Former Colorado Springs Utilities employees speak with 13 Investigates regarding culture of fear

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Last week, 13 Investigates reported on an alleged culture of fear amidst a high turnover rate at Colorado Springs Utilities (Springs Utilities). On Monday, several former Springs Utilities employees spoke directly to our team about the issues they personally faced while working for the publicly owned utility.

"When you call into the [Springs Utilities] call center you are waiting on average an hour. That's cause there is such a massive turnover," Deborah McDaniel, a former Colorado Springs Utilities employee, said to 13 Investigates. "The leadership specifically in the customer service department does not care about the employees, and whether or not they are being taken care of."

McDaniel worked at Colorado Springs Utilities as a senior credit customer account specialist from 2015 until she quit in 2021. The former Springs Utilities employee alleges sexual harassment, racial discrimination, and refusal to provide accommodations for her pregnancy. She says that led to a full mental breakdown when she was seven months pregnant.

"I wound up taking a 10-month leave because of that," McDaniel said. "I had PTSD, depression, and anxiety. When I came back I was so scared to come back to this environment I had been working in for four years."

After bringing her concerns to the Colorado Springs Utilities Board, McDaniel filed a complaint through the Colorado Civil Rights Division alleging she was "discriminated, sexually harassed and retaliated by Springs Utilities." The complaint was later dropped when she learned a majority of her examples were past the statute of limitations.

Steve Berry, a spokesperson for Colorado Springs Utilities, declined to comment on the McDaniel complaint. Berry said the issue is a personnel matter.

Colorado Springs City Council President Tom Strand, who previously served as the Colorado Springs Utilities Board Chairman, tells 13 Investigates that he believes at least 10 Colorado Springs Utilities employees in senior leadership have left the organization in the last year.

The turmoil at the top comes on the heels of large utility ratepayer hikes in November 2021, which have caused significant concern for Colorado Springs families and business owners. The utility continues to say that the rate hikes are "mostly related" to fuel costs, generation, infrastructure, day-to-day operations, and maintenance of a four-service utility. The rates decreased in February.

According to a January 2020 audit on ethics policies and practices within Colorado Springs Utilities, auditors found that Springs Utilities administered ethical policies and practices effectively. The report found that annual ethics training was required for all employees, and there was "an overall commitment on the part of senior management to open and transparent communication with employees."

However, the ethics audit found several issues with Springs Utilities' ethics policies, procedures, and annual training. For instance, certain contracts did not require employees to comply with the city of Colorado Springs' Code of Ethics.

Ethics training was mandatory, but the material did not clarify when or where employees should report ethical concerns, or whether they should report to the city attorney's office or a designated official. Meanwhile, the Colorado Springs Utilities Personnel Policy Manual (PPM) does not properly define terms such as fraud, abuse, or retaliation.

Former Springs Utilities employee Kortney Vieweg worked at the publicly owned utility for just two months. She says she was fired after voicing concerns about homophobic behavior in the workplace. Vieweg describes the Springs Utilities workplace environment as "suppressed", and said people fear to go to human resources or upper management about their concerns or face retaliation.

"You are expected to become part of that cancer," said Vieweg. "If you say anything that goes against that grain, then you are then labeled as a problem."

"If you speak up, if you go to HR, if you go to your supervisor, nothing good is going to come from this," McDaniel said. "That’s what held me back from complaining all those years was if I speak up, the likelihood that I am going to lose my job is very high, and when I have spoken up I’ve been labeled as a troublemaker.” 

Berry tells 13 Investigates that is not an accurate portrayal of Colorado Springs Utilities based on his own experience.

"We always encourage our employees to bring concerns to their leaders/managers as a first step and then Human Resources if the situation warrants it," said Berry. "Our CEO also has an open door policy to encourage employees to schedule time with him if they have concerns and/or suggestions for improvement. Additionally, we've repeatedly shared the City Auditor's tip line with the workforce for them to anonymously report waste, fraud and abuse."