Eclipse or not, Evansville-Vanderburgh government employees are working April 8 (2024)

EVANSVILLE — It's possible, though perhaps not likely, that some exceptionally dedicated government workers will be hard at work at their desks during the three-plus minutes Evansville is plunged into darkness Monday afternoon.

The day Evansville falls directly in the narrow Texas-to-Maine path ofa once-in-a-lifetime total solar eclipse is a typical workday for employees of the city and Vanderburgh County. If local government workers want the day off and their department head or elected official agrees, they can take a vacation day or whatever other time is theirs to take.

The Civic Center in Evansville, though, will not be open to the public.

It's a different approach than the members of the Vanderburgh County Board of Commissioners took on March 5, when they voted unanimously to close county offices Monday to employees as well as the public. County government's executive governing body was then acting at the recommendation of Sheriff Noah Robinson. The sheriff noted concerns about increased traffic and visitors to the area since Evansville is in the eclipse's totality path.

But Robinson and other county officials put their heads together after that and approved the current policy on March 19.

The issue? Money. Extra money that would have been paid to the roughly 15 sheriff's officers who work court security, transport inmates and man screening stations at the county governmental and judicial complex.

Robinson pointed to the collective bargaining agreement the commissioners negotiated in 2022 with the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 73, which featured a 33% raise in sheriff's deputies' salaries over four years.

"Our deputies, in their contract, if the Civic Center is closed, then it is treated as if that’s a holiday," Robinson said. "They would have gotten time and a half."

Opening the Civic Center complex to employees but not the public may eliminate the need for those 15 or so sheriff's officers to work in the building and it may bring an accompanying savings in overtime pay, Robinson said. But it's also a moot point from his perspective.

The sheriff said he needs the extra officers on the road on eclipse day to help a phalanx of officers from other area and state law enforcement agencies contend with hordes of eclipse watchers and partiers expected to number in the tens of thousands.

"Whether the Civic Center was closed to the public or closed completely, it wouldn’t have changed my manpower situation at all," Robinson said. "Either way, I would have had those sheriff’s deputies on patrol, working on the day of the eclipse."

In their March 19 meeting, members of the Board of Commissioners made clear their focus was on dollars and cents.

"The costs were kind of not really known (when the commissioners voted to close county offices completely) and then they were adjusted if we were to proceed with the original action," Commissioner Justin Elpers said. "But with this action, there is no cost?"

"It would be cost-neutral from my viewpoint," Robinson replied. "The only possible increase might be to fuel for the police cruisers, but I can’t see any costs that the sheriff’s office would be responsible for."

County Auditor Brian Gerth confirmed then that there would be no significant added costs.

Vanderburgh Circuit Court will operate on eclipse day

Vanderburgh County Circuit Court Judge David Kiely had sent a letter stating he does not support closing the courts on Monday. The county clerk's office had planned all along to remain open in its capacity to assist circuit court that day.

But Clerk Carla Hayden said some of her employees didn't want to use any of their vacation time to take Monday off, while others didn't have time to use. So they'll be working.

With 50 authorized positions, the clerk's office is county government's third-largest agency behind the sheriff's and prosecutor's offices.

"It’s not being considered a holiday, so it’s not a paid day off," Hayden said.

But the clerk isn't going to insist that her employees keep their noses to the grindstone during the three-plus minutes of total solar eclipse.

The sun gradually will be eclipsed by the moon, bringing darkness forslightly more than three minutes at 2:02 p.m. in Evansville and six seconds later in Henderson, Ky. Henderson is expected to have about two minutes and 30 seconds of totality, the period when the sun is totally obscured by the moon.

"I have told them that they can go out and they can witness the eclipse — just make sure that they can get back into the building," Hayden said with a chuckle. "They can take the three minutes or whatever and go look at the eclipse — with proper eyewear."

Joe Atkinson, spokesman for Evansville Mayor Stephanie Terry, confirmed that city government's approach is much like the county's. Atkinson too can't see many employees staying at their desks when the big moment comes.

"I would expect that most likely, the majority of employees will step out during that time and experience the eclipse if they choose to," he said.

Elsewhere...

All local schools are closing for the day on Monday. The Evansville City Council has voted to move its meeting, which usually would take place that evening. The Winfield K. Denton Federal Building & U.S. Courthouse in Evansville will close at noon.

According to a message from Warrick County Administrator Heather Soberg to employees, Warrick County offices in Boonville will "remain open."

"The (Warrick County) Commissioners encourage employees to take PTO to participate in any eclipse events in the area or to share the experience with family," Soberg's message stated.

County employees said Warrick County offices will be open to the public as well as to employees.

In Downtown Evansville, where eclipse planners expect large crowds, parking areas used by Civic Center employees could pose challenges if too many of them show up Monday.

"Quite frankly, we need the Civic Center parking lot to accommodate the tens of thousands of guests that they are expecting to come Downtown to join in all the festivities on the Riverfront and the museum and Bally's (Evansville)," said Vanderburgh County Commissioner Cheryl Musgrave.

"We need the parking space."