ASHLAND — City officials approved hiring a slate of new city workers on Thursday.
City Clerk Debra Musser said the city feels fortunate to be able to hire so many new employees when other municipalities across the state are preparing to or already have laid off workers.
Sixteen positions will be filled in four city departments.
They include:
—Six solid waste worker 1, public works department
—Five wastewater collection operator 1, engineering and utilities department
—Custodian, public works department
—Distribution operator in the water/sewer distribution division; engineering and utilities department
—Maintenance worker, parks and recreation department
—Maintenance worker, finance department
—Relief bus driver, finance department
The names of the individuals hired were not available as of press time Thursday because the new employees had not been notified.
All the positions, with one exception, will be filled by new employees and only position is part-time, according to City Clerk Debbie Musser.
She said the majority of the positions were vacant. Only two positions — the mass transit maintenance worker and the custodian — are new to the city.
She said the city created a second custodian position for the new police station.
Most of the vacant positions became open through transfers, promotions and attrition, according to Musser. She said workers, particularly those in the solid waste positions, frequently transfer to other higher grade positions within the city.
Musser said the city is pleased to have hired five new waste water collection operator 1 workers, which is an entry level licensed position.
She said the city has been waiting for years for state regulators to create a four-level licensing system for sewer plant. The city’s hope is that the new operators will remain with the city long enough to reach the highest level.
“That is a career path that they can go through. We’re hoping that people will stay within that instead of transferring to other places,” she said.
The city had an ample amount of applicants apply for most positions and was able to direct some individuals to jobs they had not applied for based on their skill level and past history.
The battered economy, combined with the top-notch benefits and job security the city offers, is what attracted a sizable number of applicants despite wages often lower than what individuals expect.
Musser believes several of the new employees are currently unemployed. “Some were thrilled to be able to even come in for an interview,” she said.
Musser said all employees hired Thursday must complete physicals before beginning to work and must complete a year-long probationary period.
The city will maintain a list of applicants who were not hired for six months to be used if other positions open, she said.
Ashland is in the midst of hiring four new police officers and filling an accounting job in the department of finance.
Seven new firefighters were hired last month and began work Monday.
Local News
City hires 16; majority will be new
Employees to fill four separate departments
- Local News
-
-
Ohio man killed In Lewis County
A motorcyclist from Ohio was killed after crashing on Ky. 59 near Scotts Branch Road on Saturday.
-
TIM PRESTON: Karats, peaches, wings and brews, old couches and new beauty
Weekly business column from Tim Preston.
-
Come on in!
It’s time to grab a towel, some sunscreen and your shades — pools in the Tri-State are nearing their opening dates and are bound to provide some days of fun this summer.
-
Pooches take to the street in Dog Jog
They were running with the big dogs Saturday in Grayson.
-
A Smith Branch Legacy
Six generations of Robinsons have called Smith Branch home.
-
Court battle heating up over stretch of blacktop
The court fight is just heating up over a block-long stretch of blacktop in Grayson.
More parties are piling on in the lawsuit accusing Grayson of passing an illegal ordinance to take ownership of the pavement. -
Regional jails ‘a total failure’
As the debate over a proposal to create a new Northeast Regional Jail Authority continues, some officials with the Big Sandy Regional Detention Center in Paintsville are watching closely.
-
Beshear in West Liberty to help in tornado recovery
State legislatures and Gov. Steve Beshear gathered in West Liberty on Friday to sign three bills that will help in the recovery efforts of the tornado-stricken town.
-
Students get more than a scoop’s share
There’s nothing more refreshing than ice cream on a hot day, and no one knows that better than the principal of Hager Elementary School in Ashland.
-
2 school aides part of drug arrests
Two elementary school aides and three other people were arrested Thursday in a Carter County drug investigation.
- More Local News Headlines
-
Ohio man killed In Lewis County
Vatican in Chaos After Butler Arrested for Leaks
Jimmy Carter Endorses Egypt's Election Results
Biden Addresses West Point Graduating Class
Dozens of Children Killed in New Syria Attack
Raw Video: Activists Allege Massacre in Syria
NJ Man Charged With Murder in Death of Patz
Support, Fun for Kids of Fallen Soldiers at Camp
Fugitive Penguin Caught, Returned to Aquarium
50 Years Later, Underground Fire Still Burning
Light Show Transforms Sydney Opera House
Raw Video: Unruly Passenger Restrained in Miami
Raw Video: Robber Uses Drive-thru Window
Raw Video: Dragon Arrives at Space Station
Calif.'s Coronado Named Nation's Best Beach
CEO Salaries Become Sore Issue in Labor Disputes
