Citizen Calls for Outside Whistleblower Hotline at Salina City Hall; City Says Employees Are Protected From Retaliation

A Salina resident is asking the City of Salina to establish an independent ethics and whistleblower hotline for city employees, arguing that workers should have a way to report serious concerns without going through the chain of command.

Sue Nichol of Salina made the request during public comment at Monday's Salina City Commission meeting.

Nichol said that over the past several months, citizens have received dozens of messages and phone calls from city employees concerning issues within city government.

She said a common theme among those employees is a desire to remain anonymous because they fear speaking up could cost them their jobs.

"We've also heard from employees that certain supervisors or leaders are considered tenured, and that even when there is a valid complaint, nothing is going to happen," Nichol said.

Nichol questioned the use of the word "tenure" in describing city employees.

"I wasn't aware there was such a thing as tenure within city government," she said. "No employee should believe that someone's position, title, or years of service make that person untouchable."

Nichol Points to Animal Services Investigation

Nichol said her concerns were reinforced by the recent investigation involving Salina Animal Services.

She said she had reviewed a large amount of correspondence among city leadership during the investigation and questioned the apparent role of Human Resources in the process.

"One thing that I see that's missing is anything from Human Resources or where they were in this process," Nichol said. "It makes me question what role they have."

Nichol proposed an independently operated hotline that would allow employees to confidentially or anonymously report suspected misconduct, violations of policy or law, abuse of authority, retaliation, conflicts of interest and other serious concerns.

She said complaints could then be independently evaluated and, when warranted, investigated or referred to the appropriate authority.

Nichol also called for a clear policy prohibiting retaliation against employees who make good-faith reports.

"I believe a hotline like this would probably be pretty busy in the first couple months that it was in place, and maybe that tells us something," Nichol said.

She said the purpose would not be to continually look backward at past problems, but to create another avenue for accountability going forward.

"Once employees, supervisors, and department heads understand that accountability is real, that legitimate complaints will actually be investigated, and that someone's title doesn't protect them from consequences, I believe that city government will operate better," Nichol said.

She argued that the system could protect good employees, encourage better leadership and identify employees who should not remain in positions of authority.

"Good employees shouldn't have to call private citizens because they're afraid to report something at City Hall," Nichol said. "They should have a safe, independent place to go."

Mayor Questions Use of "Tenure"

After Nichol's comments, Mayor Mike Hoppock addressed the use of the word "tenure."

"And, by the way, there is no such thing as tenure," Hoppock said. 

Hoppock then asked City Manager Jacob Wood and City Attorney Patrick Hoffman to explain the city's existing policies and protections for employees who raise concerns.

"Could we have the city manager and the city attorney explain that the City of Salina does not condone or accept retaliation, and what protections we have for our city employees before any mistaken thoughts leave this room," Hoppock said.

City Attorney Says Complaints Go Through Established Process

Hoffman said the city does receive complaints through Human Resources and has procedures for handling them.

"We do get complaints from HR, and we have a process for that. We have procedures," Hoffman said.

Hoffman also explained that the City of Salina is a for-cause employer, which he said differs from some private-sector employment arrangements.

"We're a for-cause employer, which is different than people who may be used to with private industry," Hoffman said.

Hoffman acknowledged that the city cannot necessarily convince people who do not trust the existing system that the process works, but said he personally takes complaints seriously.

"I cannot convince people who don't want to trust me," Hoffman said. "But anyone who knows me knows I take anything like that very seriously."

He said complaints are handled through an established internal process involving Human Resources.

"We have a process and procedure that we go through internally with HR and take everything seriously," Hoffman said.

Hoffman said responding to broad allegations during a public meeting can be difficult because individual complaints and personnel matters cannot necessarily be discussed publicly.

"So it's just difficult in this context to respond to all that," he said.

Hoffman also invited employees to bring concerns directly to city leadership.

"Our microphones are always available, my door's open to anyone," Hoffman said. "So is the city manager's."

Hotline Proposal Not Taken Up for Action

Nichol's proposal was presented during the public-comment portion of Monday's meeting. The commission did not take formal action on establishing an independent whistleblower hotline.

The discussion nevertheless raised questions about the city's existing internal complaint process, the role of Human Resources and whether employees have sufficient avenues to report concerns outside their normal chain of command.

Nichol said an independent system would provide an additional option for employees who are uncomfortable reporting through existing city channels.

"Accountability isn't something city employees should fear," Nichol said. "It should be an expectation of working in public service."