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Hernando Today

County: Too Many Days Off?

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By MICHAEL D. BATES Hernando Today

Published: February 19, 2008

Updated: 02/18/2008 09:22 pm

BROOKSVILLE - Hernando County government offices reopened this morning.

But anyone trying to conduct business yesterday was out of luck because government offices shut down for Presidents Day, one of the 12 holidays government employees enjoy.

But are 12 holidays too many?

At least two county commissioners believe it may be and are asking for a review of the employee holiday policy. Another thinks it's something new county administrator David Hamilton should look into when he starts work next month.

"Frankly there are a lot of folks out there who don't like the fact that government gets all these extra days off when typically the private sector doesn't," County Commissioner David Russell said. "I think that's something we should take a hard look at during these hard economic times."

Hernando County was one of the few government entities in the surrounding area not open yesterday.

In Pasco County, it was business as usual in the government offices. Same thing in Hillsborough County.

And Citrus County. And Sumter County.

Not to mention the cities of Tampa, Temple Terrace and Plant City,

Various state offices, including the Southwest Florida Water Management District and the Florida Turnpike Enterprise were open.

Most people who worked in the private sector reported for work Monday.

The main exceptions were teachers, school personnel and postal workers, who routinely have off federal holidays.

Some government offices throughout Florida closed for the day, including Pinellas and the cities of Clearwater and St. Petersburg.

"That doesn't mean (Hernando County) has to follow suit," Russell said.

Russell said his Spring Hill pool company was open Monday and he and his staff worked a full day.

As he drove by post offices and banks and saw they were shut down, Russell said he assumed that most governmental entities were closed and was surprised to hear many were not recognizing Presidents Day.

"We've got enough to keep us busy," said Sumter County Administrator Bradley Arnold Monday morning.

Not only were Sumter County offices open, but employees there were busy keeping track of a major storm expected to roll through the area Monday afternoon, he said.

Arnold said the subject of vacations for government workers will come up at a county commission workshop today.

Because of the tight economy and to make sure government is maximizing employee productivity, Arnold said he will present a comparative analysis of other county government workers and private industry.

Currently, Arnold said Sumter has 11 holidays per year, the same amount as Citrus and Lake counties.

Marion County has 10 employee-paid holidays, while Hernando County has 12.

Arnold said one of the goals of the annual comparative analysis is to make the board aware of how his county stacks up against other municipalities and companies and to "strike that balance between a reasonable number of days off."

County Commissioner Rose Rocco said she likes Arnold's idea and will press for a similar productivity analysis to be done for Hernando County to see if efficiency and customer service can be increased.

To that end, she wants to see a breakdown of paid employee vacation, sick days and holidays off, along with other benefits and perks.

"I think we're going to have to look at that," Rocco said. "With the budget as tight as it's going to be, we're going to have to get as much productivity as possible. That's the bottom line."

She wants to see where Hernando County employees fit in with their counterparts in other counties.

For example, Hernando County government employees may get more holidays off but they may get fewer other perks, she said.

Rocco stressed this is not a slam against any employees, who she believes are all hard-working. But hard times call for tough measures, she said.

"Everything we're doing is going to be under a microscope, including our hours of operation," Rocco said.

Rocco said the government office may have been closed but she was busy working. In the afternoon, Rocco attended the ceremonial settlement agreement with the state at Weeki Wachee Spring.

County Commissioner Diane Rowden said she wasn't privy to the employee benefits and didn't want to comment on paid holidays without all the facts.

"(But) I definitely think this is something we need to address with our new administrator," Rowden said. "If we're on the high side, we need to look at that."

Rowden said she was working Presidents Day by answering e-mails and talking to constituents. She also attended the Weeki Wachee function.

Reporter Michael D. Bates can be reached at 352-544-5290 or mbates@hernandotoday.com.

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