The Leslie City Council on May 5 reviewed draft job descriptions for the mayor, council members and a full-time water and sewer technician and directed staff to revise the drafts and prepare a municipal employee handbook covering evaluations, vacation, uniforms and vehicle-use rules.

Council discussion centered on duties and reporting lines for the water and sewer technician, the cadence of performance evaluations, employee benefits, and safety and vehicle-use policies. Council members said the job descriptions are intended to be high-level role definitions for future hiring and to reduce confusion about responsibilities.

Draft job elements presented to the council included water-distribution and sewer maintenance duties (meters, valves, hydrants, lift stations), routine sampling and testing, emergency repairs and after-hours response, and equipment and facility-use rules requiring locked facilities after hours. Qualifications listed in the draft include a high school diploma or equivalent, ability to obtain state water and wastewater certifications, knowledge of plumbing and mechanical repair techniques, and a valid Arkansas driver’s license; a commercial driver’s license was listed as preferred.

Council members asked staff to change wording in the draft from “assist with water main installations” to language indicating the technician will “perform” water-main work where the local practice requires it. Members also directed that routine site upkeep at wastewater facilities — up to and including mowing and weed control for the technician’s work area — be explicitly included in the description.

On performance evaluations, several council members said they preferred evaluations more frequently than annually and discussed semiannual (every six months) reviews as a likely approach so issues can be addressed and training needs identified. Council members also discussed adding paid vacation and other benefits for full-time employees; attendees noted the town currently has no formal vacation policy and recommended that vacation and coverage expectations be spelled out in the handbook, including backup arrangements when the single technician is off duty.

Council members reviewed sample city-vehicle policy language from a model handbook. The model limits vehicle use to city business, requires a valid driver’s license and restricts private transport of unrelated parties; some sample language permits spouses to ride to conferences with prior approval. Members emphasized liability concerns for non-work uses and said vehicle and equipment-specific exceptions (for example allowing a child in a city truck but not on heavy equipment) should be resolved in the handbook. They also said uniform expectations and safety compliance (OSHA standards) are better placed in the forthcoming handbook rather than in an individual job description.

Council members asked staff to incorporate the discussed edits and to return a revised job-description packet and a draft employee handbook language at a future meeting. The council did not take a formal vote on the final handbook language during the May 5 meeting.