All county employees will participate in new schedule

A way has been found to insure that all Dale County employees will have a four-day work week beginning July 18.

At the Dale County Commission meeting April 24, commissioners approved a sheriff’s department rescheduling plan that will allow law officers to participate in the work week being adopted by the rest of the county employees.

When the Dale County Commission approved the 10-hour a day four-day work week for most of the county employees at the meeting April 10, the sheriff’s department had not been included.

A solution has been found, Dale County Commission Chairman Mark Blankenship told commissioners at the meeting April 24.

Blankenship said that in dialoguing with the sheriff’s office, it was determined that the re-scheduling of shifts to continue round-the-clock law enforcement coverage would require the elimination of a deputy position and creating two sergeant positions at a 2 percent salary increase.

The increase in salary would be “more than paid for” with the savings created by eliminating the overtime being paid previously, Blankenship said.

Dale County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Mason Bynum thanked the commission office staff who helped the sheriff’s office coordinate the new scheduling after the unanimous approval of the department’s request.

Effective July 18 the offices will be open for 10 hours instead of eight hours and four days a week instead of five.

The Dale County Administration Building will be open 6 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday. The Dale County Courthouse will be open from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

The tag office in the courthouse will be open from 7 a.m. until 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

The Dale County Revenue Office also operates satellite offices in Daleville, Ariton and Pinckard.

The Daleville tag office, located at the back of Daleville City Hall, will be open Wednesdays and Thursdays from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.

In Ariton the tag office will be open Mondays from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. and in Pinckard the tag office will be open Tuesdays from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.

Dale County Commission Chairman Mark Blankenship said the county employees had been polled about their preference and nearly 100 percent wanted to make the change.

The commission had previously voted to allow the Dale County Road and Bridge Department to work extended hours for a four-day work week and was a positive move, Blankenship said.

Citizens will also benefit from the new hours, Blankenship said. “We’re seeing a lot of benefits for it for people who work. It gives them an option to come to the court house before and after they get off work.”

“We’ve been talking about it for years and it has finally happened,” added Dale County Attorney Henry Steagall.

In other business, the commission approved the promotion of Bobby Oldham to full time jail correctional officer at $9.60 per hour and the temporary hire of Starsha Fant as a jail correctional officer at $8.50 per hour.

The commission also approved the transfer of Bryce Woodham from jail transport to sheriff officer patrol and Trevor Benefield from sheriff officer patrol to jail transport deputy.

The next meeting of the Dale County Commission is Tuesday, May 8 at the government building in Ozark. A work session begins at 10 a.m. and is followed immediately by a voting session. Both meetings are open to the public.