Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Personnel Policy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commission defers action on grievance policy after wide discussion; staff to return with revisions
Summary
The Board of County Commissioners deferred action on rescinding the county grievance policy to allow further stakeholder work with elected offices and HR. County manager cited legal concerns in a specific elected‑office matter; commissioners directed staff to return with revisions by early November.
Sedgwick County commissioners on Sept. 3 voted to defer consideration of a resolution that would rescind the county grievance policy and related personnel provisions, asking county staff to coordinate with elected offices and return with a revised proposal.
County Manager Tom Stolz (Tom Stills in the transcript) said the request to rescind the grievance policy stems from a recent conflict involving an elected office and an employee matter. "The recommended rescinding of this policy is simply to give us a chance to reconcile with the row offices and other elected offices on how to manage the policy in a manner that makes them comfortable," he told the commission, adding that legal counsel and HR recommended rescindment temporarily while stakeholders craft a revised policy.
Several commissioners urged caution and a short delay rather than an immediate repeal. Commissioner Scott Meitzner said he worried rescinding the policy now would send a negative message to county employees and noted the grievance policy has been in place in some form for decades. "We need there to be some checks and balances between an initial decision to do something to an employee and before that final decision of that elected official," Meitzner said.
Commissioner Chris Buba and others asked whether a temporary moratorium or case‑by‑case approach could handle any immediate grievances while revision proceeds. County counselor Justin Wyander and the manager said staff would aim to produce a revised policy and return to the commission; commissioners set a target to revisit the matter no later than the first meeting in November but asked staff to return sooner if a revised policy is ready.
A motion to defer carried on a roll call; county counsel and HR will convene a stakeholder group including elected officials' offices, the sheriff's office and department leaders to draft a replacement grievance process that preserves employee due process while recognizing the statutory independence of elected offices.
