Cuba City council flags gas-department staffing shortfall, tables hiring pending special meeting

Cuba City — Council members and residents on the Cuba City Council expressed alarm Wednesday over a severe staffing shortage in the municipal gas department and agreed to table immediate hires until a special meeting and interviews can be scheduled.

The conversation centered on what a council member described as the city’s current reliance on a single certified gas technician on 24/7 call. “We cannot continue to have this man on call all by himself, 24 hour a day, 7 days a week,” the council member said, calling the arrangement “not a good place” for the department and warning of public-safety risk.

The council member proposed a short-term contract arrangement to bring back a former employee, Mr. Happel, as a contract supervisor to provide coverage while the city trains additional staff. “I’ve talked to Mister Happel about possible returning in a sub‑contractor type position for a short term…a year, maybe less,” the council member said. The proposal was described as temporary and intended to give the city time to recruit and train in‑house personnel.

A resident stressed the stakes if staffing gaps persist. “You’re asking for a major lawsuit or liabilities… it’s gonna be someone’s property or their life,” the resident said, urging the council to prioritize stability in the department.

The presiding official who led the meeting (identified in the transcript as the chair) urged adherence to the city’s hiring policy and recommended interviewing an in‑house applicant before making a final decision. “I would like to table this. Interview the in house person and then have a special meeting and hire them,” the chair said. Council members agreed to schedule a special meeting to interview internal candidates and revisit hiring.

Council members and staff also noted operational constraints: several employees recently left or moved to other departments, leaving the gas group short of trained personnel and reliant on cross‑departmental support. One council member said the city needs three people ready to run the department to avoid depending on the treatment-plant manager to cover on‑call shifts.

The council did not vote to hire at the meeting. The chair and other members agreed to table hiring decisions and hold interviews at a special meeting; dates were discussed informally but not finalized in the transcript.

What’s next: The council will schedule a special meeting to interview an in‑house applicant and decide whether to hire internally or proceed with a temporary contract supervisor to stabilize gas-department coverage.