CLEVELAND, Tenn. – A suite of changes for Cleveland’s personnel policies, with special attention to disciplinary matters, is scheduled for a Monday vote by the Cleveland City Council.
“This will help us stay out of Chancery Court and out of the front page of the newspaper,” Councilman Richard Banks said in September when the city hired Nashville attorney J. Gregory Grisham, a workplace law expert, to assist in the months-long policy review and revision.
A key decision to be made Monday will be whether personnel policies will give employees a means to appeal disciplinary actions.
One proposed personnel revision calls for the city to continue using a third-party attorney, rather than the city manager, for disciplinary appeals. The council adopted that policy in September.
Several current and former employees challenging discipline or termination in court have called the former appeals process improper and a violation of their rights. A recent Chancery Court ruling in a case involving former firefighter Josh Keller essentially stated that the city manager cannot serve both as disciplinarian and hearing officer in a disciplinary appeal.