Franklin commission moves to hire outside attorneys for employee investigation

FRANKLIN, Ky. (WNKY) – The Franklin City Commission unanimously voted Tuesday to begin the process of hiring an outside law firm to investigate the actions of a city employee.

The decision came during a special called meeting at the Franklin Police Department, where commissioners first entered executive session under Kentucky’s personnel statute before returning to open session for a vote.

The action follows last week’s commission vote to seek an independent review related to Planning and Zoning Administrator Carter Munday’s hiring and emails that surfaced through an open records request.

Commissioner Dale McCreary said the commission is moving forward with selecting employment attorneys to conduct the review.

“So today we unanimously voted for H.R. director to contact four or five different employment attorneys,” McCreary said. “And so they’re going to…she’s going to bring back the results she recommends this coming Monday.”

McCreary said commissioners want the review handled by attorneys experienced in employment law and without personal ties to local officials.

“We just thought it’s appropriate that the H.R. director contact each law firm and see what their, you know, their qualifications are and if they’d want to even take the task on,” he said. “We want to make sure we’re doing what’s right and not only to the employee but to the public as well.”

Commissioners previously said they were seeking a third party with a background in employment law and no connections to the city of Franklin or Simpson County.

McCreary said the commission scheduled the special called meeting to move the process forward more quickly rather than waiting until the next regular meeting.

“We wanted to expedite it as quick as possible,” he said.

The Human Resources Director is expected to present recommendations for law firms at the commission’s next regular meeting.