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Josephine County extends PERS unused sick-leave benefit to general service employees
Summary
The Board of County Commissioners voted 3-0 Oct. 9 to adopt a resolution extending the unused sick-leave benefit under ORS 238.350 to general service employees who are PERS members; county staff said the fiscal impact would be minimal.
Josephine County commissioners on Oct. 9 approved a resolution to provide the unused sick-leave benefit under ORS 238.350 to general service employees who are members of the Oregon Public Employees Retirement System.
The measure, Board Resolution 2025-037, was approved by a 3-0 roll call after staff described the change as a minor cost to the county. The board approved the resolution during its regular weekly business session at the Josephine County Courthouse in Grants Pass.
County staff told the commissioners the change would align benefits available to police officers and firefighters with those for general service employees who participate in PERS. “The cost to the county is very, very minimal because PERS is an entire statewide program,” said Michelle, a county staff member who presented the item; when asked about scale she added, “I would say, thousands probably.”
The board first read the resolution during the administrative actions portion of the agenda and later considered the measure after staff answered questions about cost. Commissioner Smith, Commissioner Barnett and Commissioner Black voted yes on the motion. The board order authorizes the county to provide the unused sick-leave benefit under ORS 238.350 for qualifying general service employees who are Chapter 238 PERS members.
Why it matters: ORS 238.350 governs certain retirement calculations and benefits for PERS members; applying the unused sick-leave benefit to an additional employee group alters the benefit package available to county staff and may affect employees’ retirement calculations. County staff characterized the county’s fiscal exposure as small because PERS is administered statewide and costs are pooled across employers.
The resolution passed with no recorded amendments and no additional directions to staff beyond adoption. The board did not identify any immediate implementation deadline during the meeting. The vote was recorded as: Commissioner Smith—yes; Commissioner Barnett—yes; Commissioner Black—yes.
