Eubanks: Lakeside plant workers do nothing but sit on their lazy asses
While the mayor and others were busy chiding Schilling for his public assessment of the sewer plant, Mondays workshop contained a number of personal comments about city sewer employees by some elected officials.
The perceived need to rally around sewer plant supervisor Phil Heley led to unusual comments about two Lakeside plant workers. The apparent rub was that: * ♦ those employees have better plant training than their supervisor, and * ♦ Mayor Nelson hired a lesser qualified supervisor.
Councilman Mack Eubanks asked, Are our operators capable of operating our plants. Why cant Phil take time off?
He went on, When Phil comes back, the pumps are operating at 50 percent because the two guys do nothing but sit on their lazy asses and wont even pull a rag out of the pump.
In a backhanded compliment, Councilman Tim Crockett asked the public to have confidence in our hired help. And, he added, I am confident that Heley knows more than our two certified employees.
In his defense of Heley, Nelson continued publicly discussing city employee personnel matters by adding about the same two sewer operators: They cant run the computers.
The workers being criticized both have a Class II level of certification. Outranking their supervisor was a key point raised as a question by Schilling in his guest editorial here last week. It helped bring this entire discussion about.
The session was, in large part, meant to be a question and answer time of Bob Dillard, who attended the workshop at the mayors request.
He acts as the official plant superviser of record for the city. This is contract for services. Dillard posseses a Class IV sewer system certificaton.
Each citys wastewater treatment facility is required by the State Dept. of Envronmental Quality (DEQ) to have a highly trained individual give an authorized nod of approval for the given facilitys compliance with state regulations.
What qualifies Lakesides plant with DEQ?
There are different requirements for exactly what level is necessary and for how long a more qualified person must be physically present at the plant. Factors include such things as the size of the facility and the number of shifts worked by employees according to Oregon Deptartment of Environmental Qualities Administration rules.
Councilwoman Elaine Armstrong said that, in her interpretation of DEQ laws regarding requirements of who must supervise the plant, it appeared to her that either a Class III or IV level must be there: most of the time.
Dillard, however, disagreed with Armstrongs interpretation of those state rules, maintaining that section 340-49 referred to in her citation does allow for adequate wiggle room.
She added that Heley may not be qualified to service the STEP/STEG systems alone (something which is part of the Lakesides sewer system, with over 80 users) because DEQ STEP/STEG guidelines require direct field supervision.
Her comments were based on an Oregon Administrative Rule (OAR) guidlines for STEP/STEG administrative requirements which she quoted: No system shall be operated without the direct field supervision of a certified operator, in accordance with OAR 340-49.
Keeping on topic with Dillard
Schilling spent his time on the sewer topic asking questions of Dillard. Those included: * ♦ Are you Phils direct supervisor? * ♦ Do you write his evaluation? * ♦ Do you discuss comp time?
Direct definitive answers were not provided.
Eubanks asked Dillard if Heley can take care of Lakesides sewer plant problems by himself (without a certified worker also being present)?
Dillard answered that it was allowable.
But, then, he paused and said he would need to check on it.
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