Chris Jones: Greene Publishing, Inc.
In a special session meeting on Thursday, Aug. 17, the Greenville Town Council discussed their options regarding either extending existing insurance coverage for the town's employees versus choosing a new plan. The topic was on the agenda for the regularly scheduled meeting on Monday, Aug. 14, but the council did not take action on the matter. The council also took action regarding the purchase of a new lawn mower.
Hakili Washington, Greenville Public Works Supervisor, told the council that, in regards to the insurance coverage, he and his staff prefer their existing Florida Blue, mainly because their existing doctors are included in the network. Vice Mayor Brandi Seabrooks stressed that the employees do not pay into their current coverage; and if they want the best plan, perhaps they should help pay for it. Washington responded by saying their salaries are too low to pay anything toward their health insurance plans. Council Member Joi Collins made a motion to renew the employee's existing insurance coverage. After a second from Council Member Barbara Dansey, the council voted to pass the motion, securing the employees’ insurance packages.
In the interest of the safety and sanitation of the town, the council also unanimously voted to approve funds for Washington to purchase a new lawn mower for the town, as broken lawn mowers and mechanical problems have caused uncontrolled growth and neglected landscaping on town property. The town received funds from selling surplus property recently, and the council approved these funds to be used to purchase the lawn mower.
The council also discussed applications for the Town Manager position. Each council member submitted their top five choices for the position. Five applicants will be called and asked to come in for interviews. This is a positive direction for the town, which has been without a Town Manager since the resignation of Jim McCroskey, the Town's previous manager, whose last day was June 30. The council has chosen to interview for the position of Town Manager itself, as opposed to delegating the duty to someone else, meaning that the interviews will be conducted in public sessions which anyone may attend. The first session was held on Thursday, Aug. 24 at 5 p.m. The second session of interviews will be on Saturday, Aug. 26, at 1 p.m.
The tail-end of the meeting deviated from the agenda and a lengthy discussion was had regarding the council members’ conduct during meetings and the recent contentious issue of the vacant council seat. Unfortunately, despite the majority of the meeting being conducted in a respectful and positive manner, the last 15 minutes of the meeting deteriorated into raised voices, accusations, and interruptions.
The next regularly scheduled meeting will be on Monday, Sept. 11 at 6 p.m. A special session meeting is scheduled for Monday, Aug. 28 for the purpose of holding a budget workshop.