Title: Boudreau v. City of Wendell does I.C. 50-206 establish that city clerks are at-will employees

State: idaho

Issuer: Idaho Supreme Court (civil)

Document:

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Appeal from the Fifth Judicial District of the State of Idaho, Gooding County.  
Hon. Barry Wood, District Judge. 
 
The decision of the district court is affirmed. Costs are awarded to respondents. 
 
Fuller Law Offices, Twin Falls, for appellant.  Daniel Brown argued. 
 
James J. Davis, Boise, for respondents.  James Davis argued. 
 
__________________________ 
 
W. JONES, Justice 
 
I. 
NATURE OF CASE 
This case involves Appellant Carol Boudreau’s (Boudreau) removal from the appointive 
office of Wendell City Clerk.  The issue presented in this case is whether I.C. § 50-206 
establishes that city clerks are at-will employees, subject to removal from the appointive office 
without notice or a hearing, even when an employment manual outlines procedures for dismissal, 
including notice and a hearing. 
 
IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF IDAHO 
 
 
Docket No.  35077 
 
CAROL A. BOUDREAU, 
 
                                                   Appellant,                                                                                     
v.                                                       
                                                         
CITY OF WENDELL, a political subdivision 
of the State of Idaho, and an incorporated 
municipality; and REX L. STRICKLAND, 
Mayor; IRENE ROUNSEFELL, Council 
President; RICK COWEN, Councilman; 
DON BUNN, Councilman; and JASON 
HOUSER, Councilman, Individually and in 
their official capacity, and DOES I – X. 
                                                        
                                             Respondents.                                    
                                                       
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Boise, June 2009 Term 
 
2009 Opinion No.  99 
 
Filed:  July 16, 2009 
 
Stephen W. Kenyon, Clerk 
 
 
 
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II. 
FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND 
Boudreau was appointed to the position of Wendell City Clerk on July 14, 2003.  At that 
time, Boudreau was provided with a copy of the Personnel Manual for the City of Wendell.  The 
Personnel Manual specifically states in all capital letters: “THIS PERSONNEL POLICY IS NOT 
A CONTRACT.”  The Personnel Manual outlines the right to notice and a hearing for employees 
in the event of discharge or demotion.     
On February 1, 2007, Boudreau was presented with a written reprimand for malicious 
gossip, failure to report serious issues to her supervisor, and not using her time productively.  On 
August 9, 2007, the City of Wendell Mayor sent a second letter to Boudreau informing her that 
she was subject to disciplinary actions because of her behavior at work.  The letter provided 
notice of the basis for the proposed action in accordance with the Personnel Manual and required 
Boudreau to respond in five days by submitting any grievance she had about the decision in 
writing.1  On August 29, 2007, pursuant to I.C. § 50-206, and after a unanimous vote by the 
Wendell City Council, Boudreau was removed from the position of city clerk.   
Boudreau filed a Verified Complaint on September 19, 2007, alleging wrongful 
termination, interference with a contract, breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing, 
and quasi estoppel.  Therein, Boudreau claimed that the City of Wendell, Rex Strickland, Ilene 
Rounsefell, Rick Cowen, Donn Bunn, and Jason Houser (City of Wendell) wrongly terminated 
her employment when she was not provided with notice and a hearing as provided for in the 
Personnel Manual.   
The City of Wendell filed an Answer on October 4, 2007, denying Boudreau’s 
allegations.  On October 24, 2007, the City of Wendell filed a Motion to Dismiss, or in the 
Alternative, Motion for Summary Judgment.  On December 3, 2007, Boudreau filed a 
memorandum in opposition to the City of Wendell’s motion; the City of Wendell filed a reply.  
The City of Wendell then filed a Motion to Strike Portions of the Affidavit of Carol Boudreau on 
December 11, 2007.  The district court held a hearing on the motions on December 18, 2007, 
during which time Boudreau’s counsel indicated that he was not prepared to respond to the 
allegations of the Motion to Strike because he had not learned of the motion until the hearing.   
                                                 
1 The record does not reflect whether Boudreau responded to the letter with a written grievance, but it appears that 
she responded to the allegations verbally during a conversation with Mayor Strickland.   
 
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On January 25, 2008, the district court entered an order denying the Motion to Strike2 and 
granting the Motion for Summary Judgment.  The court found that while portions of Boudreau’s 
employment may have been governed by the employment handbook, the Idaho legislature 
determined that the means by which a city clerk is removed is to be exclusively governed by the 
terms of I.C. § 50-206.  Because the Wendell City Council removed Boudreau in strict 
accordance with I.C. § 50-206, the court held there was no genuine issue of material fact and the 
City of Wendell was entitled to judgment as a matter of law.  Boudreau appealed to this Court.  
Neither party requests attorney fees on appeal.    
III. 
ISSUE PRESENTED 
Whether I.C. § 50-206 establishes that city clerks are at-will employees, subject to 
removal from the appointive office without notice or a hearing, even when an employment 
manual outlines procedures for dismissal, including notice and a hearing.  
IV. 
STANDARD OF REVIEW 
When reviewing a district court’s grant of summary judgment, this Court uses the same 
standard a district court uses when it rules on a summary judgment motion.  See C Systems, Inc. 
v. McGee, 145 Idaho 559, 561, 181 P.3d 485, 487 (2008) (citing Ticor Title Co. v. Stanion, 144 
Idaho 119, 122, 157 P.3d 613, 616 (2007)).  Summary judgment shall be rendered when “the 
pleadings, depositions, and admissions on file, together with the affidavits, if any, show that 
there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to a 
judgment as a matter of law.”  I.R.C.P. 56(c).  All facts are viewed in the light most favorable to 
the nonmoving party.  See C Systems, 145 Idaho at 561, 181 P.3d at 487 (citing Ticor Title, 144 
Idaho at 122, 157 P.3d at 616).  
V. 
ANALYSIS 
Boudreau argues that the City of Wendell contractually agreed, per the Personnel 
Manual, to go beyond the requirements of I.C. § 50-206 and provide the additional protections of 
notice and a hearing prior to removing her from the position of city clerk.  Boudreau agrees that 
she was given adequate notice, but claims that she was denied her right to a hearing.   
                                                 
