Hennessey’s town board voted 4-1 to immediately “terminate the job position of public works director” Thursday night after a 45-minute executive session.

That action left Curtis Turner without a job.

“So this is it? Not even any severance pay after almost 15 years?” a visibly upset Turner asked.

Mayor Bert Gritz shook his head.

“I feel like I earned my salary every year,” Turner said. “Except for the last few months after my heart attack. The stress of the job probably caused my heart problems.”

Turner’s salary is $63,000 a year plus benefits. Gritz said after the meeting that the board took the action due to finances.

“We can’t operate at a loss,” he said.

“You’re not going to even give me a thank you, or a kiss my …?” Turner asked the board.

Turner said he thought the board would have asked him into the closed session “so I could make my case.”“You were hateful to me,” Turner told Gritz, referring to when Gritz talked to him about the plan a couple of days before.

“Thank you, Curtis, for your service,” said Trustee Wes Hardin, who voted against terminating the position.

“Thank you, Wes,” said Turner, who later with his wife, Sandy, got up to leave the meeting.

“You’re going to hear from me,” was Turner’s parting comment. “I’m going to sue.”

Last month the board’s first look at a trimmed fiscal year budget showed the town would have a $122,000 loss for 2020-21 because of sales tax declines due to the lack of oilfield activity. The board will have their first budget meeting at 7:30 p.m. Monday night.

In a second executive session the board voted to reduce the pay of Mike Jones from $18 an hour to $12 an hour. The higher pay was when Jones worked in the police department, but he is now a public works employee.

All members of the board were present: Vice Mayor Clif Vogt, Keith Meek, Richard Simunek, Gritz and Hardin. Staff present were Administrator Tiffany Tillman, and Treasurer Teresa Weber.