T-R photo by sara jordan-heintz Tuesday morning, the Marshall County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to grant Columbus Day — October 8 — off to those county employees housed in the bank, at the discretion of the department heads. Left to right: supervisors Dave Thompson, Bill Patten and Steve Salasek.

With several Marshall County departments working out of the Great Western Bank Building due to displacement from the tornado, the bank’s observance of holidays must be honored. At Tuesday’s Marshall County Board of Supervisors meeting, the supervisors discussed this issue.

Columbus Day — Oct. 8 — is not normally considered a day off for county employees, but is a bank observed holiday.

“We are a guest here at the bank, so we’ve been trying to work within their time of day schedule, and also their observations here. They’re not going to open the bank for us on Columbus Day,” Chairman Bill Patten said.

Marshall County Auditor and Recorder Nan Benson said that it would be impossible for the bank to keep its doors open that day for county business to be conducted because of the way the building’s security system is programed.

The supervisors considered a motion to allow all county employees to be granted the day off for Columbus Day. However, the motion was amended to apply only to those employees housed in the bank.

Currently, the following county departments have been relocated to the bank: auditor/recorder, accessor, treasurer, board of supervisors and Marshall County community services.

The supervisors voted unanimously to grant this day off to those county employees housed in the bank, at the discretion of the department heads.

Benson said not all of her staff would be able to take Columbus Day off, however, because it is the first day of absentee voting.

“We will have to be open at an alternate location,” she said.

The location will most likely be on the first floor of UnityPoint Health-Marshalltown, 3 S. Fourth Ave., or the Annex Building, 101 E. Main St.

Supervisor Steve Salasek asked Benson if there would be future clashes between county and bank-sanctioned holidays. She said there would not be anymore through the end of 2018.

The next Marshall County Board of Supervisors meeting is set for 9 a.m. Sept. 18 on the second floor of the Great Western Bank Building, 11 N. First Ave.

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Contact Sara Jordan-Heintz at

641-753-6611 or sjordan@timesrepublican.com