The head of Smithville’s golf course and recreation center just got his pay doubled after the city board of mayor and aldermen found out his former partner had quietly left the job, leaving Ken Lacy to do the job of two.

Lacy will now be getting paid $2,000 a month instead of $1,000 to oversee the city’s golf course, swimming pool and tennis courts. The move comes after the board learned co-manager Pete Ferguson had verbally resigned as of July, leaving Lacy with the whole job by himself.

The departure raised questions amongst the city board when they learned Ferguson did not work during July but got paid for it anyway. Board members grilled city administrator Hunter Hendrixson on the chain of events of Ferguson’s departure.

“In July and his insurance terminated at the end of July,” Hendrixson recalled. “He was paid in July because we really weren’t for sure. He didn’t officially turn in his resignation until about the middle of July. He hadn’t been there probably for several weeks.”

Given the overlap, board members opened questioned if the city had any solution for discrepancy.

“If it was taken under false pretenses do we not have recourse?” wondered Alderman Shawn Jacobs.

“Are you saying we paid somebody for work that wasn’t done?” inquired Alderman Danny Washer