Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Personnel Hiring topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Mayor and council move to hire two support staff, set June 16 budget hearing
Summary
Trenton council members agreed to pursue hiring two part-time support staff — one to handle council work (agendas, minutes, planning) and one for office/billing — shortlisted several candidates for interviews and scheduled a combined budget/COG/ADU public hearing for June 16, citing 14 days' notice requirements.
The Trenton Town Council discussed hiring two part-time support staff and advanced a plan to interview a shortlist of applicants while scheduling a combined budget and planning hearing for June 16.
A council member proposed hiring "1 to work with the council and 1 to do the office," arguing that splitting minutes/agenda/planning duties from billing and utility accounting would provide backup coverage and reduce the burden on the current clerk, McCall. The council repeatedly returned to whether two hires should be required and how duties would be divided.
The Mayor emphasized public-notice rules and scheduling constraints, noting the need for 14 days' notice for certain hearings and proposing the June 16 date so the town could hold the COG item, the budget hearing and an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) update in the same public meeting.
Clerical duties under discussion included posting agendas and minutes online, preparing quarterly payroll and financial reports, reconciling accounts, taking deposits to the bank and handling utility billing. Council and staff estimated each new position would require roughly 7–10 hours per week.
Several council members named specific applicants they wanted to interview. The names raised in the meeting included Tawny (variants noted in the packet), Shayla Parker, Jesse Croft, Katie Downs, Dayette/Denette, and Wendy Poyner. Concerns were raised about some candidates' recent work stability and residency; one council member referenced earlier issues in Cornish where a prior employee "would just no show," prompting discussion of reliability and the option to hire someone with a more stable local history.
On interview procedure, members debated using a small-panel approach (two council members to screen applicants) versus full-council interviews and whether initial interviews must be held in public or may occur in executive session. One option discussed was to conduct preliminary interviews by a subpanel and then invite finalists for a full-council interview.
The council also discussed compensation and the possibility that initial pay might be higher than the current clerk's rate given double staffing, but could decline over time as the positions settled. Several members suggested pairing a more experienced, older hire with a younger trainee to allow on-the-job mentoring and continuity if the senior employee later left.
The meeting record closes with a motion to adjourn the executive session; the motion was seconded and taken by voice vote. The council left the staff-hiring plan and the June 16 hearing on the agenda for follow-up and scheduling of interviews.
Next steps: council members will proceed with selecting interviewers for an initial screening, confirm public-notice postings for the June 16 combined hearing, and return candidate decisions to a future public meeting.
