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Library employee objects to Garfield County's fingerprint time clock; commissioners say system will be universal
Summary
At the Jan. 14 Garfield County commissioners meeting, library employee Carrie Murnion objected to a new Time Clock Plus system that will require fingerprints beginning Jan. 26, 2026. Commissioners and HR said the system is county-wide and no exceptions are being considered; Murnion said she will not comply with a fingerprint requirement.
Library employee Carrie Murnion told the Garfield County Board of Commissioners on Jan. 14 that she objects to the county's planned fingerprint requirement for a new timekeeping system and that she will not comply with fingerprinting when the system is implemented on Jan. 26, 2026.
Murnion raised privacy concerns tied to the Montana Constitution's Declaration of Rights and questioned how biometric data would be used and stored. She said she has no objection to clocking in with a personal identification number but does not consent to fingerprint collection.
Commissioners Kelly Witt and Jerry Collins and HR/Payroll official Tasha Powell told Murnion the county is implementing Time Clock Plus as a county-wide system and will not be making individual exceptions "at this time." They said the employee handbook will be updated to reflect the change.
The meeting record does not show a formal vote to adopt the fingerprint requirement at the Jan. 14 session; the discussion was recorded during the public-comment period. The transcript indicates county officials are moving forward with system implementation on Jan. 26, 2026, and that the handbook will be revised to reflect timekeeping procedures.
The issue touches on workplace privacy and the use of biometric data for timekeeping. County staff did not provide technical details in the meeting about how fingerprint data would be stored, how long it would be retained, or whether templates or raw images would be used. Murnion said she would use a PIN but would refuse fingerprinting; county officials said exceptions are not being considered.
Next steps recorded in the meeting: the handbook will be updated and implementation is scheduled for Jan. 26, 2026. The transcript does not record further action, appeals, or an alternative accommodation being granted.
The board did not take a formal vote on the fingerprint policy during the Jan. 14 meeting.
