The Selma Times-Journal

The long respite for county employees on Fourth of July weekend has gotten even longer.

Upon the recommendation of Commissioner Connell Towns, the Dallas County Commission agreed to give employees July 3 off.

The day falls on the Thursday before Independence Day, giving county workers in all departments except law enforcement a four-day weekend.

After a brief discussion during last week&8217;s commission meeting, the commissioners saw no conflict in allowing the extra day.

The extra day will also alleviate some stress on the county&8217;s pocket book.

County engineer George E. Jones Jr. said his office had already intended to shut down the road department Thursday to save money on fuel.

A 10-hour-a-day, four-day workweek has already been adopted to cut costs for the road department. Road projects, such as the upkeep of dirt roads and the patching of paved ones, have been consolidated and scheduled one district at a time to keep workers from being spread out. Larger dump trucks are being used for hauling to cut down on trips.

The commission has been generous about giving holiday time off in recent months. It extended the Christmas Eve and Christmas holiday to a full week this past December.

Last year, county workers got five consecutive days off because July 4 fell on a Wednesday. The commission voted to give employees Thursday and Friday off, in addition to the holiday and the weekend.

Commissioners agreed this year&8217;s extended holiday would contribute to employee morale.