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Hernando Today

OUR OPINION

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 18, 2008

Ah, there's nothing like a relaxing three-day weekend.

As Memorial Day approaches, workers are already making plans for the rare, long weekend.

Depending on when holidays fall on the calendar, most workers in the U.S. get three, maybe four each year - if we're lucky.

Unless, of course, you're an elite Hernando County government department manager.

Hernando Today recently learned that at least two county department managers get three-day weekends every week - or at least whenever they feel like it.

That's right: Fridays off forever.

Really adds meaning to "Everybody's working for the weekend" - meaning everybody else.

OK, everyone who wants Fridays off, raise your hands.

Wait. Sorry, but you don't hold a high-paying management position in Hernando County government.

And that's the big problem with allowing some county managers to work four-day work weeks while the rank-and-file underlings toil away. What kind of leadership does that show? It smacks of elitism, favoritism and downright arrogance - not to mention what happens when the cat's away. As we all learned as children, the mice play.

County department heads are paid hefty salaries to perform and manage. As exempt employees, hours are not the issue. Managers are expected to work as many hours as needed to get the job done. Allowing some county managers to work four-day work weeks is simply an added perk that comes - with no way to really calculate it - at the taxpayers' expense.

When we tried to find out who instituted the four-day work week for some department heads, no one really knew. One manager said a former county administrator signed off on the practice.

Do county commissioners know about and support this flawed perk?

When the public wants answers to questions on a Friday - like reporters for Hernando Today - there's no one who can give an answer. We then have four-day government, and that's not good for the public or the taxpayers who are footing the bill.

Besides, who monitors this program? We couldn't get a clear answer to that either. No one really knew. If there are extenuating circumstances - busy times of the year, hurricanes or other emergencies requiring managers to go above and beyond the call of duty - department heads can negotiate paid time off with the county administrator.

It simply makes no sense to have some county managers work a four-day work week when they are extremely well compensated. It amounts to an additional benefit most managers in the private sector do not receive.

It's another glaring example of government working for government and not working for the people.

There are some jobs in government that make sense being operated on a four-day work schedule. Many of those schedules rotate as well as change in shifts. They aren't the normal 9 to 5 gigs.

Newly hired County Administrator David Hamilton has already had to make some tough decisions in dealing with out-of-control department heads. Two have already been given the boot. He's in the process of evaluating the policies and procedures across all departments, and the four-day work week is one of them.

We're confident Mr. Hamilton will take a close look at how other department heads are managing and make appropriate changes.

His next move should be to put an end to Fridays off for managers. It would send a clear message that public servants are hired to serve the public at the public's convenience - not the mangers'.

It would give the public more confidence in knowing that someone is running county government on Fridays.

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