The Cole County Commission on Tuesday approved a clarification to a change made earlier this year regarding holiday pay for Emergency Medical Services personnel.
Under the change approved in March, EMS employees receive double time for holidays they work and no pay if they don't work.
Commissioners on Tuesday approved having Cole County EMS observe holidays on the date of the holiday.
"We (the county) observe holidays on different days than the holidays actually occur, and that happened on July 4, which fell on a Sunday," County Finance Officer Debbie Malzner said. "It will happen again on Christmas, which this year will fall on a Saturday, and we will observe it on Friday."
Malzner said the clarification was needed because the policy change in March wasn't clear.
Former EMS Chief Matthew Lindewirth introduced the plan because employees were receiving holiday pay even when they weren't working. When those who worked took their time off, he said, EMS was paying somebody overtime to fill that shift.
To provide 11 holidays to department employees was costing the county $289,253. Paying employees who work certain holidays double time reduced that cost to an estimated $138,536, with the county saving an estimated $150,716 annually.
The plan also made Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve holidays to replace two other holidays, such as Columbus Day and President's Day.
EMS Assistant Chief David Boyles told commissioners Tuesday this is about staffing and trying to get people to work holidays.
The plan came about after employees told EMS administrators a bonus would give more incentive to work.
Other county business
In other action Tuesday, commissioners awarded a contract to replacem the High Point Road box culvert that was bid about two and a half months ago.
"We had to get (Missouri Department of Transportation) concurrence for the award before we could proceed," Landwehr said. "There were some complications with the low bidder, Twehous Excavating, not satisfying the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise requirements, according to MoDOT, and we had to go with the next low bidder. Normally we can get MoDOT concurrence within a few weeks, but because of the complications it drug out for this long."
The next low bidder was GWH Landscaping LLC, whose bid for the project was $242,454. That's below the engineer's estimate of $353,078.
In April 2019, commissioners approved an agreement with MoDOT to replace the box culvert over Meadows Creek. Landwehr said that was a standard agreement to initiate a project to receive federal funds to replace the box culvert, which is on the deficient list. He said it is the same thing the county did for the Old Forge Road bridge replacement.
The completion date is Nov. 1, and they don't anticipate this delay in the award causing problems with completing the project on time, Landwehr said.
Also Tuesday, commissioners approved an agreement with the Missouri Department of Conservation for the general management plan for fishery resources at County Park Lake. This includes MDC stocking the lake with fish, and enforcement of fishing rules and regulations. Landwehr said an existing agreement with MDC had been in place for several years and needed renewal.