Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
A matter of volunteer hours for city clerk/treasurer Barb Dial-Flomer has arisen in Farmington.
At issue is how she should be paid for the five hours per week she has volunteered at her 30-hour-a-week job.
The city council discussed the issue at their Feb. 18 meeting, ultimately deciding to table it since only three council members were present.
Dial-Flomer has put in 165 hours as volunteer time since April of 2012. She was hired in May of the previous year for $13.50 an hour. Soon after, she started to work extra time as a volunteer in order to learn and fully perform the job.
“She’s a very concientious, thorough clerk,” said Farmington Mayor Ron Dugan. “The hours were necessary. We were really busy.”
At the city council meeting last Monday, Mayor Dugan reported that he had consulted city attorney Stephen Bishop, and it was determined that the town owes Dial-Flomer for the 165 hours she worked in 2012 without pay.
The time from 2011 is not part of the equation since no records were kept of Dial-Flomer’s extra time until Dugan became mayor in April of the next year.
So the matter is about the 165 hours, or $2,195 in wages.
At the Feb. 18 city council meeting, Dugan suggested a solution consisting of 55 hours in compensatory time, 55 hours donated and 55 hours paid.
The council then tabled the matter upon suggestion by council member Diana Lowley.
Their next meeting is March 18, and the topic will be on the agenda.
“It was assumed by Barb and by me that these were volunteer hours,” Dugan told the Gazette later.
The notion to pay Dial-Flomer for her extra hours was originally brought up by council members who advocated that the clerk-treasurer should be paid for the time she was volunteering each week.
Earlier this month, Dugan looked into it, consulted city attorney Bishop and was advised that a city employee is not permitted by law to volunteer within the job he or she holds.
“Basically, it’s just labor law,” said Dugan. “There’s no interpretation needed. If Barb volunteered to go across the street and mow the lawn, that would be permitted, but not within her job.”
The mayor indicated that before he learned of the full law, he thought the situation might be addressed with a compromise, which led to his offer at last week’s council meeting.
Dugan, 73, a retired business owner and Harvard Business School graduate, deferred the mayor’s salary when he took office, also pledging not to be reimbursed for anything during his tenure, such as travel expenses, licensing expenses or other items.
He last worked for hourly pay as a child, mowing lawns for 75 cents an hour and picking prunes by the box.
Dugan said his company, Capitol Industrial Supply Company (with four locations in Oregon, which he sold after 26 years), had no hourly employees, just salary.
“I’ve become more appreciative of Barb’s world, while I want to save the town money,” Dugan said. “I would say my views are evolving. Our process here got interrupted by the law… We do owe the hours to her.”
Dial-Flomer indicated to the Gazette that she is happy to have her job and was glad to volunteer the time.
“I cannot tell you how this matter is going to be finally resolved,” said Dugan.
The clerk’s salary is spread across three city departments in Farmington; current expense, water and sewer – since the clerk sends out the town’s water and sewer bills.
City council members could not be reached for comment.
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
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