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Parksley council debates random drug testing for employees and elected officials; costs and procedure remain unresolved
Summary
Council members discussed instituting random and pre-employment drug testing for town employees and whether elected officials should be covered; Councilwoman Julie Nash cited state guidance and members asked staff to obtain pricing and options.
Parksley council members spent part of their Nov. 11 meeting discussing whether to expand drug testing for town employees and elected officials, how to implement random draws and who would pay for the tests.
Councilwoman Julie Nash said state guidance supports employers ensuring a drug-free workplace and argued the town "should be doing random drug testing." Public Works Director Danny Siegert estimated testing at about $60–$80 per test. Members discussed testing current employees upon adoption of a policy and then instituting random testing for safety-sensitive positions; they also discussed using an outside contractor to select names for random pulls.
Councilman Frank Russell said the town already had a drug-testing policy for some positions but that enforcement and procedures needed clarification. Clerk Letitia Greer and others noted legal limits around elected officials, observing that a failed test would not automatically remove an elected official from office without separate sanctioning mechanisms.
No formal vote was taken. Vice Mayor John Parks asked staff to get pricing and bring the matter back for discussion at the next council meeting.
