Overton County Commission will allow a temporary program to continue, allowing county employees to sell vacation hours to the county.
County Executive Steven Barlow said the resolution would offer county employees the option to earn money by selling accumulated vacation hours, coming to work rather than taking vacation days. Commissioner and Budget Committee Member Patrick McCurdy said the extra year will help all departments facing staffing issues.
“There was a lag time, this year, to get the positions filled,” McCurdy said. “By the time the positions were filled towards the middle of this year, plus or minus, so that’s why we are going to do a temporary this year.”
County Commissioner Geraldine Walker said the commission discussed shortages in departments last year, as well. Walker said affordability was an issue, as the department could not afford to have employees take vacation days, as staffing shortages left work to be done. Walker said the Sheriff’s Department and ambulance services would be the ones to suffer the most.
County Sheriff John Garrett said the department has improved upon staffing shortages.
Commissioner Greg Nivens said first responder staffing shortages was a large contributing factor in deciding to pass the resolution last year.
“They buy your vacation days so that you would work,” Barlow said. “So you can still work behind it but there is no overtime added onto that.”
Barlow said the county would evaluate the resolution on a year by year basis, depending on the needs of the county and the recommendations of the Salary and Budgeting Committee.
“There is still people who are still working overtime, still didn’t get their vacation at the beginning of this year,” McCurdy said.
Walker said the county needs to pay employees the full worth of the vacation days they sell. McCurdy said the Commission will pay employees the full amount, saving money through avoiding overtime costs. Barlow said time-and-a-half is a costly expense, and buy backs will not include that cost.
Barlow said the resolution had been approved by the Budget and Salary Committees before making it to the Commission.
