Ask Rick" Question Or Comment

Ask Rick" Question Or Comment

"ASK RICK" QUESTION OR COMMENT Mr. Pollitt, I am a county employee and wish to ask about the Christmas holiday. I have not seen it mentioned yet, but I am assuming that since Christmas falls on a Sunday this year that the county will observe the holiday on Monday the 26th.It is my understanding that any employee working on Monday 12/26 will be paid time and 1/2 as it is considered working on a holiday. My question is that I am scheduled to work on Sunday 12/25 (Christmas day) and have been told we will be paid straight time since the county is observing the holiday on Monday (a non-work day for me). It does not seem right that someone working on the actual day would not be paid holiday pay. Is this information correct and if so, why are the employees working on an actual holiday being paid less? Thank you for checking into this. RESPONSE Thank you very much for using "Ask Rick." When major holiday falls on a Sunday and is observed on the next day, Monday; it can create confusion for those who are regularly scheduled to work on Sundays. The Wicomico County Personnel Manual provides for this situation in the following manner: The Wicomico County Council approves the holiday schedule and the days deemed and treated as holidays. The Council adopted through resolution that December 26, 2011 will be the observed as the Christmas Day holiday, not the actual day, December 25, 2011. The Personnel Manual (1503c) states, "If a legal holiday falls on Sunday, the immediately following Monday shall normally be deemed and treated as a holiday." So, employees who work at least four (4) hours on Christmas, New Year?s (the scheduled dates as determined by resolution of the county council) will be paid time and a half plus allowed the option to take the holiday, or the portion of hours worked, at a later date if the employee works on the day observed (or celebrated) by the County, which is Monday, December 26, 2011 and Monday, January 2, 2012. Here is the 2011 holiday schedule: 2011 Holiday Schedule The following are the holidays to be observed by City of Salisbury and Wicomico County Employees: New Year's Day Holiday Friday, December 31st Martin Luther King Day Monday, January 17th President's Day Monday, February 21st Good Friday Friday, April 22nd Memorial Day Monday, May 30th Independence Day Monday, July 4th Labor Day Monday, September 5th Veteran's Day Friday, November 11th Thanksgiving Day Thursday, November 24th Christmas Day Observed Monday, December 26th In accordance with Leave and Holiday Benefits, if a legal holiday falls on a Saturday, the Friday immediately proceeding shall normally be deemed and treated as a holiday. If the holiday falls on a Sunday, the immediate following Monday shall normally be deemed and treated as a holiday. "ASK RICK" QUESTION OR COMMENT Hi Rick, I am a citizen of Wicomico County and recently I got a computer problem. I took it to Brainwave and Geek Squad and they wanted lots of money to fix it. I know the county has a computer department and it would be a good way to raise money for the county if you had them fix citizen?s computers. They could charge less than the other places and could use the money for county purposes and maybe even give discounts to other employees. Most problems are usually viruses and stuff so it shouldn?t take too long to clean it up. Thanks. RESPONSE I shared your message with our director of Information Technology and he was very pleased with your confidence in his department?s competence. While your suggestion is understandable and appreciated, there is one significant reason why it wouldn?t be advisable. The county's "computer department" exists to keep the county?s technological equipment functioning to help us perform our services efficiently. To broaden our clientele to include services to the general public would violate the purposes of local government and put us into direct competition with private business. I expect that would quickly cause apoplexy within our local Chamber of Commerce, and rightly so. As much as I would like to be helpful, to take tax dollars paid by private industry to set up shop to take business from them would not go over well and really is not the proper role of government. Thank you for using "Ask Rick." I appreciate novel suggestions and I hope you find a dependable resource for your computer needs. "ASK RICK" QUESTION OR COMMENT The economic times have made us all examine ways we can cut back. Why do we continue to allow law enforcement to drive their county vehicles to and from work? This also includes off duty officers riding around with their family's grocery shopping or doing routine errands. I would rather see this money going towards the education of our children. Will the County Council work hard this coming year to make the BOE a priority? Thank You RESPONSE Regarding the use