Roof reconstruction and repair and who is responsible for each part was again a major topic of discussion at the Linwood Town Board meeting May 24. Roof repair from hail damage by contractor INS overlaps work that is being completed by Structural Building. Structural Building wants to warranty the entire roof.
A representative from INS attended the meeting with an attorney to speak on his behalf. No representative from Structural Building attended. With discussion at the May 10 meeting and a special meeting on May 19, supervisors hoped to finalize matters on May 24.
Despite assurances from the INS about meeting with Structural Building to subcontract the roof repair, no documentation was presented at the meeting. Supervisors were told Structural Building has the paperwork, but it was not available to the board.
Finally, the board voted to stick with the agreement reached on May 19. By unanimous vote, Structural Building was awarded the contract.
Supervisors unanimously authorized a change order on the Town Hall and senior center improvements to install an electronic strike plate for card readers on one entry to the senior center. An upgrade to the Town Hall office entry door from a Tell door to an aluminum storefront style to match the door to the senior center was also approved. An electronic strike plate was also authorized for this door. The total cost for all changes is $2,400.
Millerbernd recommended an additional fireproof cabinet for the maintenance garage. A fire inspector is scheduled to inspect the facility on June 3. The board approved up to $1,000 for purchase of the cabinet.
During the reroofing of the town hall and Senior Center, classes and activities normally held in the Linwood Senior Center are temporarily relocated to Sunnyside Free Lutheran Church (exercise and yoga) and the fire station. Thursday Coffee Hour is suspended for two weeks.
Time clock
An ongoing discussion about the employees’ use of the time clock continued at the Tuesday Linwood meeting. The practice has been counting an employee “on time” who has punched in within eight minutes of start time. However, a few minutes beyond quitting time, the automated system computes overtime.
Supervisor Bob Millerbernd believes it is a matter of “respect for the person who signs checks each week” for an employee to show up on time for work. It particularly irritates him that someone checking in late can also be credited with overtime, sometimes on the same day. He has raised the matter with the Personnel Committee at least three times and said he is “tired of it happening.”
Both maintenance employees, neither of whom has supervisory responsibilities, attended the meeting. One told the board that where he worked for 35 years, there was no time clock. He was always trusted to check in on time, which he continues to do. Supervisor Mike Halliday told those at the meeting that this the reason the state auditor recommended that a time clock be used. The clock is for verification.
“We don’t budget in a lot of OT,” Supervisor Phil Osterhus said.
Ultimately, the board unanimously voted to no longer “round” by chunk of time, but to pay employees by the minute. Ed Kramer recommended staying within the 40-hour work week, taking off a few minutes early if extra minutes have cumulated.
In other news, Supervisor Carol Searing announced that the deadline for notices in the township news letter is July 5. The newsletter will be mailed by the end of July. Items to be included are election announcements – including requirements for filing for office – Linwood Family Fun Day, carp barriers and recycling information.
In other business, the board:
– Approved the waiver of township building permit fees, in the amount of $5,105, for the Town Hall and senior center building renovations. The state surcharge must still be paid. The vote was 4-1. Searing voted against.
– Set the date for its Meet the Candidates forum for Wednesday, Oct. 16.
– Approved a variance reducing a required 10-foot setback to one of 6.5 feet for Linwood Covenant Church so an addition may be made to a storage shed. The property is adjacent to a power line easement, which meets the corner of the property at a diagonal angle.