Adams County officials outline harassment-complaint procedures, data tracking and possible outside review

County Manager Dionne and Adams County human-resources and legal staff briefed the board on the county’s procedures for handling allegations of harassment, discrimination and other personnel complaints and described steps to centralize case tracking and improve reporting.

The briefing detailed how People and Culture (PNC) now routes employee-relations work through a single employee-relations manager, the use of an anonymous reporting tool called SpeakFully and an internal case-tracking system (HR Acuity), and the county attorney’s role in assessing legal risk and advising investigations and discipline. ‘‘We take every complaint seriously,’’ County Manager Dionne said, describing the leadership goal of treating employees consistently and protecting the organization’s legal interests.

Why it matters: commissioners said they regularly receive upset employees and community members and cannot assess whether cases are being tracked, resolved or escalated. Several commissioners urged clearer reporting to the board, greater ”closing the loop” on investigations, and recommended an outside organizational or process audit to restore trust.

Key elements described by staff

- Centralized case handling: John Nelson, director of People and Culture, and Beth Bisbee, the county’s employee-relations manager, said PNC now assigns business partners to departments so employee-relations concerns route through a consistent unit. Bisbee said SpeakFully ‘‘can be used for any concern’’ and that reports can be anonymous.

- Data systems: Staff said HR Acuity has been in use about a year and now yields quantifiable data that can be parsed by supervisor or work unit. Officials said the county combines SpeakFully submissions and direct contacts to PNC into HR Acuity so that the county can identify patterns — for example multiple complaints tied to a single manager or work unit — and respond with training, coaching or investigation as appropriate.

- Investigation options and legal oversight: The county attorney’s office described tiers of response: informal reviews by PNC, internal investigations conducted by an internal investigator (Matt Barnett), and outside-investigator engagements for higher-risk or senior-employee complaints. Michelle Michael, the employment attorney in the county attorney’s office, and Amy Jones, labor administrator, explained that the attorney’s office advises on legal risk, supervises investigatory work and defends appeals or grievances when necessary.

- Discipline and appeal rights: Officials outlined the disciplinary steps: a pre-disciplinary conference (PDC) letter, a director-level decision letter, and the employee’s right to appeal to an independent hearing officer if suspension equals five days or more. Staff said probationary employees (typically a nine-month probation) do not have the same appeal rights through the county process. For unionized human-services employees, the collective-bargaining agreement and grievance/arbitration path remain available; staff said the union decides whether to pursue grievances to arbitration.

Board concerns and requests

Commissioners repeatedly pressed for clearer, regular reporting on complaint trends and outcomes rather than individual case details. Several members said the current record looks opaque and asked the county to ‘‘close the loop’’ so commissioners can confirm follow-up without receiving confidential case files. One commissioner urged that reporting include narrative context (for example, whether most complaints are resolved at intake or escalate to formal investigations).

Some commissioners cited examples from the public and from employees alleging racist or otherwise inappropriate behavior and said that those allegations — even if handled informally — need to be visible to leadership as part of trend analysis. A commissioner asked whether the board could fund an external audit of HR and legal processes in the 2026 budget; staff said they are open to outside review and that similar assessments have been discussed previously.

Clarifications staff provided

- SpeakFully: an anonymous (if desired) employee reporting channel that feeds PNC.

- HR Acuity: internal case-tracking used to log complaints coming from SpeakFully or direct contact with PNC; staff said the county completed roughly one year of data collection and can now identify supervisor-level trends.

- Informal vs. formal investigations: Staff explained that not every complaint receives a formal investigation; many are handled at an informal or coaching level by PNC and logged in HR Acuity. When complaints rise to alleged illegal harassment or discrimination, the county attorney’s office is notified and staff jointly decide whether a formal (internal or outside) investigation is required.

Exact-process notes and numeric details discussed at the meeting

- The county has reduced most probationary periods to nine months; probationary employees generally do not have appeals under the county’s disciplinary appeal process.

- The threshold for a paid-leave appeal to an independent hearing officer is five days’ suspension or more; employees generally have seven days to notify the county if they intend to appeal.

- Staff reported that PNC and the county attorney’s office are tracking grievances; Amy Jones said the union-related grievance count year-to-date was 18. Commissioners referenced a report that on its face showed 17 complaints and six formal investigations in 2024; staff clarified that those items not listed as ‘‘formally investigated’’ had been handled through PNC’s informal review process and were logged in HR Acuity.

What officials plan next

Staff said they will continue to expand use and reporting from HR Acuity, maintain monthly touchpoints between People and Culture and department leaders, and pursue manager training and internal tools to promote consistency in discipline and coaching. County leadership said they are open to an external review of HR and legal processes and will bring prospective scope and budget options back to the board for consideration.

Ending: Several commissioners asked that future briefings include a regular cadence (quarterly or semiannual) of anonymized trend data and a short narrative about notable patterns and follow-up actions so the board can better gauge organizational health without receiving confidential personnel records.