Planning Director Leave Not Addressed, Personnel Manual Updated

Mount Pleasant trustees met behind closed doors Monday night to talk about "pending harassment claims," but when they emerged had little to say about the allegations.
Planning Director Ron Meyer was placed on administrative leave last week, and in a memo sent to village staffers, Village Administrator Kurt Wahlen said that Meyer's keys and access card had been revoked.

"(Meyer) is no longer allowed in any non-public areas within the village hall without permission of (Mount Pleasant Police) Chief Tim Zarzecki or the village administrator until further notice. We have collected his keys and his card access has been deactivated,” Wahlen wrote, according to The Journal Times.

When Patch contacted Wahlen last week to confirm whether Meyer's leave would be addressed in the closed session, he wouldn't comment because he classified it as a "personnel issue." Nor will anyone say whether the harassment claims were filed against Meyer.

Patch submitted open records requests Monday for communications from Wahlen to the Village Board regarding Meyer's status. However, Wahlen said because the issue is a personnel matter, he didn't think the state open records law was applicable.

Attorney Lori Lubinsky said during Monday's meeting that she was hired by the village's insurance company to bolster sections of the personnel manual to address concerns about harassment claims "coming down the pike."
This isn't the first time that harassment complaints have been lodged against the village.

Former village employee Lisa Arndt and current employee Vicki Matter both filed harassment complaints because they said former Administrator Mike Andreasen created a hostile work environment for them. Both accepted cash settlements in the tens of thousands of dollars.

Andreasen was ousted in May 2011 and died shortly thereafter of a heart attack.

Additionally, Lubinsky said she received authority by the village's insurance company to conduct board member and department head training about grievance and harassment. The insurance company itself will lead employees through training related to those topics as well.

The connection between that action and Meyer's situation remains unclear. Patch will attempt to reach Meyer and update this story if we speak with him.