Hart BOC Sets Severe Weather Pay Guidelines

Hart County Commissioners have approved a new policy for how to pay employees during a severe weather event. 

The Board of Commissioners met for a called session Friday night to discuss putting a written policy in place.   Last week’s snow and ice storm brought the lack of solid guidelines to the board’s attention, according to county administrator Jon Caime. 

Caime said there are certain departments whose employees are required to work during severe weather and other departments where the employees are normally asked to stay home.

 “It’s required and part of the job for emergency services to show up for work when we have severe weather,” Caime said. “Those departments include EMS, the Road Department, Sheriff’s office, etc. However, we have other departments where we actually tell the employees to stay home. “

Caime said some of the board members questioned whether that policy is fair.

“The commissioners want to take a look at that policy and see if A: pay those people who don’t show up to work and get paid to stay home and not work, and B if those people get paid, what about the emergency services personnel? Is it fair to them because they’re actually reporting to work, even though it’s in their job description, and this other class of people are getting paid to stay at home and not work? They wanted to address that before payroll this week,” Caime explained 

After some lengthy discussion, Caime said the board finally approved a plan that will now become a written policy.

 “What they came up with, was the county will pay those people who don’t show up to work because we shut the county offices down and the emergency personnel who do show up to work will get paid time and a half,” he said. 

Caime said he will present the new policy to the board at their regular meeting next week and he expects they will vote on at that time.