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Council members and residents press for HR review and clarify that executive order cannot replace ordinance
Summary
Council discussion focused on a relationship contract, an executive order that altered an organizational chart, alleged conflict‑of‑interest risks and calls to hire outside HR; council scheduled a special meeting to address personnel policy and to issue RFPs for HR services.
Fort Thomas residents and members of City Council spent a large portion of the Oct. 20, 2025, meeting questioning recent personnel changes, an executive order that altered the city's organizational chart and whether existing personnel policies were followed.
Multiple speakers, including Joan Farris and other residents, told council they were concerned about a disclosed relationship involving city staff and the potential for a supervisory conflict. Joan Farris said a written “relationship agreement” dated Aug. 6, 2024, between City Administrator Matt Kramer and an employee, Chanda Callantine, conflicted with the city's personnel manual, which the speakers said prohibits supervisory romantic relationships. “We cannot afford to have that liability at this juncture,” Farris said.
Speakers and several council members also discussed whether the city's executive order of Nov. 18, 2024, effectively superseded an ordinance that had set the organizational chart. Some council members cited guidance from the Kentucky League of Cities (KLC) indicating ordinances cannot be repealed or altered by unilateral executive order. Council members said the correct legal process requires council action to change an ordinance and that they had been told the organizational chart should have been submitted or retained consistent with prior votes.
Council members and residents urged the city to hire an independent HR provider to handle workplace investigations and to reduce internal conflicts. Several council members said they had previously approved exploring outsourced HR services but that implementation had not occurred. A motion was made and council agreed to prepare requests for proposals for outsourced HR services and to include HR scope discussion on a special meeting agenda.
Councilors acknowledged procedural missteps in how some personnel decisions were handled and said they would work to correct process and transparency gaps. Members asked staff to collect all executive orders since 2015, to provide the personnel manual and to include a personnel‑policy agenda item at the special meeting where the forensic audit scope will also be discussed.
Ending Council scheduled a special meeting to review personnel policies, the organizational chart and to finalize scopes for RFPs for HR and forensic services. Several council members urged that any further personnel policy changes go through the published ordinance process and be shared promptly with council and the public.