of county vehicles by law enforcement, I asked Sheriff Mike Lewis to respond since this is his direct responsibility. His comments follow and I think they make a lot of sense. As for the County Council making the B.O.E. a priority, their track record in this regard has not been what I had hoped for or expected. What I do hope for is that an engaged and vocal community will demand that the county council be more aggressive in their support for our educational system. I appreciate your note and your concerns. Sheriff Lewis' Comments on the Benefits of Take-Home Patrol Cars "It's been proven many times that the presence of police cars in local neighborhoods helps reduce/suppress criminal activity." "Police car take-home programs provide increased job satisfaction and quicker response to emergency situations. Personnel responding from their homes instead of reporting to headquarters first can save precious minutes in a crisis situation." "Most 'shared' police cars are in use 24 hours a day and last for only two or three years. It's a fact that 'take-home' cars last longer thereby reducing vehicle replacement." "Assigning personal cars to each officer creates a sense of ownership and responsibility. 'Take- home' cars are kept cleaner and maintained better. There is also evidence that they are involved in fewer crashes." "Deputies driving to and from work in 'take-home' cars are responsible for handling incidents they encounter (robberies, motorist assists) even though they may be in an 'off-duty' capacity." "Take-home vehicles provide our citizens with more police car coverage on our roads. I suggest that this provides citizens with a greater sense of safety and security." "ASK RICK" QUESTION OR COMMENT I am a heating and air conditioning contractor who services Wicomico County. I am not originally from this locality and since moving here I have seen simply frightening things. Constant fire and safety hazards from improperly installed HVAC equipment. I have found, in the last few weeks, over two dozen furnaces I had to shut down because of their high levels or inability to properly vent exhaust gases like carbon monoxide. Every other locality I have worked in has strict HVAC codes and inspections to ensure contractors are following proper safety procedures to ensure safe operation of the equipment in a residence. As a trained professional, I see time and time again simple, yet blatant, mistakes that could very well lead to injury, death or property damage. If almost everywhere else in the east coast and beyond feels it necessary to monitor and inspect the installation of fossil fuel burning appliances for code alignment, or gas line modifications, why does Wicomico County not see the need to ensure its residents are receiving properly installed and SAFE work and appliances in their home? RESPONSE Responding to a recent citizen suggestion to institute HVAC inspections, both the County Executive's office and the County Council reviewed the situation with the possibility of introducing legislation. The Council asked The Department of Public Works (DPW) to perform an HVAC Permit and Inspection Study which it did with the assistance of the Wicomico County Health Department. The following were among the conclusions: The estimated $800 cost would be too burdensome for the average homeowner. The DPW has received very few complaints about HVAC installation. The State requires licenses for HVAC installers. Local HVAC contractors submitted that this needs to be enforced more stringently. The State has a system in place for resolving HVAC installation complaints. The Council reviewed the requested study and also considered the recommendation of the County Director of Administration to not provide this service. Subsequently, the Council took no action and legislation was not introduced. "ASK RICK" QUESTION OR COMMENT What is the status of the Westside Collector Road in regards to phase 2 and phase 3? Seems like nothing has been done physically in over a year. RESPONSE Thank you for letting us know about this. Our Roads crew has cut the grass and removed the trees from the roadway in the area mentioned. Also, they have trimmed the growth on the sightline at the intersection of Fooks Road and Citation Drive in an effort to improve visibility. We notified Delmarva Power about the street light outage and they responded, "We typically respond to non-hazardous street and area "light out"" calls within five business days of notification. In some instances, the actual repairs may take up to 30 days. Longer repair periods might be due to crews assigned to restore service following major storms, damage to underground wiring, the need to special order parts, or if the entire pole and fixture must be replaced." "ASK RICK" QUESTION OR COMMENT Hi Rick, I left work early today to get our solid waste permit.

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