Floyd County supervisors discuss holidays, time off

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

Floyd County employees will likely get part of Christmas Eve off, and the courthouse could be closed at noon, after a Board of Supervisors discussion at a workshop meeting Monday.

The three members of the board informally agreed that county employees who work Christmas Eve will get half of their normally scheduled hours off, but official action on the issue is likely to come today (Tuesday) at the board’s regular meeting.

The majority of people celebrate Christmas or at least take the day off, said Supervisor Roy Schwickerath, and most of the public does not do business on Christmas Eve.

“I think the employees are busy with their own lives and family and Christmas Eve is a time when we’re not gonna get a lot of work out of people, and I think it’s a good time to give them that half day off,” he said.

“I totally agree,” said Supervisor Linda Tjaden. “I can’t imagine there’s much business here. There might be at retail stores on that day, but not so much at the courthouse.”

Supervisor Doug Kamm said he agreed with giving employees half their usual hours off on that day, but also said that as long as they were talking about holidays, he’d like to see the county alternate taking the day off for Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Presidents Day.

“I’m saying we ought to go one year do Martin Luther King, one year do Presidents Day,” he said.

Both Schwickerath and Tjaden said they were concerned switching back and forth each year could lead to confusion.

County Auditor Gloria Carr said she thought most employees would rather have Presidents Day off in February rather than the King holiday in January because it would better break up the long stretch between the Christmas and New Year’s holidays and Memorial Day in May.

“It’s such a long stretch from January until May to get another day,” she said.

No consensus was reached Monday, and the subject may come up again today in the holiday discussion.

Kamm wondered why the board sets the holiday schedule every year instead of keeping it the same.

Carr said they could make it part of the employee handbook and not have to talk about it every year.

Also at the workshop meeting Monday, the board:

• Received an update on the law enforcement center project from Brian Shindelar, project superintendent with the Samuels Group, the county’s construction management company. He said the fuel tank for the backup generator had been moved and hooked up and much of the site work had been finished.

He said the concrete reinforcing rebar for the footings was expected to arrive Dec. 9, but they were still awaiting word on the anchor bolts and embedded plates that need to be anchored in the footings to match up with the precast concrete walls.

He also discussed the timing of building permits from the city for the project, and the certificates of occupancy to move into the new building when it is finished.

Shindelar said it will be possible to get a certificate of occupancy just for the new jail first, so that detainees can be moved in from the current jail on the top floor of the courthouse while work continues on the new sheriff’s office and on courthouse updates.

• Received an update from Lezlie Weber, Floyd County emergency management director, regarding her efforts to work with county departments, Charles City, other cities and schools in the county and other groups on safety preparation, including active shooter preparation, disaster drills, disaster recovery and other topics.