Indy Council Discusses HR Policy Changes
INDIANAPOLIS— The Indianapolis City-County Council’s Rules and Public Policy Committee spent nearly three hours Tuesday evening debating sweeping changes to city human resources policies. WISH TV REPORTS the discussion was spurred by the sexual assault accusations brought against Thomas Cook, a former high-ranking official in Mayor Joe Hogsett’s administration.
Despite the gravity of the topic, the public hearing saw a surprisingly small turnout from the community and councilors alike.
The committee heard recommendations from multiple bodies, including the National Women’s Defense League, the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), and the city’s own HR personnel. The goal is to establish a more robust protocol for reporting and investigating serious misconduct allegations within the city government.
Among the key suggestions discussed were:
Establishing an independent human resource board.
Creating a temporary ad hoc inspector general to investigate serious allegations.
Promoting better awareness and access to reporting tools for employees.
Democratic Councilor Ali Brown highlighted a core problem: the lack of trust employees have in the city’s current HR department, especially since personnel report directly to the Mayor’s Office. Councilors agreed that restoring trust is the fundamental issue they must address.
The limited public participation was noted by former city employee Morgan Mickelson, who was critical of the administration’s handling of past internal issues.
Mickelson, who reported issues to HR personnel during her time with the city, voiced disappointment in the turnout, stating that insufficient advance notice had been given about the public hearing. “There was not enough information regarding this meeting tonight,” she said.
Democratic Councilor Dan Boots acknowledged the complexity of the challenge. He noted that the council’s internal working group plans to hold multiple meetings to thoroughly discuss the options, with a goal to deliver a formal proposal for recommended changes by the end of the year.
“It’s realizing the extent of the challenge… the answers are so difficult,” Boots said, indicating the group will engage in extensive legal and professional consultations before finalizing an effective policy.
The council’s Rules and Public Policy Committee is scheduled to meet again in November.
