Kanab council reviews draft personnel policy, fraud risk assessment and required ethics training

City Manager Kyler Ludwig and staff presented three governance items at the Jan. 20 meeting: an updated personnel policy draft, the Utah State Auditor's annual Fraud Risk Assessment, and required training on open meetings law and municipal ethics.

Ludwig said the draft Personnel Policy Manual is based on the Lexipol system and includes recruitment, conduct, evaluation, disciplinary procedures, benefits, leave policies and grievance procedures; staff added redlined changes to reflect Kanab's practices. The draft was presented for initial review only; council members were asked to provide feedback before a final version is brought forward for adoption.

Ludwig also reported that Kanab completed the annual Fraud Risk Assessment using the State Auditor's form. The assessment identified that, because of the city's small size, full separation of financial duties is not always possible but staff have implemented additional checks and balances to reduce risk.

City Attorney Kent Burggraaf presented two instructional videos covering the Utah Open and Public Meetings Act and the Municipal Officers' and Employees' Ethics Act. Burggraaf reminded council members that they must file annual Conflict-of-Interest Disclosure Forms and complete the state-required online introductory training within four years of appointment or election.

Council did not adopt the personnel policy or take formal action on the assessment and training; staff will return with a revised personnel manual and any required formal documents for action at a future meeting.