Bay County, Florida ((WMBB) – It was a tough few days for Chris Truitt, a Mexican beach city administrator. In addition to the condemnation letter from Mayor Richard Wolff, Truitt is accused of at least two other city employees being harassed in the workplace.
City leaders meet to decide whether external HR companies should be hired to investigate the allegations.
Mayor Wolf suggested a Tallahassee company the city used to use. Council members knew this was an issue that needed to be resolved immediately.
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“We were asked to look at some companies that were able to investigate the claims. So our manual requires us to move as quickly as possible and complete it in time,” Wolf said.
Council members also realized that there could be more complaints of harassment in the future.
“What I’m worried about is that we just had two complaints, what do we have? I’m afraid we’ll have more,” said Councilman Jerry Smith.
A council member proposed a quick way to address allegations and problems around Truit.
“Yes, I know we do it for it. But I mean, you know, I think we need to resign from the city administrator,” said Councilman Jason Adams.
Smith quickly agreed with Adams on this point. After a brief review, the conversation returned to the person hiring the human resources company Mayor Wolf suggested investigating Truit’s complaint.
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A council member said she was worried about choosing a company without looking at others and the fact that potential company names were leaked to the public.
“It’s worrying, when I don’t even know, it’s already publicly citizens. What’s that scuttlebutt? So, I feel like we need to have three bids and three different organizations to negotiate,” said Councilwoman Linda Hamilton.
Finally, the Council voted 3-to-1 to support bids from at least 3 different companies.
Mayor Wolf is the only vote on the motion. Council members said the interview process for investigation alone could cost less than $6,000. It is important to note that city administrator Chris Truitt is not at the meeting tonight.
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