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Council adopts narrower nepotism rule allowing relatives to work for city outside same department
Summary
The Bridgeton City Council unanimously adopted an ordinance (26-15) that amends the city’s nepotism policy to permit family members to work for the city so long as they are not employed in the same department. City staff said the change preserves protections against direct supervision while restoring hiring flexibility.
Bridgeton’s City Council unanimously voted to adopt Ordinance 26-15 on March 18, 2026, amending the city’s existing nepotism rule so family members may be employed by the city provided they do not work in the same department.
City Administrator Bookout told the council the current policy, adopted decades earlier, had been unusually broad and effectively barred relatives from working for the city at all. “The simple change that we made to the policy is that we don’t allow family members to work within the same department,” Bookout said, adding the amendment still bars direct supervision by relatives.
Council member Luther asked for context about the change; Bookout said the prior rule was a reaction to events years ago and that the revision “still addresses the issue of direct supervision, which was what we wanted to make sure that we continue to not allow.” After brief discussion the council took a roll-call vote and the motion carried 8–0.
Why it matters: Council members framed the change as balancing ethics controls with the city’s need for a broader applicant pool. Council members also referenced audit observations about internal controls and financial reporting during the meeting, but the nepotism amendment was described as a personnel-policy technical change rather than a budget decision.
What happens next: Ordinance 26-15 takes effect per the city’s ordinance schedule. Staff did not announce additional implementation steps at the meeting; personnel and HR procedures for applying the rule will be handled by city administration.
