BLYTHEWOOD – Blythewood Town Hall has long followed Richland County government’s inclement weather policy.
After Interim Manager Ed Driggers authorized an announcement on Sunday, Jan. 25, that town hall would be closed on Monday, Jan. 26, and that the Monday night town council meeting would be cancelled, Councilman Donald Brock asked that the town hall’s inclement weather policy be placed on the agenda for discussion during the Wednesday, Jan. 28 town council meeting.
Referring to the agenda item, Brock said, “This one’s pretty cut and dry, very much like Monday was [dry]. Our inclement weather policy, and I use that word extremely loosely, is simply two paragraphs.
“Employees whose departments are closed due to inclement weather will be paid their regular straight time earnings, if scheduled to work the day of the closure,” Brock read from the policy. “Refer to the Columbia media and if Richland County declares a closure, the Town of Blythewood does so as well.
“I’ve certainly got an issue with that,” Brock said.
“Second paragraph,” he continued. “Employees whose departments are not closed due to inclement weather, whose jobs require that they report, are expected to report to work. Those who fail to report may cover their absence from the paid leave balances column if any,” Brock read.
“That is our inclement weather policy,” Brock said. “It doesn’t talk about remote work, doesn’t address anything other than if Richland County closes, the Town of Blythewood closes. I believe that it’s fair to say that every business that was scheduled to open on Monday [Jan. 26] in the Town of Blythewood, opened except one, and that was the town hall.
“So, Mr. Driggers, what would you recommend as a possible revision to the inclement weather policy?” Brock asked, “Because it was a pretty nice day on Monday. I think everybody would agree,” Brock said. “Could we have delayed opening? Maybe. Just going straight with what the county does, probably on Monday, was clearly not the right thing.”
Driggers said he had previously said the policy needed to be reviewed.
“So, have you had an opportunity to do so?” Brock asked. “There’s not much to review.”
“I was waiting until tonight to see what my marching orders would be,” Driggers said.
Driggers said he would rather have a policy that says, “Why don’t we let the town manager wake up and look out the window and make a decision?”
“Or, if we eliminate the policy altogether, that would, by default, create the responsibility of the town manager,” Brock said. “So, that’s the solution.”
Driggers agreed. “Just remove it,” he said.
“Put it on the next meeting agenda [for a vote],” Brock suggested.
“If I had made that decision Sunday night, based on what was happening with freezing rain and sleet at 8 p.m. [Sunday], I would have made the decision to close those offices tomorrow [Monday],” he said. ”The forecast was that sleet and rain were going to be a hazardous event. We didn’t know it wasn’t until we woke up the next morning.”
“Mr. Driggers, do you have the authority in some policy to allow remote work?”
“Oh, absolutely,” Driggers said.
“Then I think we’re good,” Brock said.
At 2:05 p.m. and again at 6:45 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 25, the National Weather Service in Columbia forecasted the following for Monday, Jan. 26: “Overnight temperatures will warm slowly with most locations returning to above freezing Monday morning.”
