Smithtown Notebook: Employee Drug Testing Policy Draft Near Completion

Town Council, Personnel Department and Public Safety Move Forward on Drug Testing Policy

Smithtown’s town council moved forward with its efforts to revamp the current employee drug testing policy this week by bringing new policy suggestions to the attention of the Personnel and Public Safety Departments.

“We’re still working on a policy to present to the union,” said Town Personnel Officer Eileen Tropea.

“The policy is a work-in-progress, it’s being reviewed by our personnel director … once she has finished reviewing it there will be a meeting with herself, Public Safety Director John Valentine and some of the town board members,” said Town Councilman Edward Wehrheim.

The current town employee drug testing policy requires drivers with commercial drivers licenses that operate town-owned motor vehicles to be subjected to random drug testing, but the board wants to expand this to all town employees that operate a town-owned motor vehicle.

Although the town has an interest in changing the policy, the union does not. , a contract that expired Dec. 31, 2010.

Both the town council and the personnel department believe a new policy draft able to be presented to the union will be completed by the end of this week.

“We expect next week to be able to sit down and have something to present,” Tropea said.

“That should be sufficient time and then we’ll take her comments the public safety director’s comments into consideration and on the town board level we’ll be crafting the policy,” Wehrheim said.

Town Employment Opportunities

The town is looking to fill numerous part time employee positions, from a mini bus driver for the senior citizens department to account clerk and more.

• The job of the mini bus driver is a 20-hour a week position that pays $13.75 an hour and would cater to the senior citizens department, transporting seniors to and from various locations. A New York State CDL "C" license is required.
• The town is also looking for a food service worker to work 20 hours a week at a rate of $12 an hour for the senior citizens department to package and serve meals.
• Finally, a part-time account clerk is needed. The Saint James Water District position pays $12.75 an hour for a 17-and-a-half hour workweek.