Some city employees have become too complacent in their jobs and could find themselves being assigned other duties, Mayor George Flaggs said last Wednesday.

Flaggs said during his question-and-answer program he will be taking a hard look at the performance of city department heads during their evaluations. His comments came as he discussed problems with trash and debris cluttering the curbs along city streets.

Flaggs said in June the city department heads appointed by the Board of Mayor and Aldermen would undergo a job evaluation after their first six months on the job.

“We’re going to look at everybody in every position for the first six months and then we’ll make a determination,” he said.

He said Wednesday the board was “going to hold their feet to the fire.”

“For the next four years or the next eight years or the next 12 years, I’m going to be tougher than you’ve ever seen. We’re going to have to move some folks around because of the fact that complacency in this government has gone on too long,” he said. “The problem is I inherited a form of government that is inadequate, employees that just don’t know we’ve got cross-training and I’m serious about the six-month performance (evaluation).”

“We’re going to evaluate for the next six months and if they (department heads) don’t do the job, we’re going to get rid of them,” Flaggs said.