By Haylee Pence
PIQUA – On Monday, Dec. 20, the city of Piqua hosted an administrative hearing about the abolishment of the stormwater manager position, which was held by Sky Schelle.
The position officially ends on Dec. 31, 2021. Schelle received the letter of the abolishment of the position on Nov. 1, 2021. The benefits associated with the position, including health insurance, will end on Dec. 31 as well.
At this hearing, the administrators read the letter that Schelle received, which expanded on why the position was being abolished. The reason cited in the letter was “for the reorganization of city positions” in order to “increase efficiency.” Due to the unclassified status of the position, this position was chosen to be abolished, according to the letter.
Following this reading, the floor was opened to Schelle and his attorney, Jeff Silverstein. Silverstein directed questions to the administrators, who recorded the questions to be answered on Jan. 6 in a written opinion by City Manager Paul Oberdorfer. Schelle’s attorney asked the following questions:
• What is the basis for efficiency enhancement by this abolishment?
• What is the economic advantage expected from the abolishment of this position?
• What was the overview of the timeline the administrators used to come to this decision?
• How will the responsibilities Schelle had be reallocated to others?
• How will the salary that Schelle received be reallocated for different uses?
• Are there other workers in the city with the qualifications to perform Schelle’s job?
• What are the differences, if any, to the budget that the city commissioners approved for 2022 and the budget that Schelle prepared for his department?
• What other positions were abolished or laid-off? Were these individuals given the opportunity for new positions?
These questions will be addressed in a letter on Jan. 6, which will be released to the public.
