The Carroll City Council will meet outside its regular schedule next week for a closed session regarding a proposed settlement agreement between the city and a former employee. The council convenes at 5:15 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 16, with only two items of business on the agenda. The first item will be for city officials to enter into a closed session under Iowa Code 21.5(1)(c), “To discuss strategy with counsel in matters that are presently in litigation or where litigation is imminent where its disclosure would be likely to prejudice or disadvantage the position of the governmental body in that litigation.” The other item on Monday’s agenda is council approval of the proposed settlement agreement, which was negotiated by the city’s insurer, the Iowa Communities Assurance Pool (ICAP). Officials could not comment on the settlement due to internal personnel policies and the ongoing nature of the litigation. However, according to Carroll County District Court records, the case stems from a petition filed by Jared Hays in June 2023, who had been employed with the city’s water department since 2012. He was terminated from his position in 2022 following a workplace injury and resultant workers’ compensation claim. Hays alleges wrongful termination and that the city failed to accommodate him after the injury, violated his disability protections, and retaliated against him for his workers’ compensation claim.
