Barnesville council approves revised employee handbook but omits organizational chart for later revision

Barnesville Mayor Kelly G. Hughes and the council approved a revised Employee Handbook at their Jan. 5 regular meeting, voting to adopt the handbook while omitting the organizational chart for additional discussion.

Mayor Pro Tem Cecil D. McDaniel, Sr. pressed city staff about which positions would be classified as exempt and raised concerns about the city's accounts payable process and outstanding arrears; Interim City Manager Carter Crawford and City Accountant Chana Smith responded during the work session. Councilmember Christopher Hightower said the organizational chart "needs revising" and asked that the chart be amended before being finalized.

The council added Page 31 to the handbook to address the Public Works Director and Assistant City Manager roles and added the Accountant and Facilities Manager to the exempt list. The handbook approval was carried by unanimous motion (motion by Councilmember Claxton, second by Councilmember Shropshire). The council directed staff to bring back a revised organizational chart and further handbook clarifications at a later meeting.