Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Personnel Allegations topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Dayton council says allegations against city administrator, fire chief not sustained
Summary
After reviewing allegations raised by Council Member Stephanie Henderson, the Dayton City Council concluded at its Sept. 23 meeting that neither City Administrator Zack Dow nor Fire Chief Gary Hendrickson had unlawfully spent city funds or breached fiduciary duties and that no discipline was warranted.
Mayor Dennis Fischer read closed‑meeting summaries at the council's Sept. 23 meeting saying the council had reviewed allegations about the actions of City Administrator Zack Dow and Fire Chief Gary Hendrickson and found no legal violations.
The council's review followed emails and allegations raised by Council Member Stephanie Henderson about whether the city administrator or fire chief had exceeded authority by assigning extra duties to paid‑on‑call firefighters and approving higher pay for one incumbent in a role the council had not formally established. Mayor Fischer said the council concluded city funds were not expended unlawfully and that neither official had breached a fiduciary duty.
“The council concluded that neither Zack nor the chief did anything illegal,” Fischer said while summarizing the legal findings, and added that mistakes, if any, appeared to stem from procedural gaps rather than malice.
Council members directed staff to strengthen internal controls: the city will require position descriptions and pay rates to be presented to the council before new duties or pay changes are implemented, update city code employment rules and the personnel policy, and continue discussions about the fire department’s structure for 2026. The council also reviewed labor‑negotiation strategy from an Aug. 26 closed session and gave instructions to administrators about responses to proposals from AFSCME and Teamsters Local 320.
The mayor emphasized protection of private personnel data as a reason for closed sessions in these matters and said the council’s aim was to resolve issues while preserving employees’ privacy.
The summaries were included in the public agenda packet and read aloud for the record; no disciplinary action was taken and the council voted to move forward with administrative and policy updates.
