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Perry trustees may look at comp time policy

PERRY TWP. — Trustees may take a look at compensatory time and how it’s handled after Fiscal Officer Susan Johnston raised the issue Tuesday night concerning the amount of comp time being carried over from 2018 into the new year.

Comp time is accumulated for work in lieu of overtime, with the idea of getting time off or getting paid for it. Johnson noted that comp time isn’t a use it or lose it situation — it’s use it or get paid for it. She expressed some concern about updating the employee manual on how comp time is used, noting that the amounts being carried over from one year to the next are starting to snowball.

In the road department, one employee has 76 hours to carry over and another has 20.25 hours. According to the policy manual, the limit that can be carried over is one week or 40 hours, but the township has always let the employees carry over what they have. When asked what’s considered reasonable, she said carrying over comp time from November or December into the new year would be reasonable because of the weather and how unpredictable it might be. If there’s a lot of snow, there’s going to be comp time carried over. She was concerned if there’s a lot accumulated and perhaps someone leaves and has to be paid for the comp time, it could be a lot to pay at once.

“I think you guys really need to look at that,” she said.

Road Supervisor Darreck Farrell asked what difference it makes if they pay for comp time throughout the year or pay now, either way the township has to pay.

Johnston explained that if the comp time isn’t paid in the year it’s earned, there’s no retirement money taken out or matched and that wouldn’t be fair to employees. She said she was trying to be fair to everybody.

“I don’t want it piling up,” Trustee Jim Armeni said.

Johnston noted they don’t want to limit it too much because for November and December, they never know what’s going to be necessary due to the weather.

In other business, township resident Henry Spack asked about a ditch near the township building at the south station property off of Depot Road, saying it needs cleaned out. He indicated it appeared like the ditch was getting closer to the building.

Farrell said that when some trees were removed from a neighboring property, the dirt fell into the ditch and it makes it look like the ditch is coming toward the building. To clean it up, he said they would need to go on the neighboring property. Spack said he could do the work if they wanted.

Trustees agreed to send a letter to the neighboring property owner to request permission to use his property to get access to the ditch to clean it out.

In other road department business, trustees agreed to have Trailer Depot fix the boom on the mower for $5,238, which was the lower of two quotes secured for the work. The other estimate was $7,497. Farrell said the price from Trailer Depot includes putting in sleeves and grease fittings to keep the part from wearing out as quickly. Farrell also told trustees about some work needed on the garage doors at the road building.

mgreier@salemnews.net

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