REEDSVILLE -— An argument and some colorful language ensued during a discussion about a Reedsville Town Park sign, a flag pole and town employees, at the Monday meeting of Reedsville Council.
Councilman Greg Burke said the flag, which is flying from a pole on a building, is torn. He said the town could purchase an aluminum flag pole from Amazon for about $100. Flags can become snagged and torn while being taken down from that building location.
Councilwoman Renee Stone said she believed setting up a new flag pole would only add an additional job to the town’s current jobs to-do list.
“These guys are not getting things done,” she said referring to the two town employees. “Things aren’t disappearing from the board.” The board is a list of jobs that need to be completed by town employees, according to Stone.
“They are not just sitting there,” Councilwoman Britney Titus said, referring to the workers. “They are working.”
“You can tell yourself that. Things have been on the board for months and are not done,” Renee Stone said. “You (Councilman Burke) told us two weeks ago the park sign would be done.”
“You’ll get your damn sign,” Burke added, referring to the park sign.
Stone said the two employees and the police officer cost the town $70,000 a year.
“You show me $70,000 of work. That’s a lot of money,” she said. “We can choose which ones [employees] we want to keep and choose which ones we want to pick (hire).”
“These guys work rings around our previous employees,” Britney Titus answered. “I’m happy with what they are doing. Maybe the aesthetics are not being done. But I believe we would be cutting off our nose to spite our faces.”
Stone then complained about it taking two workers to check the sewer pumps. Britney Titus said legally there has to be two employees checking the pumps for safety reasons.
“They are trying to find leaks. It takes hours to walk this stuff,” Burke said. “You should be damn happy to have someone who knows what they are doing.”
“Two people who spend most of their time on the sewer,” Stone said. “I want someone to work for the town not for Reedsville Sewer. They’re not going to reduce the sewer bill even if they camp down there.”
Burke said if repairs are not done sewer bills will be even higher. He said the town needs to purchase equipment so the employees can do their job.
“That’s part of the problem,” he said. “We don’t have the equipment to do the work.”
Stone said the Town of Reedsville is not Reedsville Sewer. She said the town has been put on the back burner.
“If the sewer goes to shit the town is responsible for it,” Britney Titus said.
The Town of Reedsville and the Reedsville Sewer Board are separate entities. The two departments recently purchased a $7,500 truck they share.
In other business, council also approved buying a dual cup holder, police grade work boots, a long sleeve tactical shirt and a short sleeved tactical shirt for officer Paul Rowan. The cost of the gear will be $271.86
Council will hold a mandatory meeting on April 21 to lay the levy. Its next regular meeting will be 6:30 p.m. April 27.
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