The Town of Stevensville’s public works used to be run by a couple of “twin” directors. One was Ed Sutherlin, usually referred to as Streets, Alleys and Parks Supervisor. The other was George Thomas, usually referred to as the Water and Sewer Supervisor. They were both generally present at any significant project whether it was water, wastewater, street or alley or, as is often the case, a combination of them all.
According to outgoing Stevensville Mayor Jim Crews, following Sutherlin’s retirement last November, it made a lot of sense to consolidate those two “directorships” into one position called Public Works Director. Thomas, who now serves in that capacity, called it a “name change” and said nothing was going to change in how it all operates. But Mayor Crews said that, by consolidating the positions into one, the town was saving about $80,000.
A recent effort to consolidate the position of General Clerk was put to rest at a special meeting held on December 27, 2017. According to Crews, the police department and the fire department have been asking for the creation of a clerk position to serve their respective departments rather than having to share the use of the Town’s General Clerk.
In response, he said, a special meeting was called to consider either dissolving the General Services Clerk position effective December 31, or retain the General Services Clerk position at full or part time. If the Council should choose to dissolve the position, it left open the decision to authorize a police department clerk and/or a fire department clerk. Both those options were also placed on the agenda.
According to Crews, the Town’s attorney confirmed that it would not be possible for the Town to create the position of administrative assistant or clerk for the fire department since the Fire Department was officially established as an all-volunteer department.
At the special meeting, the idea of dissolving the General Services Clerk position was rejected and the General Services Clerk position was confirmed as a full-time position. Crews said that the Town would still be able to provide services to the fire department by including serving the police and the fire departments as part of the Clerk’s job.