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Fairview city manager discloses hiring‑policy violation; board will consider next steps
Summary
City Manager Tom Dougherty told the board he discovered a hiring violation—an employee related by marriage—and self‑reported after getting a legal opinion. The city attorney outlined options (acknowledge, reprimand, discipline or termination); the manager said he would accept the board’s decision and the matter will be revisited at a future meeting.
City Manager Tom Dougherty read a public statement disclosing that he believed a hiring he was involved with violated the city’s nepotism policy (policy 6.2.1). He said his interpretation of the policy changed after obtaining a legal opinion from MTAS (Municipal Technical Advisory Service) that indicated the manager occupies a position in the line of supervision for all city employees, which could mean the hire constituted a violation.
Dougherty said the hiring was inadvertent and that separate interview and supervisory arrangements were in place; he said he had seen the employee less than 10 times during work hours in nearly two years and that there had been no evidence of preferential treatment. He said he was prepared to resign if the board thought that appropriate, but he primarily sought to be transparent.
City Attorney counsel described options available to the board including public acknowledgment, a resolution of reprimand with possible unpaid days off, or pursuing termination—though he said termination for such a policy violation absent other factors might be legally difficult. Commissioners asked for time to digest the letter and suggested meeting with the city attorney and city manager before a future business meeting to determine next steps.
Next steps: the board agreed no immediate action was required at the meeting; staff and the city attorney will prepare additional information for a future business session and the board will decide whether to take formal action (public reprimand, waive the violation, or consider other remedies).
