FARMINGTON — Franklin County commissioners voted 2-1 Monday to give compensation time to hourly, essential nonunion employees who have to work when county government is closed on storm days.

Chairman Clyde Barker of Strong and Charles Webster of Farmington voted in favor; Gary McGrane of Jay opposed the move.

County government offices were closed on Dec. 29, 2015, because of a storm. County Clerk Julie Magoon said closing early or closing on a storm day is the commission chairman’s decision, but she checks to see what the state and University of Maine at Farmington are doing.

Sheriff Scott Nichols Sr. asked that changes be made to compensate two full-time kitchen staff members at the jail and the county’s facilities manager, who worked during a recent storm day while nonessential employees in county government stayed home and were paid. 

Nichols discovered that when other county employees are home with pay, nonunion essential employees have been working at straight time, he said in a memorandum to commissioners.

He asked that cook Cathy Espeaignette, food service supervisor Lorna Nichols, who is Nichols’ wife, and Facilities Manager Nicholas Palmer, who also came in to take care of county walkways, be compensated hour for hour, either with pay or with personal time off. He also asked that they be retroactively compensated for the latest storm.

“They have to be there regardless,” he said. “If the kitchen staff is not there, the inmates would not be fed.”

The issue is not addressed in the county’s personnel policy that covers nonunion employees.

Magoon said the right thing to do is to give them vacation time.

McGrane said he was hesitant to make the change prior to going through a policy review, which is done annually in January. It would be setting precedent in a policy that could affect future negotiations with unionized employees, he said.

McGrane said he believed the kitchen staff could forgo one day of being at the jail.

Nichols said the kitchen staff has to be there to cook for inmates. If not, the Maine Department of Corrections would come down on the county, he said.

McGrane said he would like to see the state’s policy that requires the county to have kitchen staff at the jail on storm days.

Webster suggested that the essential nonunion workers be given compensation time.

Magoon said she liked that better than vacation time.

dperry@sunmediagroup.net