The Price City Council met briefly on Wednesday evening, beginning as always with the safety seconds. This time around, they were presented by Councilman Joe Christman, who focused on the upcoming school year.
Councilman Christman stated that it is important for drivers to be aware that kids will be out on foot, bikes, scooters and in buses. He wished for residents to remember that when a school bus stops, to stay aware that children will be exiting and entering the bus. He also gave a reminder to parents of school-aged children to talk to them about crosswalks and crossing guards.
Following, the council discussed an employee recognition with Price City’s Bret Cammans. This recognition was for Brianna Welch, Melanie Adams, Robby Matkin, Grayson Tucker, Valery O’Neil, Scott Marvikidis, Richard Parry, Justin Busk, Kimberly Moosman, Jeromy Sanchez, Dean Garrett and Nathen Richens for exemplary performance.
Cammans stated that he does not know how many are aware, but the parks and cemeteries department has been operating with a significantly reduced staff. Normally, there are eight full-time employees and about eight or nine in seasonal positions. They have been running with about three and a half seasonal employees, as some come on late and leave early.
Meanwhile, Cammans explained, the work did not go away. It was compounded with the addition of the community garden and the high school baseball fields. The work has grown and just because there are fewer staffed, it does not mean that the work went away.
By having half of the usual seasonal employees, the department has spent about half of the budgeted money. Cammans stated that it seemed appropriate to consider taking those funds and giving the employees that have held it together an incentive to continue their hard work. He recommended a one-time $500 performance bonus for each employee.
“They shift from one thing to another, they pull together as a team and get things taken care of,” said Cammans.
The parks and cemeteries employees have been working harder than ever with Memorial Day, the International Days celebration and the recent baseball tournament. Cammans wished to recognize them for what they have done.
Councilman Rick Davis stated that he believes that there should be something in place to recognize all employees, to which Cammans agreed. He also pointed out that the fire and police departments were already recognized with COVID-19 incentives. Cammans then said that the parks and cemeteries department saved the city $40,000 by not filling the positions and stepping up to fill the gaps.
The employee recognition for the aforementioned amount was then approved by the council, with Councilman Davis abstaining in the vote “in recognition of all employees.”