DAVENPORT, Iowa — The City of Davenport is shedding more light on accusations of harassment inside city hall and settlements with former city employees.
The Iowa House Oversight Committee's request for information questioned the City's handling of settlements with three former employees, including a $1.6 million settlement with former City Administrator Corri Spiegel. The City shared its response to the committee's inquiry in an email sent to News 8 on Friday at 2:20 p.m. Chief Communications Officer Denise Hnytka said that the following are the key takeaways from the City's response:
- The City of Davenport took immediate, consistent actions to address allegations of harassment that led to settlement agreements, including verbal and written communication warnings to cease inappropriate behaviors, changes in communication protocols, and ultimately, removal of an elected City Council member.
- All returning and incoming elected officials are required to attend discrimination, harassment, and retaliation prevention training (attached). The currently seated City Council identified the implementation of an elected official code of conduct as a key priority for the calendar year. The full Council will formally consider the prepared draft as an action item in the coming weeks.
- When compared to eleven regional communities, Davenport is among the cities offering the most access to the Council for public comment. The public is not required to pre-register, is allowed five minutes to speak on agenda items and three minutes to speak on general topics at City Council meetings, and there are no time-based limitations on the number of people who can speak. The benchmark analysis of those public meeting policies is provided in this response.
Here is the City's full response to the Iowa House Oversight Committee.