ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, March 20, 1996 TAG: 9603200033
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: PULASKI
SOURCE: PAUL DELLINGER STAFF WRITER
Members of Pulaski Town Council want to protect town employees who report possible violations of town policies or procedures from retaliation.
All the council members took part in a human resources committee meeting Tuesday morning, and agreed to recommend a "whistle-blower" policy for council adoption Tuesday night.
Under the policy, employees would report improper conduct to the town manager. If the town manager is involved, the report would go to the town attorney or the human resources committee chairman.
Councilwoman Alma Holston said she disliked wording that singles out the town manager. But Tom Combiths, who holds that job, had no problem with it.
"In the spirit of checks and balances, I think you need something there. Town managers can change," he said.
The town already has a grievance procedure to protect employees from illegal actions against them. But the new policy covers situations that would not be considered a grievance.
The committee added a requirement that allegations be written down or tape recorded before the employee can be protected from reprisals under the policy.
If an employee does not have the complaint in writing already, the town manager or the official receiving the complaint will write it down and have the employee sign or initial it. Otherwise, Councilman Rocky Schrader said, "you're only opening up a can where people can say, 'That's not what I said.'"
"There would still be nothing to prevent an employee from coming and whispering something in your ear," Town Attorney Frank Terwilliger said. "It's just that they're not shielded by this policy."
But, Terwilliger said, an employee could not simply say "Forget it" if he or she decided not to put the complaint in writing. Once the town manager or other official has heard an allegation of wrongdoing, Terwilliger said, "he's got an obligation to follow through on it."
The policy states the town would try to keep the identity of the complaining employee confidential, but warns that the identity may become obvious because of the nature of the complaint, or have to be disclosed so the accused person can respond.
"We can't guarantee confidentiality. That's the whole reason for this policy," Terwilliger said. "If their identity becomes known, we're going to protect them from retaliation."
Under the policy, any employee or town official who retaliates against an employee who made an allegation in good faith is subject to disciplinary action.
Examples of acts that could be reported include violations of law, abuse of authority, creating a danger to public health or safety, grossly wasting public funds or violating town policies or procedures.
LENGTH: Medium: 57 linesby CNB