MONDAY AUGUST 18, 2008
9:30 AM

The sealing crew started working this morning. I went out and watched them get started. Once they got started the process goes very fast. This is not as good as an overlay, but it is much cheaper and will extend the life of the streets.

Charlie was here on Saturday. He installed the new controls and control box for the signal light at 64 and 1. Jerry had picked the box up in Alabama on Friday.

The city has made some changes as a result of our meeting with the U S Dept. of Labor on Friday. Starting now no employee is to be on city property more than five minutes before work time and they are to be off the property five minutes after they clock out. They are not to be on city property at any other time. I do not like this, but the labor department said that if they are on the property and mention anything about their job, we have to pay them for their time. I have chosen not to take that chance. I have instructed the department heads to inform the employees not to be on the property unless they are clocked in.

I also found out that we cannot assume that the time clock is correct. We must check behind the employees and we must also check the math of the person adding up the hours recorded on the time clock.

I do not like this. I have always been a person who arrived at work early. This was kind of my down time. I never thought that I should be paid if I happened to mention something related to work. Rules are rules and the city will follow them as best we can.

I will go to Eureka Springs later in the week. This is the annual planning meeting for the Arkansas Municipal League. I am a member of the executive committee and thus a part of the planning process for the next year. I look forward to seeing my old friends and making new friends.