After public works employees protested the elimination of all take-home city vehicles at a city council meeting last month, resulting in the tabling of a final vote, Walton has reversed its decision with an exception.
According to an ordinance passed at a city council meeting Tuesday evening, all employees currently working for the city will be allowed to continue using their take-home vehicles. However, no employees hired in the future will be allowed to use a take-home vehicle.
Instead, future employees will be required to return their vehicles to the city garage at the end of every shift and then drive them out for the start of their shift the following day. Until now, all city employees who were allowed to take home a vehicle were able to drive them to and from their homes at the start and end of every shift.
The measure, sponsored by councilmember Sherry Gaskill, was introduced after it was revealed that the city hadn’t been following federal IRS rules regarding take-home vehicles, which would expose the city to liability if the vehicle were to be involved in an accident while off the clock.
However, a handful of public works and water works employees joined discussion at last month’s council meeting in opposition to the new policy, sharing concerns that terminating use of take-home vehicles would lengthen response times to emergencies, increase wear and mileage on their personal vehicles, and increase their financial burden by requiring them to pay more for gas.
In addition, the council appointed two Waltonians to various positions in administration. Robert “Bobby” McDonald, an employee for the city’s public works and water works, was sworn in as a Code Enforcement Officer.
Following the recent resignation of Eric Tungate from the board of adjustment, Mike Wood will serve for the remainder of his term, which is set to expire June 30, 2027. He is the third person to be appointed to fill the four-year term—Tungate was appointed to the position in July last year in place of Ed Sedor.