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Perry County officials approve refilling Solid Waste part-time vacancy amid staffing crunch
Summary
Solid Waste supervisor Mr. Roach requested permission to refill a vacant part-time position and sought greater flexibility to hire quickly amid high turnover; the council approved refilling the post in a 6-0 vote and discussed faster approval options for urgent hires.
During a Perry County meeting, officials voted unanimously to allow the Solid Waste department to refill a vacant part-time position after Supervisor Mr. Roach described persistent turnover and staffing problems.
Mr. Roach told the council that an employee, Jacob Crafton, put in his two weeks’ notice in September and that delays in scheduling review led to the vacancy remaining open. He said the department has struggled to recruit and retain workers, asked that the previously trained employee be rehired at $12 an hour and urged the council to let him act quickly when staff leave. "Can we please get him back at $12 an hour?" Mr. Roach asked during the meeting.
The request prompted a policy discussion among council members about the proper approval path for refilling vacancies. One member said, "By statute, we're not allowed to give in carte blanche to replace these positions," while the meeting chair responded, "It's not really statute. It's just for the handbook," clarifying that the county personnel handbook — not a state law — governs the vacancy-approval process and that any exception for Solid Waste would require a formal carve-out.
A council member moved to allow Mr. Roach to fill the part-time vacancy "in as far as we can do that at this time," and another member seconded the motion. The chair called the vote and announced, "Motion passes 6 to 0." The motion authorized refilling the specific vacant position; council members emphasized that broader changes to hiring policy would need to follow the handbook.
After the vote, Mr. Roach said he would begin paperwork immediately and asked for a faster process for urgent hires so the department could avoid service gaps. Council members discussed the option of calling special meetings, noting they could be convened within 48 hours if a quorum is available, or using the council to approve urgent hires when a member cannot attend. The meeting concluded with the council agreeing to maintain consistency across departments while accommodating urgent staffing needs on a case-by-case basis.
The meeting record did not provide a date for the session. No formal pay authorization beyond the rehiring at the requested hourly rate was recorded; the action taken was limited to allowing the department to refill the specified part-time vacancy.
