by Olivia P. Tucker
Times reporter
Scott County Council discussed potential holiday pay changes and paid time off for Scott County EMS at their regular meeting on July 13.
Scott County EMS director Nick Oleck said that the employees at EMS work 56 hours a week compared to the normal 40 hours that a county employee works. He said that EMS workers currently get 24 hours of paid time off every 3 months, but the employees lose overtime that they would be getting otherwise while they work.
The major holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas, the employees at EMS get paid normally for working the holiday as if it were a non-holiday work day. “That results in staffing issues around the holidays as well,” said Oleck.
“There’s no incentive for my employees to work holidays,” said Oleck. “We don’t get days off, the office doesn’t get to close. So when we are approaching main holidays, people want to take off and spend time with their family because there is no incentive to work the actual holiday.”
Oleck proposed that he would like to be able to have the employees be paid time and a half for working the holidays, allowing an opportunity to motivate full-time and part-time employees to work.
Council member JR Ward asked Oleck if he had been to the commissioners on this matter. Oleck responded that he had and the Commissioners were fine with it.
Council Attorney Heather Peters asked if there was something approved by the commissioners to change the policy since the change had to do with the salary policy and changing the employee handbook.
“I am not looking for anything to be passed today,” said Oleck, “I am looking for the approval to propose something to be changed.”
Ward said that he was in support of the changes to the holiday pay for not just the employees but for their families as well.
Council President Lyndi Hughbanks said the council’s general consensus for Oleck is to move forward with getting the holiday pay changed for the employees of EMS for the council to be able to formally vote on the change.