not review the December submission until Feb. 21, 2025.
The director said the delays have produced a staffing backlog that is “affecting our ability to maintain operational efficiency,” and that although the commission had approval to post two investigator positions, only one position was posted, explaining why the office received few applications. She said the failure to post both positions “is bleeding key roles unfilled, putting under pressure on us, and then hindering our ability to meet our goals.”
Commissioners pressed for clarity on who in city administration or HR could attend a future meeting to answer questions. One commissioner suggested defining the commission’s expectations for an acceptable response from the city administrator and asked staff to follow up with the chair, vice chairs and secretary if the requested data is not received.
The director also said she had asked for the salary metric used to set the commission’s pay and had not received that documentation despite repeated requests. She noted a discrepancy between the ordinance language — which she said appears to assign salary-setting authority to the commission — and current practice, where HR has been setting salary levels.
The director described prior delays in posting the full-time position that stretched for several months last year and urged that, once approved to post two positions, the city keep them posted until filled without repeated follow-ups from commission staff.
The commission did not take a formal vote on HR oversight in the segments reviewed. Commissioners agreed to seek follow-up from the city administrator and to consider a small-group approach if the requested documentation is not produced.
The discussion also included operational updates: the director said HR had given no prospective date for the commission’s requested documents, and she had been told by the administrator that he would follow up with HR staff and expected to be out of the office the next morning at 10 a.m.
Ending: Commissioners instructed staff to follow up with the city administrator and to prepare a clearly defined expectation of an acceptable response to present to the administrator if the requested documents do not arrive.
