The Salt Lake City Council said Tuesday it will not investigate sexual misconduct allegations against former member Eva Lopez Chavez, whose seat was vacated May 12 after the city recorder deemed she had failed to keep a primary residence in her district.

Instead, a three-member committee made up of council members Chris Wharton, Dan Dugan and Erika Carlsen will narrow its focus to reviewing the council’s existing code of conduct.

The council trio had been assigned in early May to retain an independent investigator to probe sexual misconduct allegations that surfaced April 22 against Lopez Chavez. Four people had accused her of restraining them during what they considered unwanted sexual advances.

One of those four people was fellow council member Victoria Petro. She did not respond Wednesday to a request for comment, but she did vote Tuesday in favor of the council’s change in direction.

Lopez Chavez has previously denied wrongdoing in light of the misconduct allegations and said in a statement shortly after the claims emerged that she welcomed “a fair and independent investigation” and that she “will defend myself through the proper process.”

It’s unclear where that might stand now, after the six-member council — sans Lopez Chavez — voted unanimously to narrow its review, with Carlsen reading a short statement.

“While the original intent to investigate was in response to serious allegations,” the motion read, “using council resources to retain an independent investigator is no longer an appropriate role for the council.”

The three-member working group, according to the motion, will now set about “identifying opportunities for improvement” to the existing code of conduct “and working with the city attorney’s office to consider options and prepare amendments.”

Tuesday’s motion — the contents of which were not publicly available prior to the formal evening meeting — passed without discussion.

Council Chair Alejandro Puy said Wednesday that with the move, the council was effectively shifting its time and resources into creating a “more robust” code of conduct, ensuring the council’s focus on city business “while also addressing any issues that may arise that concern conduct of members of the body.”

Lopez Chavez issued a statement Thursday sharply critical of the council’s decision not to move forward with a review, saying that “investigating and concluding such serious assertions is necessary to keep the integrity of City Hall.”

Search underway to fill District 4 seat

The council’s shift in direction comes a week after Lopez Chavez, who was elected in 2023 to represent District 4, was removed from the council.

That followed a two-week investigation into a constituent’s complaint requesting that the city attorney delve into whether Lopez Chavez met legal residency requirements in light of a home purchase she made in September 2025 in District 5.

After the city determined May 12 she did not keep a primary residence within her district, her attorneys, Andrew Deesing and Alex Ramos, said in a statement: “We disagree with the findings of the Salt Lake City recorder’s office and their legal analysis.”

“We are reviewing all available remedies,” the lawyers said at the time. “Councilwoman Lopez Chavez will abide by the decision until we determine next steps.”

The council is now seeking applicants to fill the mid-term vacancy. Under state law and city rules, it has until June 11 to appoint someone to serve the remainder of the term.

The seat will then appear on the ballot in the 2027 municipal elections.

The reports of sexual misconduct came to light while Lopez Chavez was running for Utah’s 1st Congressional District. She failed to garner enough delegate support at the party’s nominating convention on April 25 and was eliminated from that race.

Council’s latest balancing act

Tuesday’s vote also came as the council is reviewing Mayor Erin Mendenhall’s recommended budget for the upcoming year, which includes proposals for both a property tax hike and for substantial increases in utility rates.

Following Lopez Chavez’s departure, Puy told The Tribune the council was “weighing its options” with legal advisers while balancing its attention between budget hearings and the Lopez Chavez investigation.

Puy had called privately in February — two months before the sexual misconduct allegations had surfaced publicly — for a council examination of “reports and firsthand accounts” of Lopez Chavez’s “past behavior,” while not specifying the behavior but saying it “cannot be dismissed or minimized.”

Carlsen, who was assigned to oversee that review, confirmed to The Tribune that Puy’s Feb. 12 call for the internal investigation followed a code-of-conduct complaint filed by Lopez Chavez against Puy and Petro for “discussing alleged prior incidents.”

Carlsen said she first learned of Petro’s allegations against Lopez Chavez as part of that review.

The complaint against Puy and Petro, Carlsen said, was investigated by nonelected council executive director Jennifer Bruno and the city attorney’s office and “was considered closed in late February” — though she did not disclose any outcome.

In response to an April 23 public records request from The Salt Lake Tribune for documentation of those complaints, Keith Reynolds, the city recorder, confirmed the city has “no formal process for City Council members to file a complaint.”

While such matters “are typically discussed in person with council staff,” Reynolds wrote in a May 15 email, that does not “generate any records” which might be available for public review.