Montana municipalities are getting in the habit of dishing out money to investigate themselves. Flathead County commissioners recently hired a private investigator – to be paid up to $5,000 – to probe allegations of illegal activity in the county’s planning and zoning department. Now, in Bozeman, the city commissioners there voted unanimously to set aside $10,000 to hire an independent sleuth to look into that city’s hiring practices. From the Bozeman Daily Chronicle:
Controversy arose last month when it came to light the city was asking potential hires for login information to access social networking sites. But according an e-mail written by a city employee and addressed to city officials, the practice was larger in scope than staff originally let on.
“Unfortunately, the experience of the hiring process that they described and the one that was described at the Monday night meeting are very different,” the e-mail states, referring to a June 22 public meeting.
The whistleblower alleges city staff told potential employees that not disclosing e-mail and bank account information, along with social networking site logins, was considered a black mark on an applicant during the hiring process.
Stay Connected with the Daily Roundup.
Sign up for our newsletter and get the best of the Beacon delivered every day to your inbox.