HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Hutchinson City Manager Jeff Cantrell took time during Tuesday’s Hutchinson City Council meeting to address the human relations position.
This comes after Datjaeda Moore was suspended indefinitely from the position. Moore's position was recently made full time after financial assistance came into the city from an outside agency. Cantrell says no action was taken following an executive session.
"Largely, this is a management issue," Cantrell said. "But I did want to brief them on some of the issues we had in the policy violations in play. So basically, that was just an informative session for them."
Cantrell says both he and Moore are in conversations on how to address her suspension.
"The Human Relations Officer and the City Manager are still working out the details of expectations and following policy going forward," Cantrell said. "Her return to the position will be predicated upon her ability to follow those policies and procedures."
Cantrell says Moore was suspended for violating several policies in the handbook and also took time to clarify that Moore is a city employee and bound by policy like all employees.
"She’s not a contract employee, she’s a bona fide employee," Cantrell stressed. "There’s a lot of confusion on that and a lot of misstatements. And if you’re an employee of the city, the first thing you come in and have orientation and you sign a statement that 'I know I’m an employee, I’ve received the handbook, I’ll follow the handbook.'" Cantrell says all of the proper procedures were followed in the handling of Moore’s suspension.
In a previous story, HutchPost shared a release from the group Hutch in Harmony who questioned why Moore was suspended and asked that the public contact Cantrell and City Attorney Paul Brown to have her reinstated.