Ortonville- The status of the village’s Department of Public Works has been up in the air since February, after the two DPW employees were fired.
How village services will be taken care of long-term will remain in question for at least two more weeks as village councilmembers research the cost of contracting out work, as opposed to hiring village DPW employees.
Village Council President Ken Quisenberry proposed, during the council’s Aug. 10 meeting, that the village employ a full-time person as DPW superintendent, as well as one to three part-time DPW laborers. Under his proposal, the superintendent would be paid $20 per hour for a 40-hour work week, with no overtime or benefits, and part-time employees would make $15 per hour. He estimated the cost of the DPW for employee-related expenses to be less than $73,000 per year if the proposal were approved.
‘It’s the best option for the village to determine week by week, and month by month what we need,? Quisenberry said. ‘It’s time to pick a direction, we have lots coming up in the fall.?
However, Councilmembers Aileen Champion, Dan Eschmann, Kay Green, and Melanie Nivelt all expressed discomfort with the proposal, saying they wanted more time to research the cost of using private contractors for DPW services.
‘If we do this proposal, we have to buy all new equipment, new trucks, I don’t know if they’re worth fixing,? said Green. ‘If we’re going to spend $73,000, plus take on truck payments? I just want to see if privatization is more affordable. We don’t need to rush. What is two more weeks??
‘We’ve waited and waited,? responded Quisenberry, who noted that the village was freed in June from their contract with the Teamsters Local 214 that represented DPW employees. ‘Shame on us if we can’t run our own DPW… People in this town deserve a DPW and for us to run it correctly.?
But a motion regarding Quisenberry’s 3-page proposal to hire one full-time employee and up to three part-time workers was shot down by a 4-3 vote. Quisenberry was joined by Mary Kassuba and Harold Batten in support of the proposal, while Champion, Eschmann, Green and Nivelt all voted no.
‘I’m disappointed because we had adequate time to research this and move forward and we’re stalled,? said Quisenberry on Wednesday. ‘I think we’ve been narrowly getting by in a piecemeal fashion. We’re getting by on a temporary basis, but it’s in no way a long-term solution to the village’s needs.?
Since early February, when Bill Prince and Kevin Booms were terminated, the village has paid private contractors for various services, including snowplowing and drain work on Mill Street. At the council’s direction, Village Manager Ed Coy hired a part-time DPW employee to perform necessary work, including mowing village properties and emptying garbage. Quisenberry said the employee is doing great work, but he is only one person working part-time and doesn’t have time for many more jobs, including drain work, road work, cleaning, and maintenance, which is all going undone.
Green said it is impossible to make an informed decision about what would be best for the village without getting all the information.
‘We’re hopeful in a couple weeks to have all the information,? she said. ‘Ken’s proposal doesn’t take into account that old (DPW) equipment. Everything is old and needs to be replaced. It will cost thousands and thousands. We will have to buy salt. If we contract out, they have their own salt, trucks, equipment and people to come in and do it. Until we research it, we have no idea what is best for the village.?