Some Sagadahoc County employees are not happy with the new holiday leave personnel policy adopted by their commissioners October 9.

But the whole idea is to provide better service to the public, county officials say. The new policy provides that county offices will be open on certain holidays, according to Pam Corrigan, Sagadahoc County Administrator. The new policy doesn't take the holiday pay away from the employees, but it does ask them to be flexible in taking holidays off.

The holiday leave policy now includes "New Year's Day; Martin Luther King, Jr. Day; Presidents Day; Patriot's Day; Independence Day; Memorial Day; Labor Day; Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day."

The new policy says when Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents Day, Patriot's Day, Columbus Day or Veteran's Day fall on a normal work day, or on Saturday or Sunday and is officially observed on the preceding Friday or the following Monday, the county offices will be open. Employees will be entitled to take, with the permission of their department heads, the holiday time off on either the Friday preceding the holiday or the Monday following the holiday.

The county offices will be open the day after Thanksgiving and employees will be entitled to take holiday time off, with the permission of their department head, either the day after Thanksgiving, the day before Thanksgiving, or the Monday following Thanksgiving. Regularly scheduled permanent part-time employees will be entitled to receive paid (prorated) holiday time off.

According to Corrigan, the policy is still a work in progress, and could be amended at a commissioners' meeting.

Sagadahoc County Commissioner Crispin Connery said, "We fully expect there will be needed changes in the document as time goes on. I'm sure in the future it will need to be critiqued. It isn't static."

"It is important to remember, that the employees will still be paid their holiday pay," Corrigan said. The Sagadahoc County Commissioners next meeting is scheduled for November 13.