Election commission waives accrued-leave limits for staff ahead of two special elections

The Davidson County Election Commission voted to waive the usual limits on how much accrued leave election office employees may carry, citing staffing needs for two upcoming special elections. Administrator Jeff Roberts told commissioners the waiver is necessary because “we have 2 elections, 1 in October and 1 in December,” and staff who would otherwise take leave must remain available to prepare and operate those elections. “What I'm asking you to do is waive those limits until we can get to a point where the staff have an opportunity to take leave again,” Roberts said. The waiver was introduced at the meeting and approved by voice vote. Roberts said the commission has granted similar waivers in the past and that the office typically renews the waiver annually; he recommended extending it for a year and returning next session to reassess, noting there are three elections currently scheduled next year in May, August and November. The commission also discussed how staff may be compensated for extra hours. Roberts noted staff may be paid overtime or may choose to accrue comp time; the earlier action on leave limits was presented as covering those accrued leave types. The commission approved the waiver by voice vote. The vote requires no additional administrative action beyond the commission’s motion, Roberts said. Less critical details: Commissioners asked procedural questions about the length of the waiver and how next year’s elections might affect staff availability. No public comment was taken on this item at the meeting.