PORT ANGELES — Clallam County commissioners Monday deferred action on a road department request to expand the work week from 37.5 hours to 40 hours.
County Engineer Ross Tyler asked for authorization to resubmit a 2015 budget with an additional $273,685 for staffing.
The request would increase departmental spending from $5.86 million to $6.13 million, or the equivalent of 3.6 full-time employees.
The department is falling behind on maintenance of its 500-mile road system and has the money in the bank to catch up this year, Tyler said.
It has budged for a “very aggressive” 50 miles of chip seal, but needs a full-time crew to complete the job, he said.
“As you all know, we’re going after our chip seal with a vengeance,” Tyler told commissioners.
“We simply have to get back to catching up with as many of the roads as we can.”
Under a bargaining agreement that the county reached with Teamsters Local 589 in December, Tyler has the legal authority to increase the work week to 40 hours but needs authorization from the Board of County Commissioners to spend the money, County Administrator Jim Jones said.
The 2015 county budget was adopted before the labor contract was approved.
“Make no mistake, this is driven by the union, who was upset with the budget that was passed,” said Commissioner Mike Chapman.
Chapman voted against the county budget in protest of his colleagues’ approval of a $482,559 medical benefit refund for employees with state money earmarked for criminal justice costs.
The union filed a grievance over the 2015 budget process despite the refund, Chapman said.
“You look through this [request], and we have no idea what the public would be getting by spending these tax dollars,” Chapman said.
Commissioner Jim McEntire asked Tyler to bring back the request “with more of a business case.”
“Come back with a little bit more detail, more nuance, more of a breakdown by fund — because there’s several funds that pay salaries — and let us consider how to give you the flexibility you need as a department head to get your job done,” McEntire said.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5072, or at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
