MINOT — Ward County administration is in the process of potentially changing their observed federal paid holidays.
Human Resources Director Tammy Terras asked the Ward County Commissioners on Tuesday if Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth would be considered paid holidays for staff.
“That would be up to commission if you would want to consider adding Martin Luther King Day back in,” said Terras, “and I have just recently had the courts reach out to wonder what our intention is for Juneteenth.”
Currently, the recognized holidays by Ward County are as follows:
New Year’s Day, Presidents’ Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, the day after Thanksgiving (in replacement of MLK day), and Christmas Day.
Commissioner Shelly Weppler said the actual MLK Day should be observed instead of working on that day and counting the day after Thanksgiving as a holiday instead. “I do believe that we live in a community in which we should be recognizing Martin Luther King Day as a holiday,” she asserted.
Commissioner John Fjeldahl countered by suggesting each department within the county should decide which one to take off. “I’m okay with the current policy. It’s not that I don’t want to honor Martin Luther King Day, you can still do that if that’s the choice,” said Fjeldahl.
The board agreed to have the Human Resources department send out a survey to employees to identify which 10 days they would prefer to observe as paid holidays.
Results will be presented at the next meeting on Tuesday, February 15.
