Rodney Turner, Bland public works director, attended his last city meeting Feb. 11 before he turned his position over to Jason Lewis Feb 14 — his last day.

Turner had been working with Lewis for over a week to prepare him for the job duties. Alderman Sherry Spradling questioned Lewis, who is on a 90-day probation period, if he had all the information he needed to continue, and asked Turner if he had everything in order.

“I hate to ask this, but knowing the files, is everything situated?” Spradling asked Turner.

Turner said yes, most of the information Lewis will need is at the desk at the John L. Baxter Administration Building that Turner shares with Treasurer Lyndsay Gray.

“Ok, so what have we got in the store room?” Spradling questioned.

Turner said those were files from 2015 when city hall flooded.

“It’s books and various stuff that should be in the shed on bookshelves,” Turner said. “Nothing that he is going to need to operate things.”

Turner said Lewis is set up with everything he needs to stay in compliance with the city. Most of the city’s paperwork is in the file cabinet at city hall.

“Jason,” Spradling said, addressing Lewis, “do you think you will be able to use the office at the shed?”

Lewis said he could work wherever the city needs him to work at.

“No, what I am saying is isn’t there an office there?” Spradling asked.

Turner said there it isn’t one set up like that.

“There isn’t a phone line or internet down there,” Turner said. “We talked about it before years ago, that it was more money. So we made it work up here.”

Turner has been using the “office” as storage space.

“Well see, when we built the place, there was supposed to be an office in there, heated and with a computer,” Spradling said. “I thought, well I haven’t been down there…there would be a phone at least.”

Turner said maybe down the line, the city would consider reinstalling a phone line and internet.

“Plus there ain’t no reception in there, so I will be working on something and no one can get a hold of me until I step outside,” Turner said. 

“Outside and around the corner,” Lewis added.

Spradling asked if there was a receptacle in there for a phone and Turner said if there was he doesn’t know where.

“The only thing in there is sewer and water and electric,” Turner said.

“Mmkay,” Spradling said.

Mayor Ron Shafferkoetter asked if anyone else had questions for Lewis.

“I have liked what I seen,” Shafferkoetter said. “I was hoping that we would have a main break before Rodney left.”

Shafferkoetter said he hired Lewis on an interim basis was because he needed to make a move with Turner leaving so soon. It still needed to be approved by the board to be official.

“After that point, he (Lewis) is still on probation for 90 days,” Shafferkoetter said.

Turner and Lewis left after the department head report. Spradling later came back to the subject while discussing the electric bill at the city shed.

“Why is electric $501 for electric at the city shed?” Spradling asked.

Gray and City Clerk Rachel Anderson said it has been that high before, and they have discussed it.

“It is heat and lights,” Anderson said.

“Did he do anything about looking for heaters,” Spradling asked Anderson.

Anderson said she was unsure, and Spradling asked that Anderson look into it.

“That’s just ridiculous,” Spradling said. “That shed was built so somebody could work in there.”

Alderman Gary Lee discussed if it was the heat or the lights.

“He keeps it set on 55,” Lee said of Turner.

Aldermen agreed that the heat would eat up the electric bill.

“Well, the only thing it was supposed to heat was the office,” Spradling argued. “When they did the specs, it wasn’t supposed to be in the shop. They had a small salamander (heater) in there at one time.”

Shafferkoetter said it would take a fortune to run a salamander.

“Well I know that,” Spradling said. “I know what a salamander is and I know how to run it. But there was not supposed to be heat in the shop area there was only supposed to be heat in the office because he actually used it as an office. I don’t care what Rodney says, that was used as an office at one time. And it can still be used as an office.”

Lee said they would have to clean it out first.

“Of course, anything Rodney has been around you are gonna have to clean out,” Spradling said.

Shafferkoetter asked aldermen to approve the bills. The motion passed with a 3-0 vote.