Jeffersonville City Council, mayor closer to agreement on hires

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February 22, 2012

Council wants to see resumes before giving final OK to two positions

By DAVID A. MANN David.Mann@newsandtribune.com The News and Tribune Wed Feb 22, 2012, 04:43 AM EST

JEFFERSONVILLE — The Jeffersonville City Council voted to preliminarily approve funding for a city communication director and grant writer position Tuesday night.

Some council members want to see resumes for those hired for the positions before giving it final approval, however.

Councilman Nathan Samuel cited a salary study and attempts by the city to clean up job descriptions last year as a reason for requesting the resumes. The people Mayor Mike Moore has hired for the positions need to meet qualifications, he said.

Samuel said he didn’t have any specific complaints about the two people hired for those posts — Leah Farris as communications director and Delynn Rutherford as grant writer. However, he said, he isn’t familiar with their backgrounds either.

“We need to make sure we get the biggest and the best,” he said.

The preliminary vote to fund the positions actually represents a softening of course for the council. Just a few weeks ago it had voted to completely defund them. At the time, council president Ed Zastawny said his understanding was that Moore had not intended to fill the positions.

Moore vetoed the ordinance that defunded those and six other positions but the council used a unanimous vote to override that veto on Tuesday. After overriding the veto they approved funding for those two jobs and a redevelopment assistant.

Moore has changed his position in regards to a communications director since taking office. Initially, he’d said the city would not have a full-time communications director when the last one, Larry Thomas, was laid off. Then he hired Farris, a move he said was made to appease the council, which he said was in favor of having a full-time communications director.

IN OTHER BUSINESS:

• Jeffersonville Fire chief Eric Hedrick, fire union president Travis Sharpe and resident Ron Smith all made comments to the council about the fire department’s overtime overspending. The department has burned through more than half of its overtime budget for the year already.

The department has suggested hiring more people but the council has offered other ideas, including buying out employees using leave time, schedule changes and closing down a truck.

Sharpe, who also urged new hires for the department, criticized the council for basing their staffing levels on outdated population numbers used for an annexation study.

Hedrick noted that the department’s staffing is low compared to other cities.

“Jeffersonville rests at the bottom — the lowest number of firefighters per square mile — by a long shot,” he said.

Smith urged fiscal restraint.

“Look up in the sky and see where the acorn is falling from. You’re spoiled as all get out,” he said to firefighters.

The council gave Hedrick approval to apply for a grant that would help fund new hires but took no other action. Instead a workshop has been set up for 6 p.m. Monday to further discuss the issue.

“Nobody here is against you all, we’re just trying to make the best of our situation,” said Councilman Matt Owen.

• The council approved $5,000 to help fund an advertising campaign aimed at promoting the fact that the Sherman Minton bridge is now back open. The Clark-Floyd County Tourism and Convention Bureau is leading the campaign with a website, openbridgesindiana.com. Jeffersonville, New Albany and Clarksville are expected to help fund it as well.

The $5,000 was approved with an 8-1 vote, with councilman Zach Payne dissenting. Payne said he didn’t believe it was necessary because most people are aware the bridge is open. Further, he questioned whether the city should be providing advertising money for businesses in one part of town but not another.

• A workshop was set up for 5:30 p.m. March 5 for the council to discuss funding for a unified 911 service. A countywide, consolidated system is required by state mandate by 2014.