Commissioners apprehend holiday policy for officers
By Scott Nicholson
nicholson@wataugademocrat.com

During its Wednesday meeting, the Watauga County Board of Commissioners held a public hearing on a proposed ordinance change to address holiday pay for Sheriff’s Office employees.

The board considered several options to compensate staff and patrol officers for county holidays they worked that would otherwise be paid days off.

One option would pay all employees for the time whether they worked or not, at a cost to the county of $25,000. Another option would give staff who worked on holidays the chance to accrue eight hours of leave time. The third option would give those working holidays an additional eight hours of pay.

Under the policy recommended by county staff, Sheriff’s Office employees who worked on holidays have four months to use their accrued leave time. Sheriff Len Hagaman said the option was “a win-win situation.”

The new policy was unanimously approved and took effect for the Thanksgiving holiday, and it will also apply to sanitation workers who work holidays.

Recreation Wish List
Parks and recreation director Stephen Poulos submitted a grant application which he described as “basically a grocery list” for the Brookshire Road Park. The list will be included with a state Parks and Recreation Trust Fund Grant. Items in the application include paving, bleachers, an outdoor basketball court and picnic shelter, and paved pavilion. The pavilion would cost $119,000 for asphalt.

Other items on the list include a Frisbee golf course, outdoor sand volleyball court, an extension to the Greenway trail, a multi-purpose grass field, and bathroom and concession area and would cost $200,000 or more. The list was compiled from community input and the recreation board’s recommendations.

Poulos said the maximum PARTF grant would be $500,000, with the county providing matching funds. The entire list encompasses about $1.5 million worth of improvements, but will be trimmed to accommodate the grant request. If the grant were awarded, the county would have three years to complete the work.

More GovDeals
The commissioners approved a list of surplus property items that will be sold through the online auction site GovDeals.com. The list was circulated among various county departments to determine if any of the items were useful. Most of the items came from the Sheriff’s Office or court system, and include cameras, scanners, chairs, benches and desks, as well as a salvaged 1995 Jeep Sahara.

Insurance Changes
The county received mixed news in its insurance plans, as cost increase for the year ahead is 9 percent instead of the projected 11.9 percent. The dental plan will also stay locked for the year ahead, which will likely have the effect of savings since more annual increases are expected. Life insurance benefits remained the same, with the low bid resulting in a county savings of $3,377.

WMC Board and Closed Session
The commissioners appointed Sam Adams, Dale Greene, Susan Roggenkamp and Kenneth Wilcox to the Watauga Medical Center Board of Trustees. The commissioners went into closed session to discuss land acquisition, economic development matters, and attorney-client matters, with no action taken.

The commissioners meet next on Dec. 20 at 4 p.m., beginning with a joint meeting with the Watauga County Board of Education.