Council acknowledges written employee complaints about Councilman Ray and refers matter to city attorney

During the May 2 work session the mayor placed on the record multiple written complaints from city employees alleging confrontational conduct, interference with operations and inappropriate contact outside the chain of command by Councilman Ray.

The mayor described incidents in which employees and the mayor said Ray yelled at staff and approached in close physical proximity, including an account that described “chest to chest” contact and claimed the conduct had created a hostile workplace atmosphere. The mayor and other council members emphasized that disciplinary deliberations about an elected official have legal limits in executive session and asked the city attorney for guidance on how to proceed while protecting employees and preserving records.

A motion was brought forward that the council acknowledge receipt of the written complaints, refer the matter to the city attorney for written recommendations, direct elected officials to refrain from threatening or intimidating employees or directing staff outside the established chain of command, and place a council conduct and staff-contact policy on the next regular agenda for consideration. The motion was stated on the record during the meeting.

Council members said the immediate priority is to preserve evidence, provide legal guidance and consider policy steps to prevent future employee contact outside proper channels. The motion’s stated purpose was procedural referral and policy consideration; the transcript records the motion text and the referral direction but does not include a roll-call tally in a standardized form in the section where the motion was made.

The referral initiates a process for legal review by the city attorney and for drafting a policy for council consideration; further action and any potential disciplinary steps would depend on the attorney’s recommendations and possibly on additional investigation or hearings.