Two City of Petal employees have been suspended for three days without pay, while another city employee has been terminated.
During Tuesday’s meeting of the Petal Board of Aldermen, board members voted unanimously to suspend one employee from Petal Police Department. One employee was suspended from the Parks and Recreation Department, while another from that department was fired.
Because terminations and suspensions are considered personnel issues, the matter was discussed in executive session, and employee names are kept confidential.
“We don’t talk about personnel issues like that,” Mayor Hal Marx said. “There were just some issues on the one that was terminated – there were some issues that the department heads brought to our attention that they were concerned about, and the board decided to terminate the employee.
“The other employee in that department was suspended for similar policy violations. It wasn’t anything serious as far as the public is concerned; it was just internal policy things. So the board took that action, and we really don’t comment any more (than that) on personnel issues.”
The terminations and suspensions are effective immediately.
“With the police officer suspension, they work shifts, so it depends on when their next shift would be,” Marx said. “But I’m assuming that (the suspended employees) will be out the next three days.”
The board also voted to hire two new employees: Coleman Pickett in the Petal Water Department and Arimis Hall in the Parks and Recreation Department. Hall will replace the terminated employee in that department.
