Palouse extends on-call pay to public works to match police

Garth Meyer, Gazette Reporter | Sep 12, 20190

The City of Palouse approved a retroactive $5 per hour on-call stipend for its Public Works Department Aug. 27 to match what they did previously for the police.

Both stipends ended Sept. 1 as the city council and administrator Kyle Dixon now work on revisions to the city’s personnel and policy manual.

The matter stemmed from the Palouse Police Department – which also covers Garfield – being reduced to two officers after officer Leighton Cox was terminated June 20 for violating department policy.

Police Chief Jerry Neumann subsequently asked for an on-call rate increase for him and Officer Joel Anderson as they covered shifts until the return of Reserve Officer Terry Snead at the end of August.

“It was one of the unintended consequences of this, that for Public Works, in their mind they are held to the same expectation,” said Dixon. “To be available at a moments notice if a need arises.”

The short-term solution was by design.

“Providing $5 on-call raise for both departments is absolutely unsustainable,” said Dixon.

Any update to the personnel and policy manual will need to be approved by the full council.

“The hope is for us to have this addressed in a permanent fashion by the end of the year,” Dixon said. “We want to make sure we're not going overboard on either side.”