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The Hinesburg Selectboard uses this page for announcements, important news releases, and other information of interest to
the general public. To The Citizens of Hinesburg Regarding Police Chief Morrell |
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3/16/10: On March 16, 2010, the Hinesburg Selectboard unanimously
voted to dismiss Police Chief, Chris Morrell. The Chief was placed on administrative leave in April 2009.
In July of 2009 the Chief and Board agreed that an independent arbitrator would conduct hearings and make
a decision regarding ‘just cause’ for dismissal. Eleven days of hearings began in September of 2009 and ended
in January of 2010. Arbitrator Michael Ryan delivered his decision in favor of the Town on Monday March 15.
Although the Selectboard does not concur with all the arbitrator’s conclusions, the Board felt that it was a
balanced decision. Ryan found fault with the actions of all parties involved, calling it a sad and tragic affair,
but ultimately agreed that the Selectboard was justified in its decision. The Hinesburg Selectboard expresses it sincere appreciation to the Town staff, and especially the members of the Community Police Department, for their loyalty to the organization and the community during this stressful period. Download and read the complete report.
2/02/10: Error in Burlington Free Press Article: Contrary to what appeared in the Burlington Free Press on Monday, February 1, 2010, Chief Morrell has not been on paid administrative leave since April 22, 2009. Morrell was placed on paid leave on April 22, but the status was changed to unpaid leave on September 10, 2009. 1/11/10: The final hearing in the arbitration process occurred on January 4, 2010. Written briefs by legal counsel for each party are due to the arbitrator on January 25, after which the arbitrator has sixty days to deliver a written decision. This is a management performance case and such cases are complex and difficult. It has been a difficult process for all involved and the Selectboard looks forward to the final decision and resolution of the matter. As of this date, the Selectboard has incurred $76,000 in legal and arbitration costs, which includes the estimated cost for the remainder of the arbitrator's work. Three members of the Selectboard have attended all twelve days of hearing, and two members attended portions thereof. After listening to all the evidence, the Selectboard is even more convinced that it has done what was necessary and in the best interest of the community, both from a financial and service standpoint. 12/22/09: Arbitration hearings are virtually complete. January 4, 2010 is reserved for final questioning and rebuttal. The Select Board anticipates that the hearings will be concluded on that date, and thereafter counsel for each Party will have the opportunity to file written briefs, and the arbitrator will proceed to draft his findings and conclusions. 12/08/09: The Select Board issues another open letter to the public, and expects arbitration hearings to conclude by the end of December. 11/11/09: The Select Board continues to work with an independent arbitrator, and arbitration hearings are expected to conclude by the end of December. 9/10/09: On September 9, the Select Board voted to suspend Chief Morrell, without pay, effective immediately as agreed to by Chief Morrell and the Town in the Agreement to Arbitrate. 9/03/09: The two parties began the process of presenting their cases to an independent arbitrator on September 2nd and 3rd. Because of the breadth of the charges, which span a period of seven years, both sides were unable to completely present their cases in the two-day period. An additional two days of testimony has been scheduled, but in order to meet the availability limitations of the arbitrator, these two days will not occur until late October. The Select Board will post further updates as they become available.
More Information:
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