A third-party investigation into how city employees handled the case of former city manager Jered Ottenwess has concluded - and will determine whether TC Police Department Captain Mike Ayling returns to the force. Though a jury cleared Ayling of a willful neglect of duty charge for his role in the case on August 5, Ayling has remained on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of an internal investigation ordered by City Manager Marty Colburn.

"The original (Grand Traverse County Sheriff's Office) investigation was not conducted by the employer," explains Colburn. "That was a criminal investigation, and that's been completed. But there's an employer-employee relationship, and my responsibility is to take a look at that relationship in terms of whether city policies and processes were followed."

Colburn will seek city commission approval Monday for a $8,686 invoice from legal firm Michael R. Kluck & Associates for services related to the internal probe. Because the investigation is personnel-related, Colburn won't be disclosing the results to commissioners. However, he says he will be "meeting with (Ayling) and his representatives soon" regarding his status on the force.

Meanwhile, a hiring process for the next TCPD chief of police is still underway. Colburn says he and an advisory committee have "winnowed down" the field of candidates and are preparing for another round of cuts and interviews. "I can't say a timeline yet with everything we're juggling, but we're getting there," says Colburn.