Anti-Fraternization Policy Change Up For Consideration Tuesday

Putnam County Commissioners will consider changing a policy on Tuesday that prohibits dating and marriage between county department employees.

The motion to waive the fraternization policy for EMS will go before the commission without a recommendation from the Planning Committee.

The Putnam County Commission will consider changing the no fraternization policy.

EMS Director Tommy Copeland said relaxing the policy for his department would allow him to fill more positions.

“In fairness, this would help us a little bit. We’ve tried to look at every possible contingency to be able to add people,” Copeland said. “These are a few people we could add. I think right now, probably a couple that we might be able to gain if we pass this policy.”

Copeland said 36.5 shifts could not be covered in 2018.

County Attorney Jeff Jones said commissioners will have to decide if public safety needs should be more important than H.R. practices.

“From a policy standpoint, it can prevent all kinds of management problems,” Jones said. “This is one of the things that employers enact to try to preclude all of the love triangles and things that occur in the workplace if you have people dating one another.”

Jones said there is no legal requirement for having an anti-fraternization policy.

“There is no way that I would stand up before the commission as I did in 2017 and as I am right now if this didn’t have a public safety component to it,” Jones said. ”

The Putnam County Commission voted down the same policy change in September of 2017. The vote was an 11-11 tie.

Tuesday’s County Commission meeting will take place at 6:00 p.m. inside the Putnam County Courthouse.