Commissioner John Griffith, having missed some meeting’s due to a surgery, attended today’s regular and executive commission meeting to vote unanimously with Commissioners Stufflebean and Whitty to lay off almost 60% of the county road crew. Stufflebean cited a priority of obtaining $1.5M in new equipment and more asphalt as reasons to cut back on personnel.
During a meeting of road crew personnel, Stufflebean, Human Resources director, Steve Allen and County Counsel, Jackie Hagerty, upset road workers asked the obvious question of who, now will run the new equipment, lay the asphalt and flag traffic? Stufflebean felt the remaining 14 employees would manage and his response met with a loud round of guffaws.
I am going to run the budget through Excel and speak more with some of the road crew and write more about this shortly.
Also, the Wagon Road is closed at the 30.5 mile point due to a massive slide. Several road crew members, now out of a job wondered how 14 people would be able to clear a 500 ton rock.
The county also laid off four members of the planning department last month. Stufflebean and Allen suggested that other departments may fall under the ax as well.
