PAPILLION, NEBRASKA, IS A SMALL CITY of 16,000 that keeps getting big problems. Just three months ago, the mayor resigned his post on a moment’s notice and left town without explanation. On that same day, July 7, a female city employee filed a sexual harassment charge against the city and the citizens didn’t learn until recently that the city council approved a $225,000 payout to settle her claim. This murky and unpublicised payment triggered an investigation by the Nebraska Attorney General’s office.
Now the city’s fire department is adding to the financial woes of the taxpayers. The fire department is staffed with 35 paid firefighters and wants to expand its workforce by 6 positions. An entrance examination was administered in June to 166 applicants and the top 30 scorers were advanced to an oral interview stage of the hiring process in August. During the course of the interviews, some of the applicants were scoring unusually high for the test and an investigation was launched by the police department.
It was found that two fire department employees had given the test questions and answers to some of the people sitting for the interviews. Now the entire test has been scrapped and the city is having to begin all over with its application process. It will cost the city $25,000 to re-do the examinations.
WOWT-TV has this video report:
Two of the original applicants will be prohibited from re-taking the test and the two firefighters who compromised the test are facing suspension or termination.
KETV Omaha has more HERE.
