A law enforcement representative opened discussion at the Marion County personnel meeting on June 26 about an ordinance to let sworn personnel accumulate an extra 160 hours of compensatory time for training in addition to the county's standard 40-hour comp-time bank.

The proposal, presented as an ordinance to be filed with the court, would create a separate earning code and a separate bank so time earned during lengthy training—examples cited included a 14-week academy and an 8–10 week field training officer (FTO) period—would not automatically trigger time-and-a-half payouts when employees exceed the normal 40-hour workweek. "This is an ordinance that we proposed to go before the court to allow us as law enforcement to add additional hours to comp time," the law enforcement representative said.

County staff and officials described practical steps needed to implement the change. Payroll/HR staff said the county would need a new earning code in the financial information (FI) system so training comp time shows separately from regular comp time. A staff member compared the proposed approach to how the state highway department isolates certain employee time: "It would work like they do with the state highway department," the staff member said. The discussion also touched on departmental versus countywide administration of the bank; staff noted it would be administratively easier if the department could manage the separate bank in the FI system rather than tracking individual exceptions manually.

Participants discussed how the extra bank would be used and managed. Under the proposal, employees returning from extended training could be directed to take accrued leave (for example, two weeks off after a multiweek academy) rather than triggering overtime payouts. Attendees also raised implementation details: carrying the extra hours into the subsequent year so officers who train late in the year can use the time, automated versus manual entry of the new earning code, and ensuring only designated training hours are entered to that code. One county participant noted the county could maintain an existing 480-hour cap where applicable.

Speakers agreed to draft language and to add the technical payroll/earning-code changes discussed; meeting comments indicate staff said they would "add that" to the personnel manual language and system configuration. No formal motion or vote appears on the transcript; the discussion closed with staff direction to incorporate the new earning code and to add a law-enforcement subsection clarifying accrual rules and maximums.

Implementation questions remain on the record: how the ordinance will interact with state law and existing county payouts, whether the change will apply to all public-safety employees or only designated law-enforcement roles, and how the county will monitor and enforce mandatory use periods after training. The transcript records staff agreement to draft the ordinance language and the FI-system earning code change for future review.