Tama County supervisors debate 4×10 schedule for road crews amid coverage and overtime concerns

Supervisors spent an extended portion of the meeting debating whether to adopt a four‑10 schedule for secondary roads staff, weighing potential work‑life benefits against concerns about coverage during weather events and callbacks. Union representatives reported a mixed preference among members and supervisors asked for a precise breakdown of who would work which schedule and how crews would cover emergencies.

Board members repeatedly cited the practical problem of weather‑dependent operations and the need to ensure someone can respond to emergencies on short notice. At one point a supervisor asked for a written plan and a crew list to show which employees would staff the 5‑day maintenance coverage if the schedule changed. The chair emphasized the need for foremen to confirm that day‑to‑day operations would still be covered.

Union and operations representatives also raised the county's callback rules: if a worker is called in on an off day it can trigger a two‑hour minimum payment under the contract. Supervisors asked the foremen and the union to provide a clear staffing and coverage plan by the next meeting so the board could decide with concrete data rather than general preference statements.

County staff and some supervisors said the debate was not new and proposed bringing a structured proposal back with names and coverage calculations. The board did not adopt a final county‑wide schedule during this meeting; instead members asked engineers, foremen and the union to return with a plan that specifies coverage, craft mix, and how callbacks will be handled.