Council Approves New Ethics Hotline Following “Culture of Fear” Concerns; Former Employee Allegations Read into Record
- Steve Jurrens
- Nov 19
- 1 min read
Northeast Radio SD News - Watertown, SD - The Watertown City Council voted unanimously tonight to approve a new professional services agreement with NAVEX, a risk and compliance management company, to establish an anonymous reporting hotline for city employees.
The decision comes amidst discussions of a workplace culture that City Manager Alan Stager described as having previously discouraged transparency…
The approval was marked by a moment during the meeting when Councilman Brent Mohrmann read a letter from a former employee alleging "corrupt leadership...”
The approved contract, totaling $4,108.39, will provide the city with a platform to manage risk, ensure compliance, and report misconduct.
Mohrmann continued reading from the letter, explaining more about the former employee's outcome…
Mayor Holien sought to frame the new system as a positive step forward, referring to it as an "information helpline" rather than just a "whistleblower hotline…"
The agreement with NAVEX was approved unanimously by the Council. The system is expected to include a hotline, web intake, and incident management tools to assist HR and the City Manager in handling future reports.
