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Resident alleges former city engineer was forced from office, says mayor told him "Your time at the city is done"
Summary
A Soda Springs resident said her husband, identified as a city engineer/planner, was forced to sign a resignation after the mayor and police entered his office on Jan. 8; the council minutes record the allegation but show no formal response or action by the council.
Kristen Skinner told the Soda Springs City Council on Feb. 4 that her husband, Alan Skinner, who she described as a long-time city engineer and planner, was forced to sign a resignation and removed from his office on Jan. 8.
"Your time at the city is done," Skinner quoted the mayor and the chief of police as saying, and she added that her husband was "forced, under guard, out of his office and into a truck within one hour." The statement, delivered during the meeting's public-comment period, asked the council to review records and to ensure staff receive professional administrative oversight.
The allegation was the most contentious public comment at the Feb. 4 meeting. Kristen Skinner described her husband's years of service and said the manner of his exit lacked the procedural steps she expected, such as review of employment records or time to consider resignation documents. She also criticized the conduct of unnamed council members and urged officials to "have the backs of their employees."
The minutes of the meeting record the citizen's remarks but do not include any immediate response from Mayor Paul Gritton, a council motion addressing the allegation, or a staff report on personnel procedure. The minutes show the council proceeded with other agenda business and adjourned without taking a recorded vote or referral on this topic.
The Feb. 4 minutes identify several staff members present at the meeting and note that Deputy Clerk Celeste Schneider filled in for Clerk Andrea Haderlie; they do not include a sworn statement or formal personnel action form related to the allegation. The minutes state they were "passed and approved" by the mayor and council on Feb. 18, 2026.
The minutes do not contain additional documentary evidence about the circumstances of Jan. 8, including whether any resignation letters were submitted voluntarily, whether a disciplinary process occurred, or whether the city initiated an internal personnel review. Kristen Skinner said she received communications from residents in support of her husband and urged the council to protect staff and maintain records accurately.
The council did not schedule or record a follow-up item in the Feb. 4 minutes. Further public records or a direct statement from Mayor Gritton or city staff would be needed to independently verify the events described by Kristen Skinner.
