Mowing added to Bainbridge police duties

BAINBRIDGE -- The Bainbridge Town Council approved Town Marshal Ronnie Campbell and Deputy Mike Downing to mow town properties and maintain town mowing equipment at the suggestion of Vice President Joel Thompson during its recent special meeting.

Marshal Campbell and Deputy Downing will be paid their usual wages if they mow or do maintenance during their regular hours, but will receive overtime pay if they do the job in addition to their hours.

According to Clerk-Treasurer Monica Bray, Marshal Campbell is a salaried employee who regularly puts in 40 hours per week, while Deputy Downing is one of three employees whose pay comes from a $9,000 annual fund. He and the two employees work about eight hours per week to keep from exceeding the fund.

According to Clerk-Treasurer Bray and Utility Superintendent Eric Gibson, maintaining the town’s 28 acres requires 20-25 hours per week.

The council also approved the hiring of retired Steve Winslow, who lives outside Bainbridge, but had offered to do it full-time at $10 per hour.

Winslow said he is seeking to work as close to full-time as he can and may not mow at all for Bainbridge if there are better opportunities.

The council also said it is open to taking applications from others interested in mowing.

Vice President Thompson said he had approached Marshal Campbell about mowing as an opportunity “to make a little extra money.”

“When Joel came to me I was happy to help the town and mow,” Marshal Campbell said. “I’m happy to help out where I need to help out. I’m okay with Steve taking it if he needs help.”

Marshal Campbell once worked at Dixie Chopper.

Vice President Thompson said his other reasons for approaching Marshal Campbell are that he’d rather not hire another employee and would prefer to employ Bainbridge residents.

“I would prefer to use people in Bainbridge because I get chewed out about that all the time,” Vice President Thompson said. “I just don’t understand why a town of 700 people needs all these d--n employees.”

Superintendent Gibson responded, “We have two full-time people at the utility department, one full-time marshal, and an elected clerk-treasurer. You don’t understand the deal you’re getting.”

Thompson had also suggested allowing offenders from the Putnam County Jail to do the work, but Utility Superintendent Gibson said he has been told by a police official that offenders are not allowed to operate gas-powered machinery.

Utility Superintendent Gibson suggested hiring Winslow part-time as the main mower and allowing Marshal Campbell and Deputy Downing to help when needed.

“If it’s just strictly a business decision, it comes down to dollars and cents, why would the town not be interested in hiring a guy that’s willing to do it for $10 an hour?” Superintendent Gibson said.

“You’re using a part-time employee over a full-time employee,” Vice President Thompson said. “No. No. I know you’re big on part-time employees running the show, but I’m not. He’s not going to have authority over a full-time employee is what I’m trying to say.”

President Jerry Lents also commented, “What I’m going to say is (Marshal Campbell), he can help the town out besides just being a cop because he’s not going to work just Monday through Friday, and he’s not going to work 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. He’s going to be available through the week sometime. So is (Deputy Downing). Let’s spread it out instead of just having one guy do it all. I know it’s going to cost the town a bit of money, but it’s going to help (Marshal Campbell). So anyway, I’m going to say that Ronnie can mow, and that’s all there is to it. Steve, if you don’t want to mow I can’t make you.

“Now, (Superintendent Gibson), on that too, I know you say you’re strictly a utlity worker, but you work for the Town of Bainbridge. Anything that needs to get done gets done, okay? (Utility Superintendent Chad Oliver), if Eric don’t want to do it, then you do it. You’re actualy paid part of your salary from the town council so if Eric doesn’t want to do it -- he’s strictly utility -- you’re going to have to do it, and that’s it. Because when we do the ordinances on the raises this year you’re going to be included on that too. So we just solved that problem.”

Superintendent Gibson had earlier disputed his responsibility for mowing equipment maintenance and training mowers if the council has decided to oversee mowing, saying that his salary is paid from the Bainbridge Municipal Utility Board and not the Bainbridge Town Council (the board’s Resolution 2017-3 establishes salaries for both utility superintendents, in accordance with Indiana Code 8-1.5-3-5).

“(The council) shouldn’t even worry about mowing,” Superintendent Gibson said. “The superintendent for the last nine or 10, 20 years has always taken care of it. This meeting didn’t even have to happen.”

Clerk-Treasurer Bray later said she is speaking with the town attorney to determine if the town can do what the council approved.

The council also considered the hiring of two reserve marshals.

Two applications were brought forward by Marshal Campbell, who said that both applicants had local law enforcement experience, including the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department and the Cloverdale Police Department, and would bring the Bainbridge Police Department up to force.

The positions, being reserve, would be unpaid. The council voted to table the hirings, pending interviews.

Scott Curran, the third member of the Bainbridge Town Council, was absent.