By Randy Arrington
SHENANDOAH, Dec. 12 — As one of its first orders of business on Tuesday night, the Shenandoah Council voted unanimously to name part-time assistant town manager and former longtime councilman Charlie Jenkins as the new Town Manager.
Juanita Roudabush, who has served as Shenandoah’s Town Manager since April 1, 2017, announced during the council’s Nov. 14 meeting that she would be retiring at the end of the year. Roudabush has served the Town for the last 24 years, many of those as assistant town manager under former manager Larry Dovel. She also spent 10 years with the county, working in Page’s first zoning office. Now, after 34 combined years of public service, her last day on the job will be Dec. 31, 2023.
Jenkins, owner and operator of Jenkins Computer Services for many years in Shenandoah, served on the Town Council for 22 years from 2000 to 2022. Since May, Jenkins has served the Town on a part-time basis at a rate of $20 per hour, as assistant town manager. While assisting Roudabush with various responsibilities and projects, Jenkins learned the ropes for a job he intended to pursue upon Roudabush’s anticipated retirement.
Jenkins was unanimously selected as Shenandoah’s town manager among a reported pool of 23 applicants and received an annual salary of $80,000 with an opportunity for a 5-percent increase after a six-month probationary period. The new hire is officially effective on Jan. 1, 2024; however, Jenkins served in the role of town manager at Tuesday night’s meeting in Roudabush’s absence.
“I’m appreciative of Council’s support,” Jenkins said after the meeting. “I have the best interests of the Town in mind, and I will work to improve it to the best of my abilities.”
In other employee matters, the council also unanimously accepted the resignation of Town Treasurer Cindy M. Breeden, who has worked in local government for 42 years — 32 as the Treasurer of Shenandoah, including 31 years working with the same mayor and vice mayor. Crystal McCoy was named the new treasurer by a unanimous vote at an annual salary of $60,000 with a six-month probation period. The council also agreed to advertise to fill the position of deputy treasurer and clerk formerly filled by McCoy.
In other business at its Dec. 12 meeting, the Shenandoah Council took the following actions:
• Heard a report that the Town’s FY21-22 audit is still not complete and may soon cause the Town to be in non-compliance as it relates to agencies approving loans and grants. The Town’s accounting firm has admitted fault in the delay and has promised to complete the audit by the end of the year. Council members discussed possibly changing audting firms, as its FY22-23 audit will soon be due as well. A nearby locality had the same problem with the same accounting firm. A new auditing firm will likely come with an increase in cost.
• Unanimously voted to sell a small narrow lot owned by the Town on First Street, rather than pursue a plan to build a parking lot with an EV charging station. Council members felt such a facility would not be well used and the property could be more beneficial to a developer with adjoining lots.
• Unanimously agreed to accept bids on old equipment owned by the Town totaling $46,262.
• Unanimously agreed to the following payments — $2,957.41 for brakes and wiring repairs to a truck; $1,780 to Moyer Brothers for cleaning out a sewer line; $7,125 to J&J Auto to replace the clutch and a transmission in a ’94 International dump truck; $21,109 for a spare pump for the water treatment plant; $4,103.83 for a spare motor for the water treatment plant; $1,150 to Juniors Tree Service for grinding half a dozen stumps at Big Gem Park; and $5,125 to Valley Automation for replacing a turbidity meter and drive that monitors sediment in a Town well.
• Heard a report that electric rates charged by Shenandoah Valley Electric will see a streamline 3.87-percent base increase beginning Jan. 2, 2024. Those customers using 100 KW will see an increase of $6.24, or 4.5 percent, on their monthly bill.
• Unanimously agreed to donate $200 to the Shenandoah Volunteer Fire Department in memory of longtime business owner and active citizen Richard P. Strickler.
• Unanimously accepted a $103,000 state grant to help pay the cost of a lead and copper survey. Funds will reimburse the Town for manpower to conduct the survey.
• Unanimously agreed to spend about $1,000 in initial one-time costs and $600 per year in monthly fees ($49.90 per month) for a silent alarm system, potentially at both the Town Office and the Town Museum.
• Unanimously agreed to instruct the Chief of Police to work with Wildlife and Game officials to humanely capture and remove a family of beavers from the boat landing area at the Town’s Riverside Park.
For more information about the Town of Shenandoah,
visit https://www.townofshenandoah.com/
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