Ortonville- Some heavy snowfalls this winter and upcoming street projects have prompted the village council to approve hiring two on-call DPW employees.
During their Feb. 28 meeting, the council voted 4-1 to give DPW Supervisor Bob Hauxwell the authority to hire two on-call employees at a rate of $12.50 per hour ‘as needed.? Councilmember Coleen Skornica voted no. Council President Wayne Wills and Councilmember Dan Eschmann were absent.
The village Department of Public Works was a 3-man crew until 2009, when former DPW employees Bill Prince and Kevin Booms were fired and the union was dissolved. Hauxwell was hired as the full-time DPW supervisor and is joined by a part-time employee, currently Mike Pokorzynski, who works anywhere from 32-39 hours.
Hauxwell praised Pokorzynski Monday night as a hard worker and asked the council to give his fellow DPW employee a raise. The council has not yet taken action on that request.
Village Manager Larry Brown said the hiring of the on-call employees will be helpful for getting snow removed quicker and in doing some storm sewer projects this summer that will require three DPW workers.
‘They (Hauxwell and Pokorzynski) did an excellent job this winter and had a good number of compliments and few complaints,? said Brown. ‘I’m really pleased with the work Bob and Mike do.?
Hauxwell said overall, there were a few days the DPW were shorthanded, but ‘things are rolling along nicely? and he has a few candidates he is considering for the on-call positions.