A new employee handbook for the Town of Baileyton may bring with it changes to payroll and holidays for the town's employees.

The Baileyton Board of Mayor and Aldermen approved the handbook on first reading on Wednesday evening.

Pat Hardy, of the state Municipal Technical Assistance Service (MTAS), aided the town in forming the standardized document.

Alderman Don Kilday raised the issue of offering an extra day of vacation for the Christmas holiday within the handbook.

He said that the board had already discussed the issue and that he wanted to see it included.

Aldermen Doug Carter and J.D. Sensabaugh agreed, but Mayor Tommy Casteel expressed his concern.

"That's going to run us short, though," Casteel said, referring to having enough employees on the clock on holidays. "If we had more employees, it wouldn't be hard to do."

Before making the change, he recommended looking at how many days other municipalities are offering.

Kilday said he thought the change should go ahead and be in effect with the handbook, however, and the other aldermen agreed.

The extra employee holiday will take place on Dec. 26.

The mayor said the handbook will not change the town's employee policies.

However, rules published in the new handbook will change the payday from Monday to Friday.

He added that he would like to consider the handbook at the next month's meeting on second reading.

The town also adopted a standard Drug and Alcohol Policy, which will require screenings for pre-employment, reasonable suspicion, post-accident/incident, random, return to duty and follow-up.

Casteel said that employees will have two weeks to review the policy and the handbook before signing them and filing them within their personnel files.

The board also granted Casteel authorization to apply for a $300,000 Community Development Block Grant to address "major deficiencies" within the town's wastewater system.

The total project would cost $361,000 and would include some house pumps, Casteel said.

In other business, the board approved the hire of Ricky Graham as a part-time police officer.

Graham also currently serves as a deputy with the Greene County Sheriff's Department.

Casteel noted that the town's auditing process is now complete and the auditor found that the town had made no mistakes.

In the report, the auditor, certified public accountant David M. Ellis, did note that the town only has one employee handling all of the accounting transactions.

The town responded in the report saying, "This will be an ongoing problem since the town only has one office employee. Management will discuss ways that the mayor and aldermen could be involved in this process."

The auditor also found that the town's sewer fund operated at a loss and recommended raising rates.

However, this is something the board has already addressed in recent months.

In July, the board approved a 10 percent increase in rates. The board has since discussed additional increases if this increase does not prove effective in resolving the problem.

Additionally, the board addressed needs around the community, including additional street lights, striping the roads, and the condition of Laurel Gap Drive, on which Kilday said the holes are large enough that drivers "could lose a Volkswagen."