ELDRIDGE, Iowa — The city administrator in the city of Eldridge has been placed on paid administrative leave after a harassment complaint by an employee, officials say.
Lisa Kotter was escorted out of city hall on Friday, August 6.
The city is now trying to decide its next steps and temporarily fill the position.
"The Eldridge city government has not had to deal with situations like this," Councilman Bernie Peeters said. "There has been issues going on for a number of months now."
Peeters said he was instructed to walk out Kotter on the job following the direction of the city's attorney.
"This is just one of those issues and it just happen to come to a head," Peeters said.
Lisa Kotter would not go on camera but told News 8, "I look forward to participating in the investigation and am confident that I will be cleared of any wrongdoing. That is my only comment at this point."
Mayor Marty O'Boyle says city staff function just like any other city, but this situation needs to be looked into.
"It needs to be resolved, it needs to be reviewed," O'Boyle said. "We've always worked with each other, if we didn't always agree, we found ways to be agreeable."
Lisa Kotter started her job as Eldridge city administrator in March 2020. Before that, she was Moline's city administrator but resigned six months after starting. She had been city administrator in Geneseo before that.
Peeters says she may not have been a good fit for Eldridge.
"A certain discomfort level with a lot of things since Lisa was named as administrator," Peeters said.
Officials did not release any specific details on the allegations.
A special council meeting is set for Friday, August 13 at 12:30 p.m. inside Eldridge City Hall. Council members will discuss who will conduct an investigation and the council may decide on a temporary city administrator.
According to Eldridge city leaders, Kotter's salary is set at $111, 925.