A member of the City of Powell’s planning and zoning commission resigned in protest last month over the city’s decision to drop some protections for its employees.

Myron Heny submitted his resignation in response to the city’s switch to at-will employment. A former city councilman and longtime city employee, Heny had served on the volunteer planning commission since 2015, plus a prior stint.

In an Oct. 13 letter of resignation submitted to Mayor John Wetzel, Heny said he’d truly enjoyed his time on the commission, but “I just cannot be associated with a branch of the City that follows this new ‘at-will’ employment ordinance.”

His daughter, Shelley Heny, also resigned her position as the board’s secretary.

For a half-a-century, city policy said permanent employees needed to be fired “for cause” and allowed them to appeal a demotion or firing to the city council. However, the council changed course at an Oct. 6 meeting. 

While all of the employees hired before that date continue to be under the “for cause” standard, all new hires are “at will” and can be fired at any time and for almost any reason.

The council made the change at the recommendation of City Attorney Scott Kolpitcke and city officials. Kolpitcke told the council that an employer’s job becomes “a little easier if you don’t have to prove cause and go through a hearing process.”

It’s been more than two decades since the city council held such a hearing.

City Administrator Zack Thorington said most governmental entities in the state are at-will and that a number of other cities and towns have also dropped the “for cause” standard in recent years.

When Myron Heny first started working for the city in 1975, he said employees were at-will and their jobs hinged on city leaders.

“I remember sitting at the first meeting of the Council every January waiting to see if we would be appointed for employment,” Heny wrote in his letter.

When the council adopted the “for cause” standard, he said employees were “so happy,” as it guaranteed that supervisors, council members and mayors couldn’t fire someone without an appropriate reason.

Heny went on to serve with the city for 39 years, almost all of it as the sanitation superintendent. However, without the employment protections, Heny believes one particular supervisor would have unjustly fired him.

“My only hope is this ordinance does not lead to the firing of quality employees who may have an encounter with a member of the public who then convinces a supervisor to fire him or her without due cause,” Heny wrote, saying he’s heard of employees being wrongly fired in other cities and towns.

He said he hopes the Powell City Council will reconsider its decision in the future.

In the meantime, the city is looking for a volunteer to take Heny’s spot on the seven-member planning and zoning commission. The panel meets on the last Monday of each month and advises the council on various land use issues, including giving preliminary reviews of new subdivisions, zoning changes and ordinances. 

Anyone who wants to volunteer for the commission is asked to drop off a letter of interest at City Hall, 270 N. Clark St. Wetzel will then recommend an appointment for the council’s consideration.

The city will also need to hire a new secretary to keep the commission’s meeting minutes. Unlike the board members, who are unpaid, the secretary receives $40 per meeting.