Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Secretary gets raise; city's water department honored

Rosston almost lost another secretary at its regular monthly meeting Monday, Aug. 5.

Brenda Jenson told the Rosston City Council she would be leaving to pursue other possibilities. She said she's working full-time and has two children.

Jenson also said it wasn't worth her time to try and do the job as city secretary for $250 per month.

Rosston Mayor Lewis Jackson said Willisville pays its secretary $650 per month.

Jenson said she'd be willing to stay until the city found someone else and they were trained. But, she gave the council the option of raising her salary to $500 per month as well.

At first the council considered tabling the issue until the September meeting. However, council member David Budd moved to increase the position's pay to $500 per month, with Dorothy Ward seconding it.

Sally Drake and Edna Kelly voted against the raise, with Budd and Ward favoring it. Jackson broke the tie by casting his vote for the increase.

He said he didn't want to have to train another secretary. During his tenure as mayor, the city has gone through eight different city secretaries.

In the past five years, the council has had four people take, then quit the secretary's position.

Jackson pointed out all city positions are open for the November General Election, telling the council anyone wanting to seek reelection should get their petitions filled out and turned in. This, he said, goes for any resident of Rosston interested in being either mayor or a member of the council.

In other business, he said the old firetruck hasn't been stripped of equipment, so he's done nothing as to getting a new title for it.

Cold mix was put down on some of the city's roads to patch holes, but it was pointed out more is needed to try and fill all the potholes.

Because the bills haven't arrived, though they've been ordered, the city isn't able to make use of its new billing system. Jackson said this month's bills may have to be made out by hand.

Water Superintendent J.D. Luck was questioned about how many people have had their water shut off for not paying their bills.

He said as of Aug. 2, water had been cut off to 11 residents, though nine have since paid their bill. There are still eight to 10 who will get their water turned off if they don't pay soon.

Luck said there was a water association meeting in the spring he was unable to attend, along with a district meeting in July. He showed the council awards the Rosston Water Department earned from the state at these meetings for excellence of operation.

"This shows we're doing something right," he said.