Pike County Commissioners are considering revisions to the employee handbook in an attempt to save elected officials an “unnecessary step” in managing their departments.

“Every time an elected official gets ready to hire somebody, they come to us with that person’s name and the job they’re going into for us to vote on,” Commissioner Oren Fannin said. “Also, when they have to fire somebody, there are procedures that they have to go through.”

Fannin said the steps are numerous both in regards to hiring and firing of employees, with one step requiring the elected official to go before the county commission.

And he thinks that is excessive.

“The elected officials will do the necessary steps in the hiring and firing process. They will have to do those steps regardless. All we’re doing is just a formality,” Fannin said. “If an elected official has people working for him, he has got to be able to discipline those people, we can’t really go against them.”

Fannin said the proposed amendment to the handbook saves the elected official time by “eliminating an unnecessary step.”

Robin Sullivan, county commissioner, said the proposed amendment of the handbook is a good idea and the county attorney, Allen Jones, is looking into the matter.

“The elected officials have to be allowed to run their offices,” Sullivan said. “They’ll have to be responsible to the public just like we are.”

In other business during the Monday commission meeting, Russell Oliver, county engineer, requested that the speed limit on County Road 5521 remain at 35 mph after the current project to pave the road is finished.

Commissioners will meet at 5 p.m. today for a hearing on redistricting. The meeting, which also includes the Pike County Board of Education, will take place at the Health Department.

The next scheduled meeting of the commission is Aug. 8.