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Mayor and council discuss discipline after employee drove city truck to cash a check
Summary
In a brief special session April 22, the City of Vernon council discussed an employee's admission that he used a city truck without permission to cash a paycheck, weighing a verbal admonition and a proposed 90-day probation extension against policy limits; no formal personnel action was taken before adjournment.
The City of Vernon council met in a short special session on April 22 to discuss an employee's unauthorized use of a city truck. Mayor (identified in the meeting) said the employee "did, he did, admit to using the truck to go cash his check," and council members debated disciplinary options and oversight gaps.
The council learned that the employee took a city truck from the sewer yard, drove to Bay County to cash a check and returned; council members estimated the trip at about 30 miles. Frank, who was identified in the meeting as having spoken to the employee, said the action was "not good judgment" and stressed the liability risk if the vehicle had been reported stolen or had been involved in an accident.
A staff member outlined the personnel policy and disciplinary tiers, stating: "For the 1st offense, it's an admonition. 2nd offense is an official reprimand ... 3rd offense would be a reprimand to removal." That staff member also told the council their policy "does give you the right to extend his probationary period for up to an additional 2 months." The mayor recommended "we extend 90 days," prompting discussion about the discrepancy between the mayor's suggested 90-day extension and the staff-cited two-month policy limit.
Council members raised practical concerns about supervision: the meeting record shows there is not a clearly assigned supervisor for the employee, which some said complicates any probationary oversight. Several members urged a city-wide reminder to employees about use of city equipment to prevent similar incidents and to ensure consistent treatment of staff.
No formal motion to impose discipline was recorded in the transcript. After discussion, the presiding speaker called for adjournment and members present responded "Aye," adjourning the special meeting. The council did not record a vote on probation extension or other formal personnel penalties during the session.
Next steps reported in the meeting transcript included the mayor's recommendation for a verbal admonition, a proposed probation extension (disputed in length relative to written policy), and a suggestion that staff follow up by communicating expectations to all employees; the transcript does not document any binding direction or scheduled follow-up hearing on the personnel matter.
