Hellertown Borough Council members on Monday night discussed the possibility of reimbursing public works employees for the use of their personal cell phones to conduct business, both during their regular work day and outside of regular work hours.
Borough manager Cathy Hartranft explained that currently only the borough’s department heads have borough-issued cell phones.
Full-time public works employees have been using their own phones to keep in touch with colleagues and respond to members of the public on weekdays and at other times, such as when they need to open or close the Dimmick Park pavilion for a renter on a weekend, department head Tom Henshaw told council.
Hartranft recommended a $25 monthly reimbursement for the five or six employees who currently use personal phones to make or receive work-related calls, and Henshaw said he didn’t think that would be “too much to ask for them to be on 24-hour call.”
Council president Tom Rieger said providing the employees with their own work-issued phones–which some municipalities do–would be “cost prohibitive” at this time.
“Cathy’s called them at 7:30 or 8 o’clock at night, and they do respond,” he noted.
Councilman John Bate said he thinks a $25 reimbursement is “too high.”
Bate said he would prefer to see a reimbursement of $10 or $15 per month per worker for the calls.
“I carry my own personal phone,” added councilman Joe Pampanin. “I use it for work. I don’t get reimbursed. I don’t think it would come to even $25 per month.”
Hartranft recommended that the matter be studied, and that a formal, written policy be developed by the borough.
She agreed to research how other local municipalities compensate public works staff for using their own phones and report back to council at its next meeting, which will be held Monday, Aug. 17 at 7 p.m. at Borough Hall.
