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Council reviews updates to grievance and fraternization policies after staff request
Summary
Council considered updates to the grievance-procedure policy (staff recommended allowing electronic notices and adding HR access) and debated a proposed fraternization policy; legal counsel and management recommended narrowing any fraternization policy to address only intimate/romantic relationships because broader language risks vagueness and intrusion.
Council held a work-session review of two personnel items: a requested update to the grievance-procedure policy and a proposed fraternization (personal-relationships) policy.
On the grievance-policy item, staff noted the current document is dated and suggested updates including permitting electronic notification and allowing employees to seek human-resources involvement at earlier stages. Council and staff discussed whether performance evaluations should be grievable and whether the process should explicitly permit employees to contact HR directly; staff and legal advisors said legal counsel (provided through the city's risk pool) typically assists at higher stages of review.
On the fraternization proposal, a council member said the city currently lacks a policy addressing certain workplace relationships and sought a tool to address perceived fairness issues. Management and the city’s employment-law counsel (Steve Coleman) advised against an expansive fraternization policy, arguing it was vague, intrusive and difficult to enforce, and recommended instead a narrowly drafted policy limited to romantic/intimate relationships involving supervisory imbalance, with required disclosure and management remedies such as reassigning reporting lines.
Council asked staff and counsel to draft a narrower policy if the council wants to pursue it; several council members emphasized the matter should be developed by staff and legal rather than as a council-drafted ordinance.
Next steps: staff will return with revised grievance-procedure language (including an HR access point) and, if there is council consensus, a narrowly scoped fraternization policy limited to intimate relationships may be drafted in consultation with legal counsel.
