Georgetown, Del., Nov. 1, 2011: Sussex County government offices will be open for business two extra days in 2012.

County Council, at its Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2011, meeting, adopted the County’s holiday schedule for 2012. The new schedule includes traditional holidays, such as New Year’s Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas, but removes two lesser-celebrated days from the County’s calendar. In all, Sussex County will observe 13 holidays in 2012.

Under the adopted schedule, Sussex County will not observe Presidents Day (Feb. 20, 2012) or Columbus Day (Oct. 8, 2012), putting the County in line with State government. The move allows County offices to remain open for business on those days for the public’s convenience.

The change doesn’t mean County employees will lose any paid time off. In adopting the new calendar, Council approved giving County employees two paid ‘floating’ holidays in lieu of losing Presidents Day and Columbus Day. Employees can use those floating days on Presidents Day or Columbus Day, department schedules permitting, or elsewhere in the year.

Sussex County joins a number of other local and state governments that have dropped such holidays from their schedules in recent years. The State of Delaware in 2010 eliminated Presidents Day and Columbus Day as part of a series of cost-savings measures, replacing the days with floating holidays for State employees.

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