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The County Board of Commissioners on Friday got a first look at a proposed policy that would regulate how employees in the county Road and Bridge Department request time off.
Drafted by County Counselor Jim Emerson, the proposed resolution came at the request of the board as a way to ensure there would be sufficient staff on duty to guarantee completion of work during the busy, summer season. Under the proposed policy which, if approved by the board, could go into affect next year, future vacation requests would have to be made in writing and submitted to an employee's supervisor for approval.
How far in advance depends on how much time off is being requested. If the length of the request is from one to three days, 24-hour notice would be sufficient, the policy states. If an employee wants four days or more off, the policy would require one week notice.
Accommodations would be made for emergency situations, such as an illness or death, and would be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. If any request is denied, the employee would have the right to appeal the supervisor's decision to the county commissioner in charge of that employee.
After reviewing the draft of the proposed policy, commissioners asked why it couldn't be made general policy for all county departments and employees.
"I looked through it and I think it's a good policy," Commissioner Tom Moody said. "I think it should be across the board for everybody."
Some county departments already have vacation policies in place, Emerson said. Some of those policies are more strict than the one he drafted for the Road and Bridge Department.
"A lot of them have had policies in place for years," he said. "A lot of it is just common sense."
Commissioners took no action on the proposal, opting instead to have County Clerk Don Pyle ask the people in charge of the various departments to bring their policies, if any, to the next department head meeting with the board, scheduled for Nov. 14.
In other business, the board:
• Approved a rezoning request from agriculture to residential use from Micah Ehling for property at 3512 S. Rouse St. in Pittsburg. The request had no opposition, and had received a recommendation for approval from the County Zoning Board, said Judy Freeman, county zoning director.
• Approved hiring S&J Services of Frontenac to demolish an abandoned house at 706 N. Free King Highway in Pittsburg and placed a 60-day time limit on the project.
• Heard a report from County Clerk Pyle on early voting. As of Thursday evening, almost 3,100 advanced ballots were cast by mail or at satellite voting sites for the Nov. 4 general election, Pyle said, almost double the usual number of early voters. He also cautioned people who planned to vote at the regular time Tuesday can not, by Kansas law, wear any type of political button or clothing to the polling places.
The next regular meeting of the county Board of Commissioners will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday in chambers at the Crawford County Courthouse in Girard.
The County Board of Commissioners on Friday got a first look at a proposed policy that would regulate how employees in the county Road and Bridge Department request time off.
Drafted by County Counselor Jim Emerson, the proposed resolution came at the request of the board as a way to ensure there would be sufficient staff on duty to guarantee completion of work during the busy, summer season. Under the proposed policy which, if approved by the board, could go into affect next year, future vacation requests would have to be made in writing and submitted to an employee's supervisor for approval.
How far in advance depends on how much time off is being requested. If the length of the request is from one to three days, 24-hour notice would be sufficient, the policy states. If an employee wants four days or more off, the policy would require one week notice.
Accommodations would be made for emergency situations, such as an illness or death, and would be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. If any request is denied, the employee would have the right to appeal the supervisor's decision to the county commissioner in charge of that employee.
After reviewing the draft of the proposed policy, commissioners asked why it couldn't be made general policy for all county departments and employees.
"I looked through it and I think it's a good policy," Commissioner Tom Moody said. "I think it should be across the board for everybody."
Some county departments already have vacation policies in place, Emerson said. Some of those policies are more strict than the one he drafted for the Road and Bridge Department.
"A lot of them have had policies in place for years," he said. "A lot of it is just common sense."
Commissioners took no action on the proposal, opting instead to have County Clerk Don Pyle ask the people in charge of the various departments to bring their policies, if any, to the next department head meeting with the board, scheduled for Nov. 14.
In other business, the board:
• Approved a rezoning request from agriculture to residential use from Micah Ehling for property at 3512 S. Rouse St. in Pittsburg. The request had no opposition, and had received a recommendation for approval from the County Zoning Board, said Judy Freeman, county zoning director.
• Approved hiring S&J Services of Frontenac to demolish an abandoned house at 706 N. Free King Highway in Pittsburg and placed a 60-day time limit on the project.
• Heard a report from County Clerk Pyle on early voting. As of Thursday evening, almost 3,100 advanced ballots were cast by mail or at satellite voting sites for the Nov. 4 general election, Pyle said, almost double the usual number of early voters. He also cautioned people who planned to vote at the regular time Tuesday can not, by Kansas law, wear any type of political button or clothing to the polling places.
The next regular meeting of the county Board of Commissioners will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday in chambers at the Crawford County Courthouse in Girard.
