Unless the Wells City Council receives a written complaint, there will be no investigation of alleged misconduct by two city employees.

At their last meeting, council members decided to seek bids from companies that could investigate the allegations.

On Monday night, Mayor Shannon Savick told the council five proposals were received.

Savick says she made a chart to try and compare the services and costs of the companies.

“They are kind of hard to understand because they are all done differently,” she says.

Councilman Ron Gaines asked City Attorney David Frundt if the city’s personnel policy requires complaints to be in writing before they are investigated.

And, if that’s the case, why were bids requested.

“We anticipated having that (written complaint) by now. We didn’t know how long it would take to get quotes. We wanted to get that rolling right away,” Frundt told the council.

The agencies submitted proposals ranging in cost from $4,000 to $11,300.

Council members unanimously approved Gaines’ motion of not doing an investigation unless a written complaint is received.

Neither Frundt nor City Administrator Jeremy Germann would give any details about the alleged misconduct. Nor would they say which city official was initially contacted.

Germann would not comment if the complainant has been made aware of the personnel policy’s requirement regarding complaints.

Frundt says he believes the person has been told they must submit their concerns in writing.

On a scale of 1 to 5, Frundt has said seriousness of the allegations are, “Three or above could limit the ability of these employees to continue in their capacities.”

According to the city attorney, the claims of misconduct involve someone in the street and police departments. Both employees remain on the job.