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Last updated on Friday, April 29, 2016
(BIRDSEYE) - The Birdseye Town Council terminated Water and Sewer Superintendent Glenn Bayer for alleged misconduct during a special meeting Tuesday evening.
Bill Powell of the Dubois County Herald reports, council members had been notified by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management about water testing violations last week. Prior to Tuesday's public session, the council had met in executive session for the stated purpose of receiving information concerning an employee's alleged misconduct.
The council determined that Bayer did not perform his required duties, which is a serious violation of town, state and federal laws and constitutes a serious breach of faith and law. The council says they had no alternative but to terminate Bayer's employment with just cause based on the nature of the violation.
IDEM says Birdseye did not complete required monitoring and/or reporting for trihalomethanes, or THMs, and haloacetic acids, or HAA5s, both of which form when chlorine reacts with natural organic material in source water, for the fourth quarter of 2013, for three of four quarters in 2014, all four quarters of 2015 and the first quarter of 2016.
IDEM also says Birdseye failed to collect lead and copper samples last year. The town is required to monitor for lead and copper once every three years and the last sampling was done in 2012.
The council requested that Bayer, who had been superintendent since September 2012, return any and all property generated or obtained during his employment, including keys, the town utility truck, equipment, a laptop, documents, handbooks, manuals, computer software and a gas card.
After the announcement and the meeting's adjournment, Bayer says he understood the council's action and held no animosity.
Applications for a new town water and sewer superintendent will be accepted at Birdseye Town Hall, 103 W. State Road 64, through Thursday, May 5.
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