Sutherland, Iowa — A complaint about the Sutherland City Council filed by the Sutherland Police Chief has been accepted by the Iowa Public Information Board .
Police Chief Tim Rohrbaugh alleges that the council violated the state’s open meetings law when after a meeting on June 14th, 2016, some members of the city council remained after the meeting was adjourned and engaged in a discussion about him. He says this discussion was not on the agenda.
The Iowa Public Information Board says that on June 27th, the Sutherland City Attorney, William Klinker, filed a response noting that a violation did occur on June 14th. As reported by the city attorney, the council first discussed some concerns about Chief Rohrbaugh during the meeting. This was not on the agenda, but was reported in the minutes. Following adjournment, Klinker says three of the council members met in the parking lot to continue to discuss the city employee.
Klinker indicated that the City of Sutherland will participate in a remediation plan.
The Iowa Public Information Board’s Deputy Director, Margaret Johnson, says that since there was enough evidence to suggest that a violation had taken place, the board voted to accept the complaint. She says the next step is for the board staff to work with the parties to see if they can come up with an informal resolution. She says if that’s unsuccessful, a more formal investigation would be the next step.
