HUMBOLDT — Hourly workers will receive more pay for serving “on call” during weekends and after-hours during the week. Ten employees with the maintenance, water and wastewater departments petitioned city hall for the pay increase, asking for it to jump from $10 to $20 per day.
In their letter, the employees cited rising prices and the fact that the rate has not been increased for many years.
Charlie Ross of the wastewater department represented those requesting the pay increase at Monday night’s council meeting. Ross likened the situation to a tree that needs watering. “A tree, or a plant, grows from the roots,” Ross said. “And if you don’t water those roots, pretty soon its leaves and branches will fall off. I’ve seen about nine branches die in my 2½ years with the department.”
Cole Herder, city administrator, said the city currently budgets $14,600 for on-call duties. The responsibility includes staying close at hand and being able to respond to an emergency. City employees are required to live within 15 miles of town.
Every department — public works, water, wastewater and police — has someone on call “every day of the year,” Herder said.
Council members agreed to $15 a day and $25 a day on weekends and holidays with the increase to be retroactive to July 1.
Ross said “it’s a good start,” and thanked Council members for their support. “Maybe the trees will get watered yet.”
An inspection of sewer lines in a section of the northeast part of town revealed several lines have severe leaks, Herder told Council members.
The inspection by BG Consultants was prompted by a request to extend sewer lines at the intersection of Ninth and Franklin streets for new construction.
“The analysis showed we aren’t going to qualify for a sewer extension permit if we don’t fix it.”
Herder said the inspection, required by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, is to ensure the city has enough capacity to handle any additional wastewater.
“The study showed that we are already at capacity and probably beyond capacity and that we can’t add any more customers,” Herder said.
Herder explained that when working correctly, a system takes back in as much as it puts out.
“People use water and it goes down the drain. We would expect a similar amount to come back through the sewer lines. In this case, nearly 10 times more water came back. We know it’s something other than city water,” he said, including rain water, underground springs, and perhaps homeowners connecting their sump pumps to the sewer lines.
“At some point we’re going to have to implement a city code (against sump pumps connected to sewer lines) and enforce compliance,” Herder said.
In the case of rain or underground springs, that’s a sign the current lines there have substantial leakage.
