Otago regional councillors’ relationship with council staff will be up for discussion this week.
Further, it comes amid apparent tension between councillors and the council’s executive leadership.
Councillors have launched an investigation into staff actions surrounding an illegal dumping of demolition debris into the Clutha River after learning staff declined to take part in an Environmental Protection Authority investigation into the matter.
Chief executive Sarah Gardner will tomorrow present to councillors a protocol to formally record "the framework for contact between elected members and employees".
"This is the same protocol that has been in place since the start of the triennium and advised verbally and via email on a number of occasions," Mrs Gardner’s executive summary for the paper at the governance, communications and engagement committee said.
Late last year, Cr Kate Wilson noted the omission of any names on an update to councillors on the establishment of the council’s environmental implementation team.
Cr Wilson said she did not think councillors should stray into operational matters at the council, and councillors should not be approaching staff directly.
But it was embarrassing meeting staff in the field and not knowing who they were, or what they did, Cr Wilson said at the time.
"I think it’s about respect," she said.
Notwithstanding, the discussion at the December 8 committee meeting turned to how councillors might direct constituents to deal with the appropriate member of staff when they were approached by members of the public in the field.
Mrs Gardner said the public should be directed to customer services or, following the protocol, councillors should approach general managers, or her, as the chief executive.
She said she wanted to be "really clear" that the decision about the protocol sat with the chief executive.
Cr Gary Kelliher said it was "absolutely bizarre" if councillors were prevented from knowing staff members’ names.
Deputy chairman Michael Laws said he disagreed with the chief executive’s position "in a big way".
