City of Waukon addressing “no confidence” vote by police and public works employees regarding City Manager

Teamsters Union Local 238 distributed a press release Monday afternoon, March 24 in regard to an online survey the Teamsters Union conducted this past weekend that was answered by 12 employees of the City of Waukon Police Department and Public Works Department. The release states that the survey consisted of only a single question: “Do you have confidence that Gary Boden can manage the City of Waukon in a manner that is effective and beneficial overall to the residents of the city?”

The release further shares that the results of that survey were reportedly unanimous, stating, “The vote was 12-0 that employees do not have confidence in the City Manager.” In addition to media, the release was also distributed to members of the Waukon City Council and the Waukon Mayor just a couple hours prior to the March 24 Waukon City Council meeting. The matter was not addressed during that March 24 public meeting.

Waukon Mayor Arvid Hatlan released the following statement late Monday afternoon: “The city received notice of this issue late this afternoon. The city takes employee concerns seriously and will conduct an internal review of the reasons behind this vote. The city will also provide its Manager an opportunity to address those reported concerns. The city values the work performed by all of its employees and remains committed to fostering a positive and productive work environment.”