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"BY PAT KIMBROUGH, HIGH POINT ENTERPRISEA grievance that was brought against High Point City Manager Strib Boynton by a member of his executive team has been resolved.City Human Relations Director Al Heggins filed the complaint against Boynton after an alleged verbal confrontation between the two in February. Following an investigation by outside attorneys, they both signed an agreement last week that settled the grievance and stipulated that the terms of the resolution will not be disclosed, according to City Attorney JoAnne Carlyle.\u201CThere is a written agreement that is confidential that has resolved the matter,\u201D said Carlyle. \u201CWe were able to resolve it and hopefully can move on.\u201DCity officials and City Council members have refused comment on the nature of the grievance or to release documents related to the case, claiming that it involves a personnel matter that state law allows to be kept private.Boynton and Heggins declined to comment on the settlement. City Council members said they were authorized to say nothing about the matter publicly other than that it had been \u201Cresolved.\u201DCouncil has held multiple closed sessions to discuss personnel matters since the grievance was brought.By law, any council vote in connection with the case would have to be taken publicly, in open session. Council has not taken any public action to date on the matter.The employment status of Boynton and Heggins remains unchanged, according to the city.In addition to the grievance with the city, Heggins filed a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Both complaints were resolved in the settlement, Carlyle said.An EEOC spokesman said the agency is prohibited by law from confirming or denying the existence of discrimination charge filings, investigations or administrative resolutions.Information about specific cases only becomes public if and when the EEOC files a lawsuit, which is usually a last resort, according to the agency.Greensboro attorney Norman Smith, who represented Heggins in the case, declined to comment other than to say he thinks the settlement has brought the matter to a close.\u201CI think it was resolved to everyone\u2019s satisfaction,\u201D he said.After the grievance was filed, the city enlisted attorneys for Greensboro law firm Smith Moore Leatherwood to investigate, so as to avoid any possible conflicts of interests that could come into play if only city staffers were investigating their boss.Smith Moore Leatherwood ended its involvement in the case in March because of concerns about a potential conflict of interest, given that some of the firm\u2019s attorneys have represented the city in past legal matters.The City Council appointed Poyner &amp; Spruill, LLP of Raleigh to handle the investigation.Smith Moore did not bill the city for its work on the investigation. Carlyle said it\u2019s not known yet how much the Poyner &amp; Spruill investigation will cost the city because the firm has not yet sent the city any invoices."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.wxii12.com/article/grievance-resolved-between-city-manager-high-point-employee/2054577>