City of Vicksburg employees will have New Year’s Eve off. Mayor Laurence Leyens declared Monday a holiday at a special-called board meeting Friday.

The board, with South Ward Alderman Sid Beauman absent, voted to act on a proclamation by Gov. Haley Barbour that declared New Year’s Eve a holiday. Barbour’s proclamation closed county offices and authorized department heads and municipalities to give employees paid leave, though the final decision was left to individual agencies. As in the past, city employees will have Tuesday, New Year’s Day, off.

Leyens said that word had gotten around about the governor’s proclamation and city employees had been “lobbying” him persistently.

Warren County offices will also be closed Monday and Tuesday for the holiday.

The city’s civil workers, such as law enforcement and firefighters who will remain on duty, will receive holiday pay, or double-time, said Paul Rogers, who oversees city budgeting and finances. Holiday pay for such workers, in the past, Rogers said, has cost the city about $20,000.

That figure, he said, does not include the cost of holiday pay for sewer and water treatment workers and other employees who, for various reasons, may report to work Monday.

An overall cost to the city for allowing workers to have Monday off was not available from Rogers Friday night. The City of Vicksburg has about 485 full-time employees.