West Liberty Village employees may soon have to clock in via timeclock.
Council President Jill McKelvey said during Monday evening’s regular meeting that she wanted to explore possibly implementing time clocks for village employees “so people aren’t shaving times on us.”
“If you’re supposed to be at work at 8 a.m., don’t show up at 8:05 a.m.,” she said. “It’s not any department in specific, but it’s across the board. If you want paid, you’ll play by these rules. It makes everyone more accountable.”
Cindee Boyd, clerk and treasurer, said she found a fingerprint scanning time clock that would cost $200 per device for installation and $40 per month per 10 to 20 employees.
Council is to discuss the issue more at the next meeting.
McKelvey wanted it to be reflected in the meeting minutes that she recommended lowering purchasing power for department chairs from $1,500 to $500.
Anything costing more than $500 must be approved by council.
“We have got to reign in spending,” she said. “You’re spending taxpayers’ dollars and we as stewards of the village need to be cognizant of how we’re spending.”
McKelvey also said she wanted to make sure department chairs know they cannot buy anything without purchase orders done in advance.
“When you can’t control the bigger things, you need to control some of the smaller things,” said new councilwoman Patty Kauffman.
McKelvey also said she wanted the purchasing of cases of bottled water by various village departments to stop.
Council spent $10 for three cases of bottled water for the street department for the month of January.
“That’s $120 a year for just water (for the street department),” McKelvey said. “I think we need to recommend to our supervisors that we should not be buying water especially because we have a water plant. We need to tighten the straps down for spending this year. There is a better use of our money supply rather than buying bottled water.”
West Liberty Village Street Supervisor Bill Detrick said he was told by a council member to purchase those cases of water for his employees.
“We’re out in the trash truck and out on the lawn mowers,” he said. “That’s how we came about this.”
Detrick said further that this issue was discussed at a meeting prior to his directive to purchase the cases of water on the village’s dime.
“We don’t want to do any spending that is not in line with where we want to go,” McKelvey said. “I prefer you not buy it out of the budget.”
Detrick said he would just buy it out of his pocket.
Detrick also gave an update to council that because the street department did the brush cleanup at Dodge Park themselves, the village saved $5,000.
“It took us awhile, but we got that done,” he said simply.
Jeremy LeVan, West Liberty Ball Association member, announced the ball association is hosting a Facebook Live event in February to answer questions about the village’s parks and recreation levy on the March ballot.
The 1.15-mill parks and recreation levy will bring in $39,000 annually, if passed.
LeVan requested that West Liberty Village Council members join the upcoming question and answer session.
McKelvey and councilwoman Jayne Griffth said they would be in touch about joining the session.
LeVan also informed council the ball association would be out in the village Feb. 15, going door-to-door to hand out levy information.
In other business, council approved extending the hours of Sherry Barger, West Liberty administrative assistant clerk, from 20 to 30, weekly and offering her single-employee insurance effective Friday, Jan. 31.
McKelvey said Barger will take on additional tasks focusing on communication.
Council also approved:
- a resolution authorizing the village major and clerk to enter into a contract for $63,574 with Foraker Enterprises Inc. of Louisville, Ohio, for the construction of the splash pad;
- an ordinance establishing an official credit card policy for the village;
- an ordinance establishing the salaries and wages for the Fair View Cemetery employees on first reading; and
- an ordinance establishing the salaries and wages for the water and wastewater department employees also on first reading.