Emergency Closings

Last Updated Date

The Library Board had adopted the following Broome County policy regarding closing of operations due to emergency situations:

The closing of County operations may at times be required by unforeseen circumstances. Those circumstances may include hazardous weather conditions, breakdown of building utilities such as to create a health hazard, and other emergency conditions. Following is the County's policy with respect to employee attendance as it relates to such closings:

  1.  All employees of a department or unit are employees of Broome County regardless of the status and appointment of any department.
     
  2. The authority to close County operations, in whole or in part, and to excuse employee absences as a result of such closing rests solely with the County Executive or his designee [Library Director and/or Library Board of Trustees President].
     
  3. Employee absences will be excused without charge to accrued leave time only when the operation in which they work has been officially closed by the County Executive or his designee.
     
  4. Library Director or designee may at his/her discretion excuse employees from their work with appropriate charge to accrued time.  Employees without such time accrued may be allowed to leave without pay. (Sick leave, as always, may only be used in the case of illness.)
     
  5. Library Director or designee must advise the Deputy County Executive when he/she believes a condition exists which requires that the operation should be closed, and employees excused.

Additionally, the Library Board recognizes that staff may need additional time to reach the Library when weather conditions are challenging and while a final decision about closing is still being made. Therefore, the Library will automatically delay opening by 2 hours whenever the Binghamton City School District is closed or delayed for weather related reasons (other than those purely based on temperature) and a decision to close the Library hasn’t already been made. On Saturdays, the designated Building Supervisor has the authority to delay opening by 2 hours when the Library Director and Assistant Library Director can’t be reached. All Building Supervisors will be provided with a list of who to notify in these circumstances, including the Library Board.