RICHMOND, Va. -- Richmond finance employees have been asked to sign non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) regarding their employment with the city, which Mayor Levar Stoney described as a measure to keep workers accountable.
Finance workers are responsible for handling taxes, and as CBS 6 has previously reported, residents and business owners have been complaining in recent years about incorrect billing and unfair late fees and collection practices.
For context, confidentiality agreements are not uncommon.
Employees with Henrico County Finance and the Chesterfield County Treasurer's Office sign acknowledgment forms stating they've reviewed Virginia law prohibiting the disclosure of sensitive taxpayer information.
Richmond's NDA includes the same acknowledgment but adds that employees must not disclose any confidential information for non-job-related purposes including "conversations with key city officials, employees, staff, and in some instances taxpayers" in verbal or written form.
The agreement requires employees to secret all information "obtained in the course of employment that relates to the business of the City of Richmond."
In recent weeks, CBS 6 has reported on secretly recorded audio of an internal meeting in which Finance Director Sheila White addressed her staff following certain terminations, and former employees have gone public with concerns about the operations of the department.
“Did this come about because of the news stories about leaked audio and employees coming forward?” reporter Tyler Layne asked Mayor Levar Stoney Thursday.
“I can't tell you when or where that was developed, but like I said, if I'm an employee and I signed that agreement, I would live up to the words that were in that agreement," Stoney said.
The mayor said the agreements are meant to be "a measure to ensure accountability and protect the taxpayers."
"We need folks who are willing to comply and ensure that we are protecting that data, protecting the taxpayer as well, and as I've stated in the past, for a vast majority of those who work in the finance department, they do that," Stoney said.
The NDA states that if employees violate the agreement, they will be subject to dismissal.
This is a developing story. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have additional information to share.
