Commission declares emergency; County employees receive 5% pay adjustment

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Cullman Tribune file photo

CULLMAN, Ala. – The Cullman County Commission held a special meeting Friday morning, and due to COVID-19 restrictions, the meeting was closed to visitors and live streamed to the public on the Cullman County Commission’s Facebook page. The commission has suspended regular commission meetings until May 12.

The commission passed a resolution declaring emergency conditions in Cullman County. The declaration “provides the power and authority for political subdivisions such as Cullman County to declare a state of local emergency and waive the procedures and formalities otherwise required of a political subdivision by law.”

Under the state of emergency:

  • The courthouse will remain closed with employees still working.
  • The registrar’s office will take appointments for those needing photo identification to vote.
  • The Commission on Aging office will remain open.
  • Senior centers remain closed.
  • Homebound meals will continue to be delivered and meals picked up at senior centers.
  • Revenue Department will waive all credit card and mail fees for online transactions.
  • County Parks and Recreation playground and cabins closed to the public.
  • Water Department office closed to the general public but working normal schedule.
  • Sanitation Department office closed to the general public but working normal schedule.
  • Road Department will continue working.
  • Sheriff’s Office working regular schedule.
  • CARTS will continue service for oncology and dialysis patients with no more than two passengers per bus.

 

Commissioner Garry Marchman reminded everyone that State offices, including the driver’s license division, are operating differently and have been closed by Governor Kay Ivey.

Alabama Supervisor of Voter Registration Jeff Elrod said, “The registrar’s office can still make appointments to issue a photo ID for voting.”

A message on the website for the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s Driver License Division states, “ALEA Driver License offices are now closed to public access. Staff will continue to answer phones and assist with online services.”

The commission also passed a 5% cost of living adjustment for all active Cullman County employees to be paid in one lump sum April 9, 2020.

Chairman Kenneth Walker said, “The COA will be calculated based on the employee’s base pay for 12 weeks. Pay will be prorated to employees working less than 40 hours a week. Must be an active employee as of April 9, 2020 to receive the COA pay.”

Human Resources Manager Judy Bradford explained, “These cost of living adjustments are put in place because of our county employees that are working during this pandemic. We’re not like a business that really has the option to send our folks home. We provide services to the citizens of Cullman County and those services have to continue.”

Many county employees are stepping up to fill in places outside of their normal scope of work such as helping at the Commission on Aging.

Bradford continued, “All of our county employees are working to continue to serve the citizens of Cullman County. This is a way of acknowledging that sacrifice.”

Bradford also explained the decision to pay the COA in a lump sum rather than incrementally.

She said, “We decided it would be more beneficial to our employees to be able to get that in a lump sum so that it’s an amount of money that they can actually pay a few bills with. That’s why we calculated it up that way and it will run on a special payroll next week that will go out to our employees on April 9.”

Marchman voted to approve the plan but said, “I would lean more toward taking the lump sum and combining it and dividing it equally among all employees rather than 5% to each employee. That way everybody equally, there’s an equal distribution of the amount of money. In other words, it doesn’t matter what you make, you are going to get this amount as a cost of living because everybody’s price of bread and milk is the same if you look at the cost of living increases.”

The commission approved the expansion of sick leave for employees working during a shutdown. The extra accrual would equal one hour of sick leave for every hour worked.

Bradford explained, “Last week, we approved the Coronavirus Pandemic HR Plan for employees. If we get to a shutdown where we are sending people home, we can make benefit practice changes, work of schedule, standard pay practice changes. This just puts in place what we intend on doing IF we get to a shutdown mode. We are not there yet but if we do get to a shutdown mode where we are sending people home, then, those employees who will be required to work, like I said earlier we are not a business where we can just shut everything down and the county not provide services, so there will be people having to work if we do get to a shutdown. Sheriff’s Office, sanitation, water and things like that.”

In other business:

  • The commission signed a proclamation recognizing April as Fair Housing month.
  • The commission approved Walker to sign a loan agreement for the purchase of an automated sanitation truck through Merchant’s Bank and Premier Bank.
  • The public hearing originally scheduled for April 28 regarding County Road 2101 will be rescheduled once COVID-19 restrictions are lifted.
  • The free dump day for Cullman County has been rescheduled for September.

 

Commissioner Kerry Watson said, “The letters never got sent out so they changed it and will send out letters later to let everyone know about it.”

The next regular Cullman County Commission meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, May 12, 2020.

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