The Jerome Township trustees approved a new policy for hiring employees, although one board member expressed concerns that he could be excluded from the process.
During a special meeting Monday, the Board of Trustees voted 2-1 to adopt a hiring process. Trustee Barry Adler emphatically dissented, voicing his vote as “absolutely no.”
Trustee Chair Megan Sloat said the purpose of the document is to provide a framework to be followed when officials are seeking to fill a township position.
It lays out guidelines for posting available positions, accepting applications, scheduling interviews and making an offer of employment.
“This policy is to be used as a tool that may be consulted to aid in guiding the process, but it is not to be interpreted as mandatory,” the document includes. “The Board of Trustees… may supplement, deviate and/or omit any or all of the steps identifies herein.”
Sloat noted the process is designed to be flexible, as the trustees may want a more or less rigorous application and interview based on which position is being filled.
Trustee Wezlynn Davis echoed Sloat’s comments, emphasizing that the “flexibility is intended.”
“It’s just kind of a starting point,” Sloat said, adding that the formal process can be edited or adjusted as the trustees feel is appropriate.
Sloat said the document was reviewed by the township’s legal counsel, who felt comfortable with the process.
However, Adler raised several concerns.
“I reviewed this document and felt there were a number of deficiencies in the process,” he said.
Adler explained that he took issue with language that requires only two of the three trustees to be present while interviewing candidates for township positions.
The document adopted includes a step that states interviews will be held “with at least a majority of the trustees and the candidate present.”
Sloat assured Adler that efforts will be made to schedule interviews when the full board is available.
While the goal is to include the whole board, Sloat said she wants to ensure that the hiring process is not delayed due to an emergency or personal matters experienced by a trustee.
She said she did not want to have to cancel or delay an interview if one of the trustees’ children fell ill or if a board member was experiencing an extended illness.
Davis agreed, adding that she felt including language that required all three trustees to be present in every interview would “handcuff ourselves.”
Sloat said the township has already received “numerous applications” and she would like to move forward with adopting a hiring process as soon as possible.
Still, Adler worried that he will be left out of the hiring process once the new policy is implemented.
“The way this reads, if you two for some reason chose to do an interview, I’m excluded,” he told Sloat and Davis.
Sloat told Adler that under the current board and the previous board she served under, efforts have been made to ensure all three trustees can be present at meetings.
In an interview with the Journal-Tribune Tuesday morning, Sloat said her intent “is and always has been” that all three trustees are involved in “important decisions.”
She said she “absolutely” foresees the whole board sitting in on interviews, but the language referencing “at least a majority” is to ensure the process can be as “efficient and effective” as possible.
Sloat said Tuesday that she feels township employees and officials “are doing a great job” streamlining and formalizing processes, such as the hiring procedure.
The township currently has vacancies among several higher-level positions, including the township administrator (formerly called the director of departments) and assistant zoning inspector. The positions have been posted and the township is accepting applications.