News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Clarification on the hiring process.
That is what the Monterey Board of Aldermen sought to achieve during Monday’s special called meeting, but yet again, more individual disputes broke out.
The lone item on the agenda was to review the power and authority of the board and Mayor in relation to the Civil Service Board. The three-member board serves as the hiring and firing body for the town. Chairman John Phillips explained the process his board takes when it comes to hiring during the meeting.
“We’ve went over the applications,” Phillips said. “We’ve went through them. We decide who we want to interview. We interview these people. We commence amongst ourselves with no outside interjections.”
The position that led to the meeting: the hiring for a new town’s codes position. Mayor JJ Reels said Monterey received one application in which Reels screened and then offered the job on Wednesday.
According to Aldermen Bill Wiggins, under the act that created the Civil Service Board, the only role elected officials should play is voting in its representative for the hiring board. Wiggins said if a mayor is serious about legal footing, then he or she should read the act.
“So, I guess my question is to you mayor, would you please detail the specifics in that particular act cause I am sure you have read it,” Wiggins said.
Reels said he has read the act and began to answer a series of questions from Wiggins about the route an application takes leading to a hire. Reels said he screens applications, which began the conflict among the board.
“I look at the applications,” Reels said. “I have no input in it. I just want to know who has applied. That to me if that is considered screening then yeah I screened them. Are we here to review the power and authority of the board or are we here to question the mayor? We’re here to review. We are not here to eviscerate the mayor. I want to know what this witch hunt is about. Every month it is something. What is it about?”
After about 10 minutes of shouting between the mayor and board members, town business resumed. Wiggins said moving forward, elected officials should not attend Civil Service Board meetings and stay clear of the application screening.
“There should be no elected officials in their deliberations,” Wiggins said. “If they need a resource, they are free and they know this to call on department heads if they need some clarification or some explanations, but no elected official is to be in the meeting where they make decisions.”
According to Reels, the position will pay $20 an hour, but a contract has yet to be signed. Reels said he will bring more specifics of the contract for the codes worker to the June meeting. The hiring is expected to be voted on in that same meeting.
