Maintaining maintenance post favored
OAK LAWN TOWNSHIP
Emotions ran high Tuesday night at the Oak Lawn Town Hall where more than a 100 townspeople came to see what the township board would do concerning its full-time maintenance position.
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At times people screamed and yelled to try to get their point across to the three township supervisors and many times more than one person spoke at once.
Township supervisors listened to the residents on what their thoughts were on whether the township should continue to have a maintenance position or if it should be eliminated and have the services contracted. Township supervisors have been trying to determine what option would be most cost-effective for the township. They have been discussing the issue for more than a year.
The majority of the people at the meeting were in support of Lonnie Murray, who holds the maintenance position, and said he was doing a good job on the roads. The majority was evident when Carol Cloud, the township chair, asked for a show of hands on who supported the maintenance position and most raised their hands, with an exception of a few.
People packed into the Oak Lawn Town Hall Tuesday for the monthly board meeting. Brainerd Dispatch/Kelly Humphrey » Purchase reprints of this photo.
One township resident said she didn't care if it costs the township more to keep Murray. She wanted Murray to keep his job and then the audience showed support by clapping.
After two hours of discussions, supervisor Joan Olsen made a motion to eliminate the position and contract services for a one-year period and then evaluate it. Supervisor Mark Haglin seconded the motion.
After hearing moans from the audience and someone yelling that the township would then lose Murray, Haglin made a motion to table the issue, which rescinded his first motion, and have the townspeople vote on the maintenance position at the annual March meeting. The motion was seconded and then approved.
The final result did not come easily for supervisors after listening to the audience and hearing the financial data provided by Craig Tusler and Judy Zettervall, who were asked by the township to crunch numbers to see if contracting services would be more cost-effective. Tusler said that the township has paid a three-year average of $73,766 for the maintenance position, according to Murray's log books. However, Tusler said three weeks of Murray's work was not documented. The bids the township received ranged from $85,537 to $82,505 and the bids did not include all the services the township would need done.
CORRECTED 11.19.2009
The final result did not come easily for supervisors after listening to the audience and hearing the financial data provided by Craig Tusler and Judy Zettervall, who were asked by the township to crunch numbers to see if contracting services would be more cost-effective. Tusler said that the township could pay $73,766 for the maintenance position in 2010, according to Murray's log books. The bids the township received ranged from $85,537 to $82,505 and the bids did not include all the services the township would need done. Zettervall said three weeks of Murray's work was not documented.
Haglin said the township has been looking at the numbers for a long time and there are many pros and cons. He said there is a discrepancy to why the log books are different than what the township actually paid for the maintenance position. He also said that the township pays vacation, holiday, sick time and overtime pay for the maintenance position and if the services were contracted the township would not have those costs. He also said with contracted services the township would not have to pay someone for snow plowing when it doesn't snow. Right now the township pays for a full-time position whether it snows or not.
Haglin asked if those attending were OK with spending more money to keep the maintenance position and the audience clapped and said they would.
Olsen addressed the audience's question on the quality of the contracted services compared to Murray's work. Olsen said the contractors who submitted bids to the township are reputable companies and they would not be in business if they did poor work.
Mark Haglin (left), Joan Olsen, Carol Cloud, Judy Zelinske and Ken Gondringer presided at the monthly Oak Lawn Township meeting Tuesday at the town hall. Brainerd Dispatch/Kelly Humphrey » Purchase reprints of this photo.
"There are a lot of things that come into play here and it comes down to economics," said Olsen. "You don't pay for services when they are not there (for contracted services). He (Murray) is paid for 40 hours whether he's working or not. We're looking at changing that. We don't know if its for better or worse."
Toward the end of the discussion and before the board's decision, Mary Murray, Lonnie's wife, spoke out, yelling to make her point. She said she was frustrated with Haglin and former township supervisors, Denny Schmidt and Rick Adair, on how they dragged out the discussion on the maintenance position for so long. She said each month her husband would come home after a township meeting and say he wasn't sure if he would have a job or not. She asked the board to make a decision.
Zettervall said that the matter has been discussed for a long time, but through all the discussion, none of the township supervisors ever said anything bad about Murray.
"You won't find anyone who doesn't like Lonnie," said Zettervall.
JENNIFER STOCKINGER may be reached at jennifer.stockinger@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5851.