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Motion to let chair respond on public complaints fails 2–4
Summary
A motion to accept public KL complaints and delegate to the board chair the authority to respond and arrange a hearing failed 2–4 at the Dec. 11 special work session; directors cited complexity and concerns about concentrating decision authority in the chair.
MOTION 40 — which would have accepted the public KL complaints and delegated authority to the board chair to respond to parties regarding holding a hearing — failed at the Dec. 11, 2025 special work session. Director Heather Coleman-Cox made the motion; Director Kris Howatt seconded. The vote was recorded Aye: Heather Coleman-Cox and Kris Howatt; No: Shawn Farrens, Blake Petersen, Brenna Puderbaugh and Holly Riegelmann (2–4).
Board members discussing the motion said investigations can be complex with many unknowns and that a hearing decision by the chair raised concerns about neutrality. Some directors suggested retaining a third-party investigator instead of holding a hearing, citing potential impartiality and the procedural burdens of an in-house hearing. The failed motion preceded MOTION 41, in which the board later authorized the chair to retain an investigator.
