By JON BAKER

LINCOLN  ---  Town Council member John Flynn admitted concern when he heard news of a Public Works Department highway superintendent’s misuse of a town-owned snowplow a few weeks ago.

Gagnon’s superior, Public Works director John McQueen, also received a five-day suspension without pay, while another unnamed union worker was issued a written reprimand for failure to report the violation.

That’s why Flynn is looking into changing the current ordinance. In a press release dated Dec. 28, the District 2 (Lonsdale) representative wrote, “If you look at the existing code, it does not address who should have town-owned vehicles, and it doesn’t address who should take them home … I don’t have a count on how many (town) employees take them home, but I know of at least six.”

It is of Flynn’s volition to establish criteria as to who is eligible to have a town-owned vehicle assigned to them (40 percent or more of their work day “on the road”); slice the fleet to 10-12; and also prohibit all from taking them home.

“The town administrator told me the only ones who could take them home were people on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so -- when I thought about it -- I wondered how many times those workers were actually called in,” Flynn said. “It was my guess that it only happened a few times a year, but they still had those vehicles the entire time.

“I decided to propose a change to the ordinance that would prohibit employees from bringing them home,” he added. “I think it could save the taxpayers a lot of money. The ordinance, the way it is now, doesn’t say anything about taking them home, or who may do it or when. It does say that anyone who drives one must keep track of their mileage in a log, and that they must inspect it, check the oil, etc. It also states that anyone who misuses such would be subject to disciplinary action.”

Flynn noted he would like the proposal to be part of the agenda at the next council gathering on Jan. 15, and hopes it would be sent to the ordinance committee (including he and fellow councilmen James Jahnz and Keith Macksoud) for discussion before returning to the council for passage or rejection in February.

Flynn anticipated the committee to make wording changes.

“Right now, this may not be necessary, but seeing we have nothing in place, I think we need something for the future to protect the town’s interest. I also like the idea of saving the town some money.”

Almond didn’t know the exact amount of cars/trucks owned by the town, but did say who uses them and when must be considered “an administrative function.”

“John can propose what he deems necessary, and I have no problem with that. It’s well within his rights as a councilman, but every issue he’s raised has been addressed in the past,” Almond said. “The council has the authority to ensure that town property isn’t being misused, but I believe there is an adequate charter provision as to the use of such vehicles.”

Almond also said that, in the past, only six people were allowed to take town-marked trucks home with them, and they included himself; Deputy Police Chief Brian Sullivan; Public Works director John McQueen; highway supervisor Bill Beauchemin; facilities manager David Sayles; and highway superintendent Michael Gagnon (though he no longer is allowed).

“Those are the four non-union salaried managers who are on call 24 hours a day to handle situations,” Almond said. “They’re the ones who have to evaluate an incident and decide what should be done. If you call a union person, then there’s a certain amount you have to pay him, and it’s a minimum of five hours of overtime.”

Almond provided a scenario: If something happened at Town Hall, say, at 3 a.m., Sayles would be called to check on the situation. If all he had to do was flip a switch, no union personnel would have to report, thus saving the town money.

“To try to determine efficient use of the vehicles and the number we have is not a function of the town council, nor is it intended to be by the town charter,” Almond offered. “I consider that to be an overreach. I know this has been based upon the incident that happened publicly.

“Mike’s authority to drive a truck during working hours was legitimate. Misusing town equipment wasn’t, and he got penalized for it.This is not a benefit to those people (who have town-owned vehicles). They’re provided for a purpose.

“The number of vehicles the town owns is achieved through a process; it runs from the administration to the budget board to the Financial Town Meeting, and then it’s approved by the voters. How the vehicles are deployed is clearly an administrative function.”

Councilman Ronald McKenna agreed.

“Some people are too sensitive to things like this,” he said. “I don’t have a problem with a snowplow driver who lives in Lincoln, after he’s put in a lot of hours, to drive a mile or two to clean his own driveway, get a few hours of sleep and then hit the roads again. What are you going to do, chastise him for helping his own cause to help the town?

“I say there’s got to be a certain amount of flexibility,” he added. “I mean, if someone is working a double shift and there’s three feet of snow in front of his driveway, then he should be able to plow it. What’s wrong with that?”