Gabe Stark
Reporter

The Trenton City Council voted down a proposal Monday, Sept. 28, to hire an additional wastewater treatment plant operator ahead of the superintendent’s anticipated retirement.

The plant currently has three operators and Superintendent Bob Hutchinson. The proposal would have added a fourth operator, increasing the department’s staffing from four to five full-time employees. City Administrator Matt Harline said hiring now would give a new employee time to learn the plant’s operations before Hutchinson leaves.

Hutchinson said he intends to retire around next June, although he has not set a firm date. He emphasized the time needed to train someone for the work.

“It’s not a job you can just learn in three weeks,” Hutchinson said.

Harline said a November hire would cost an estimated $50,000 in wages and benefits for the remainder of the budget year. The position was not included in the current budget, and the expense would reduce the utility’s fund balance. A budget amendment might be needed later in the year.

Council members weighed the value of starting training early against the cost of adding a position before Hutchinson has announced a retirement date. Some said they would prefer to address the position during the next budget process. Others noted that an additional operator could cover absences and reduce the overtime paid when employees work weekends or fill in during vacations.

Hutchinson said the plant has operated with its current staffing since a position was eliminated several years ago. He said the added employee would be trained before he retires, after which the council could decide whether to maintain five positions or return to four.

Harline said the city could review department staffing levels and the cost of overtime during its next budget process.