Floyd County employees will get half-day holiday on Christmas Eve

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

Floyd County employees will get part of Christmas Eve off, and the courthouse will be closed at lunchtime, after a Board of Supervisors discussion at a workshop meeting Monday then a decision at the regular meeting on Tuesday.

The three members of the board agreed that county employees who work Dec. 24, Christmas Eve, will get half of their normally scheduled hours off with pay.

The majority of people celebrate Christmas or at least take the day off, said Supervisor Roy Schwickerath on Monday, 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 Monday.

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.

The topic of Martin Luther King Jr. Day didn’t come back up on Tuesday and the board took no action on that holiday.

Also at the regular meeting Tuesday, the board:

• Approved rezoning from agricultural to residential the property at 2604 and 2606 160th St. in Floyd, owned by William and Julie Joyner, and approved a minor subdivision so that homes can be built on the property.

• Approved rezoning from ag to residential the property at 2648 195th St. in St. Charles Township, owned by Raymond Holzer. Eventually that property will need to be subdivided as well so homes can be built there.

• Approved a resolution acknowledging that beginning Jan. 1, Floyd County employees who work for County Social Services will become employees of that organization instead of the county.

Supervisor Schwickerath, who represents the county on the CSS board, said the action is being taken so all of the people who work for the organization across its 22 counties will have the same wage scale, benefits, etc., and will all be treated the same.

At the workshop meeting on 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 courthouse backup generator had been moved and hooked up and much of the site work where the law enforcement center will be located was being 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.