The Culver Town Council members discussed the procedures and employee pay during the last part of January when town officials made the decision to close Town Hall due to extreme temperatures.
Culver Town Manager Jonathan Leist explained that Town Hall closed early on Jan. 30 and through the morning hours on Jan. 31. With the expectation of this action, employees were told they could work from home or agree to be on call during the extreme cold temperatures experienced those two days.
The employees that were on call or worked from home worked eight hours, as opposed to 16 hours as a normal work day. Leist said he and Council President Ginny Bess Munroe determined that the best solution would be to pay the staff members who were on call or worked from home and not force them to take an unpaid day off. They would receive eight hours of pay. Munroe mentioned that they shouldn’t be penalized for town officials telling them to stay home.
There was a question on overtime, but Clerk-Treasurer Karen Heim said no employee experienced overtime hours with this scenario.
The council members approved the pay for the employees during the extreme cold. Leist said a policy will be considered that will outline procedures if this type of action needs to be enacted in the future.
