Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Personnel Accountability topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Cary council approves $150,000 for outside review of former manager’s conduct and $100,000 for employee engagement survey
Summary
The council unanimously approved staff’s recommendation to appropriate up to $150,000 for a third‑party law‑firm investigation into financial and workplace concerns tied to the former town manager and up to $100,000 for an employee engagement program including a comprehensive survey and focus groups.
Interim Town Manager Russ Overton (S8) briefed council on two related actions designed to address issues arising after the resignation of the former town manager. Overton said the town engaged Womble Bond Dickinson to conduct a third‑party review focused on procurement card usage, reimbursements and expenditures tied to the former manager and senior staff, the accuracy and reporting of town finances to council, and the workplace environment created by the former manager. Staff estimated the law‑firm work could cost up to $150,000.
Overton also recommended an outside employee‑engagement program to provide qualitative and quantitative baseline data about staff morale and operations, citing that it has been nearly 10 years since the last comprehensive survey. The program as presented would include survey design, distribution, statistical analysis, reporting and up to 10 facilitated focus groups; staff estimated a cost of up to $100,000 for the engagement plan. Overton said the two efforts are complementary: the law‑firm inquiry focuses on specific alleged conduct and financial review, while the employee engagement work will provide organization‑wide baseline data and confidential channels for staff to share experiences.
Council members debated scope and timing. Some members said the survey work was urgent and should begin immediately to give staff a voice and a baseline; others asked whether a phased approach (starting with survey design and analysis) might be more fiscally prudent. Several members emphasized the need for outside third‑party facilitation for focus groups to ensure confidentiality and trust. One council member estimated the per‑employee cost at about $75 and described it as a reasonable investment to ‘level‑set’ staff needs.
A motion to approve staff’s recommendation — to utilize up to $150,000 for the law‑firm investigation and up to $100,000 for the employee engagement plan — passed unanimously by voice vote.
