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Council considers repealing council complaint process; residents urge retention of oversight
Summary
Bill 01‑26, reported favorably by the Rules Committee, would repeal and replace the city code section governing written complaints against council members and remove the council's formal complaint process; proponents cite abuse and conflicts with the Open Door law, while opponents warned the change would reduce accountability and urged a citizen review board or stronger safeguards.
Bill 01‑26 — a proposal to repeal, suspend and replace Chapter 2, Article 1, Section 2‑10.1 of the municipal code (the procedures for filing complaints against council members) — drew heated debate and extended public testimony at the Jan. 26 meeting.
Sponsors said the existing ordinance requires an initial confidential rules‑committee executive session to screen complaints, a procedure that the Indiana Public Access Counselor has advised is inconsistent with the Open Door law and that has been subject to abuse and frivolous filings. President Lee said the Rules Committee researched other Indiana municipalities and concluded most do not maintain an automatic council complaint process; the proposed change would remove the automatic council complaint procedure and direct complainants to existing statutory remedies and law‑enforcement channels.
Opponents said eliminating the council complaint procedure removes a direct avenue for citizen redress and could be perceived as shielding elected officials from oversight. Multiple residents recounted prior incidents they said were not fully investigated by the council and urged that accountability mechanisms be preserved or enhanced; some asked for a citizen review board. The city attorney and committee sponsors responded by listing statutory alternatives (Open Door complaints, public‑servant offense statutes, civil remedies and State Board of Accounts avenues) and said citations would be included in meeting minutes.
The Rules Committee had forwarded Bill 01‑26 with a favorable recommendation; the item was open for public input and further action at the full council. No final vote on ordinance repeal was recorded in the transcript excerpt.