2 In denying Respondents’ Motion to Strike, the district court determined that the contested portions of the Affidavit 
of Carol A. Boudreau were immaterial to its summary judgment determination.   
 
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The issue presented in this case requires this Court to interpret I.C. § 50-206 to determine 
whether city clerks are appointive officers, characterized as at-will employees, and subject to 
removal from such position without cause. 
When interpreting a statute, this Court must strive to give force and effect 
to the legislature’s intent in passing the statute.  It must begin with the literal 
words of the statute; those words must be given their plain, usual, and ordinary 
meaning; and the statute must be construed as a whole.  Where the language of a 
statute is plain and unambiguous, this Court must give effect to the statute as 
written, without engaging in statutory construction.   
 
Wheeler v. Idaho Dept. of Health & Welfare, 147 Idaho 257, __, 207 P.3d 988, 994 (2009) 
(citations omitted).    
I.C. § 50-204 states in part: “The mayor, except as otherwise provided . . . with the 
consent of the council shall appoint a city clerk, a city treasurer, a city attorney and such other 
officers as may be deemed necessary for the efficient operation of the city.”  There is no dispute 
that Boudreau became an appointive officer within the definition of I.C. § 50-204 when she was 
appointed to the position of Wendell City Clerk.  I.C. § 50-206 states: 
Any appointive officer, unless appointed under sections 50-801 through 50-812, 
may be removed by the mayor for any cause by him deemed sufficient; but such 
removal shall be by and with the affirmative vote of one half ( 1/2 ) plus one (1) 
of the members of the full council; provided, that the city council, by the 
unanimous vote of all its members, may upon their own initiative remove any 
appointive officer. 
 
The statutory language of I.C. § 50-206 clearly provides two methods for removal of an 
appointive officer.  First, the mayor may remove an appointive officer with the vote of one half 
of the members of the city council plus one.  Second, an appointive officer may be removed by 
unanimous vote of the city council.  In this case, the city council unanimously voted to remove 
Boudreau from the position of city clerk, which was in full compliance with the requirements of 
I.C. § 50-206 for removal of appointive officers.  The statutory scheme for appointing and 
removing an appointive officer is clear and unambiguous that appointive officers are at-will and 
subject to removal without cause.   
 
Moreover, in Bunt v. City of Garden City, 118 Idaho 427, 797 P.2d 135 (1990), this Court 
specifically indicated that appointive officers within the meaning of I.C. § 50-204 may be 
removed from such appointive position without notice or a hearing.  The issue in that case was 
 
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whether the Garden City chief of police was an “appointive officer” within the meaning of I.C. § 
50-204.  This Court stated: 
Since Bunt was not the city clerk, treasurer, or attorney mentioned in I.C. § 50-
204, the question is whether Bunt, as the Garden City Chief of Police, was one of 
the other “such officers” referred to in that section. If so, Bunt was an appointive 
officer who could be removed without receiving notice or a hearing. 
 
Id. at 428, 797 P.2d at 136 (emphasis added).  The court went on to hold that Bunt was an 
appointive officer and therefore could be removed from the office without notice or a hearing 
pursuant to I.C. § 50-206.  In the present case, Boudreau was clearly an appointive officer under 
I.C. § 50-204.  Thus, under the applicable statutory scheme and Bunt, Boudreau was not entitled 
to notice or a hearing prior to being removed from the position of city clerk by unanimous vote 
of the Wendell City Council.   
Moreover, in Idaho local governments cannot override statutes enacted by the legislature.  
See IDAHO CONST. art. XII, § 2; see also Gibson v. Ada County Sheriff’s Dept., 139 Idaho 5, 8, 
72 P.3d 845, 848 (2003); Black v. Young, 122 Idaho 302, 308, 834 P.2d 304, 310 (1992); Gowey 
v. Siggelkow, 85 Idaho 574, 587, 382 P.2d 764, 773 (1963).  Thus, once the legislature 
determined that a municipal appointive officer is at-will and provided for the removal of such an 
officer without notice or a hearing, the municipality could not alter that status by adopting a 
Personnel Manual.  Accordingly, we hold the district court properly granted summary judgment 
to the City of Wendell. 
VI. 
CONCLUSION 
For the reasons stated above, we affirm the district court’s decision.  Costs to 
Respondents.  
 
 
Justices BURDICK, J. JONES and HORTON, and Justice pro tem KIDWELL, 
CONCUR.