Last Belle Public Works employee resigns, city waiting to advertise openings

By Roxie Murphy, Staff Writer
Posted 5/17/23

BELLE — The city of Belle will be replacing all three of its public works employees in the coming weeks as its final laborer submitted his resignation on May 10 to City Hall.

Rodney Turner …

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Last Belle Public Works employee resigns, city waiting to advertise openings

Posted

BELLE — The city of Belle will be replacing all three of its public works employees in the coming weeks as its final laborer submitted his resignation on May 10 to City Hall.

Rodney Turner was the only public works employee who did not submit his resignation letter last week during the May 9 city meeting. However, Turner was hired by the Bland Board of Aldermen the same evening, and he submitted his resignation letter the following day.

“Dear City Council. Please accept this letter as a formal notice of my resignation from my position as a Public Works Laborer. My last day of employment will be May 19, 2023.

“Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to work in this position for the past two years. I am grateful for the guidance and support. I have enjoyed working here and appreciate all of the opportunities you have given me.

“I wish you and the city of Belle all the best for the future.”

Turner’s last day coincides with Public Works Director Tony Baretich and fellow employee Chase Jacquin. However, the Belle aldermen failed to approve Baretich and Jacquin’s resignation letters during the May 9 meeting. Alderman Barb Howarth made a motion to accept the resignations, but neither Aldermen Jeanette Struemph nor James (Pudd) Mitchell seconded the motion.

“We didn’t want to see them go,” Struemph said on Monday. “We were just so downhearted. I just don’t want to lose them and I knew we were losing them. I didn’t want to accept it and neither did anybody else. We don’t have to accept it, but they are still leaving.”

The city had a going-away luncheon for Baretich and Jacquin on Monday. City Clerk Frankie Horstman, Treasurer Charro Reasor, and Court Clerk Sherree Burkholder made their gift baskets.

“We did tell them farewell,” Struemph said. “We don’t want to see them go, but we understand. Our next move is to get on the ball and get something going because we need to do it quickly.”

The city has yet to advertise for any of the public works employee positions.

“It is probably too late to advertise this week,” Struemph said. “But we can’t wait until the next meeting. We need to do something to establish that we need to advertise.”

With the lack of public works employees, the city won’t have anyone to take care of water main breaks, testing, or even grass mowing and maintenance.

“We don’t even have grass mowers now,” Stuemph said. “I am assuming we will hire summer help. I think we need it and the couple from last year would work, but we have to advertise.”

Struemph believes there are a few people who would be willing to help in emergency instances until they can hire employees.

“There has been a little discussion, but nothing is set in stone,” she said. “We kind of, maybe have people who have come to bat for us before and would not leave us high and dry. I haven’t spoken to them to know what is going on. Everything is up in the air right now. At this point, there are so many whats and whys.”

Mitchell offered to help with mowing and Jacquin offered to help the city if they are in a bind, but Struemph said neither will be employees or under the city insurance at that point, so she isn’t sure if they could allow them to volunteer their help.

Baretich plans to leave early Tuesday and use some of his comp time between May 16-19 before he leaves the city’s employment. Jacquin may have some time built up as well. The city doesn’t pay out for earned comp time.

“Comp time was designed to be time off, not paid out,” Struemph said. “It was designed to make time off. If you haven’t used the hours, you get paid out at the end of the year, but you can only collect so many before you lose them.”

Even though the employees will be using their earned time off, they will still be on call.

“I know Chase can be on call,” Struemph said. “He was always there when Tony needed help, but the circumstances are different. It just doesn’t work for him because he is trying to get a business going. He doesn’t have his certification yet either. We are basically throwing our hands up and ‘what’s our next move?’”