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Franklin County shortens PTO waiting period, aligns union first‑year accruals
Summary
The Franklin County Commission voted to shorten the paid time off waiting period from six months to three months and to allow catastrophic‑illness leave in one‑day increments; the commission also approved a related amendment aligning first‑year PTO accruals for Highway Department union employees.
The Franklin County Commission on a unanimous vote approved revisions to the county personnel policy that shorten the paid time off waiting period for new hires from six months to three months and change catastrophic‑illness leave from a three‑day minimum block to one‑day increments.
The change, adopted as Commission Order 2025‑39, was presented to make county hiring more competitive and to give employees greater flexibility for short‑term leave. The commission also approved Commission Order 2025‑57, an amendment with Local 148 (Highway Department) to adjust the number of earned PTO hours in the first year so union employees’ accruals match those of other county staff.
Commissioners said the change aims to reduce a hiring deterrent created by a six‑month wait for PTO. “Someone coming in for a new hire, they have to wait six months to get some PTO time,” the presiding commissioner said during debate. “We made it cut in half to three months to be more competitive.”
Angela, the county auditor who raised procedural questions during the discussion, noted the draft documentation did not specify where the revisions would appear inside the personnel policy and pointed out potential confusion between the terms “waiting period” and “introductory status,” which appear in different sections and currently say 60 calendar days and 90 days, respectively. The auditor asked the commission to add definitions or clarify language in a future revision so intent is explicit.
The commission approved the orders as written and recorded that the personnel policy will be revised to address the auditor’s clarifications at a later date.
Discussion and clarifications during the item indicated the sick‑leave policy remains a separate policy and that the personnel change specifically applies to PTO and catastrophic‑illness provisions. Commissioners said they intended the adjustments to favor employees and align accrual practices across represented and non‑represented staff.
Commission Order 2025‑39 and the related amendment 2025‑57 were adopted by voice vote; no roll‑call breakdown was given in the transcript.
