Cole County Emergency Medical Services personnel will see a change in how holiday work is handled starting Memorial Day as discussed during Tuesday's meeting.
Cole County commissioners considered this change a win-win situation to save money for the county and improve morale for EMS staff.
Under the change, EMS employees will receive double time for holidays they work and no pay if they don't work.
EMS Chief Matthew Lindewirth introduced the plan last week when he said employees currently receive holiday pay even when they aren't working. When those who worked take their time off, he said, EMS is paying somebody overtime to fill that shift.
"Unlike for office staff where that work just gets piled up for the next day, I have to have somebody working," Lindewirth said. "It's causing unnecessary strife because there's mandatory overtime."
To provide 11 holidays to department employees, the current total cost is $289,253, he said. Paying employees who work certain holidays double time would cost an estimated $138,536.
The county would save an estimated $150,716 annually by switching to this plan, Lindewirth said.
"We reduce the amount of overtime our staff needs to work unnecessarily; we save money to the county by doing this; (and) we hopefully have happier employees because they're not being forced to work (mandatory overtime)," he said.
The plan also makes Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve holidays in replacement of two other holidays, such as Columbus Day and President's Day.
"They still have the same number of holidays; we're just adjusting the two days over," Lindewirth said. "This is about staffing at the end of the day, trying to get people to work (holidays)."
He employees had asked if they received an incentive for working the holidays, and he had to tell them no.
"When we started talking, and we asked what would make them happy, they said, 'Give me a bonus, give me something to work and be away from my family on that holiday,'" he said. "This double time does that."
Eastern District Commissioner Jeff Hoelscher said the topic came up last year, but the commission never voted on it because of the election and not wanting to decide right before a new commissioner came on.
"This is a win-win-win," said Western District Commissioner Harry Otto, who joined the commission after last fall's election.
Otto said he decided based on the estimated savings and the idea employees would be happier because of less mandatory overtime.