Birdseye Utility Superintendent fired: Move saddens council members

Following an hour-long executive session on Tuesday, April 26, Birdseye Town Council members opened a special meeting and closed it about two minutes later — their work done.

“It is with great sadness I make a motion to terminate your employment, effective immediately,” said Council President Jerry Alstadt to Water and Sewer Superintendent Glenn Bayer.

The vote was unanimous.

Councilwoman Kelly Wiseman read from a prepared statement: “You are hereby given notice that your employment with the Town of Birdseye shall be terminated for cause, effective immediately, April 26, 2016.

“This action has been deemed necessary as we have determined that you have not performed required duties, which is a serious violation of Town, State and Federal laws and constitutes a serious breach of faith and law. We have no alternative but to terminate your employment with just cause based on the nature of this violation.”

What caused this breach of faith and law?

The full story can be found in this week’s (April 27) Ferdinand News. However the long and short of it is, Bayer failed to perform required water tests for the last three years, putting the Town in a precarious position.

During a special meeting April 21, Bayer claimed he had not received certified letters sent by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM), but the State determined the certified letters had been received and signed for.

Emails were also ignored, leading Wiseman to question why the state agency didn’t contact town officials directly when the certified letters were ignored.