FARMINGTON — Family matters won’t get in the way of being fair in the workplace in this community.
New rules to avoid the problem of nepotism were adopted recently by the city council in an effort to prevent occurrences of favoritism or even the perception of such.
“We are sensitive that in a small city like Farmington, there may, out of necessity, be special situations due to the limitations of the employment base, but these will and should be exceptions,” City Manager Dave Millheim said of the new guidelines.
The new guidelines specifically limit the ability of family members of full-time employees to work in the supervisory chain within the same department as a family member.
While drawing a line in some areas, the rules also allow for some flexibility with seasonal and part-time employees, and grant the city manager veto power in situations that could lead to potential problems.
The guidelines also stipulate that any applicant for city employment is required to disclose any potential conflicts or family relationships as part of the application process. Failure to disclose such information is grounds for disciplinary action, including termination.
The guideline prohibits anyone from working for the city if that person has a relative elected or appointed to a position in the city or otherwise employed.
However, that section applies more to full-time employment than it does to part-time or seasonal work.
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