Union representative urges council to vote no confidence in city administrator

An AFSCME Local 3754 representative told the Junction City Council that union members had voted unanimously to ask the council to place a formal vote of no confidence in City Administrator Jason Canope.

“Our union is formally requesting that city council place on the agenda a vote of no confidence in city administrator Canope,” the union representative said, urging council to consider documentation, timelines and statements the employees can provide. The representative told the council staff struggle to get clear and timely answers to basic budget questions and argued that responses are often delayed or incomplete, hampering planning and review.

The speaker listed four core concerns: delayed budget information, concentration of HR and administrative authority in the city administrator’s office, unclear IT authority and monitoring practices, and filtering of information provided to council. The representative asked the council to adopt an interim work plan limiting the administrator’s authority to discipline employees while the matter is reviewed and warned of employee fear of retaliation.

Mayor Wells acknowledged the remarks but did not take immediate action during the public‑comment period. Council members later addressed related governance and HR process items during agenda discussion and scheduled follow‑up items, including an item on the next meeting agenda to consider a formal policy for complaints against the city administrator.