A part-time deputy utilities clerk with the city of Jamestown addressed the town's city council at Thursday's regular meeting of city leaders and asked why positions she and another part-time clerk hold are being done away with and replaced by a full-time employee.

While addressing the council, Sue Navarre, who has been with the city on a part-time basis since 2007, told Mayor Terry Lawless and the council that she and fellow part-time clerk Henrietta Leveridge did not receive any health insurance or retirement benefits throughout their tenure there, saving between $40,000 and $50,000 between them in four years.

Navarre questioned Lawless about the decision to combine the two positions into a full-time customer service representative, despite reports that the city was looking to save money at all costs.

"In short, we do our job. We are good employees," Navarre told the council. "And we have saved the city thousands upon thousands of dollars."

Lawless told Navarre that he believed the city would better benefit from a full-time employee at the front office of city hall and said that when he decided to form the full-time customer service representative he had conferred with the two part-time employees about the change. Lawless also said while reviewing applications for the new position he did not see applications from either Navarre or Leveridge.

"Neither of us want full-time jobs," Navarre said. Lawless replied that he was only looking for full-time employees.

"That doesn't make sense," she said.

No city council members commented on the matter and the council then moved on to other business.

The two part-time deputy utility clerk positions will end on June 30 with the new full-time customer service representative position beginning on July 1, the start of the new fiscal year.

In other happenings at the meeting:

• City leaders heard the first reading of the current fiscal year's amended budget ordinance as well as the first reading of the budget for next fiscal year.

The second readings of these ordinances will be at the June's regular meeting of the city council.